Divergent by Veronica Roth

I don’t read a lot of dystopian fiction so when I get to escape into a somewhat post-apocalyptic world, it’s always fun. Spoiler free review ahead!

Title:  Divergent
Author:  Veronica Roth
Series: Divergent Book 01
Publish Date:  May 3, 2011
Genre:  YA Dystopian
Source: Purchased

Publisher’s Description: In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

Possible spoilers beyond this point.

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Kat Mandu says…

Divergent has nice world building, lots of action, unique characters. I like the pacing and the simple yet vivid descriptions.

Tris is a very…interesting character. She has flaws though she won’t admit it. And she’s very emotional. But she’s also fearless…well, when she’s not being afraid that is. Tris is a very multi-faceted character who switches personalities easily but it makes for a believable read because readers are left wondering what she’s going to think next. At one point she’s strong and brave, the next she’s scared and dependent on others for support. Sometimes she comes off as very intelligent and prepared, the next she’s making a terrible decision. Very human, very teenager, very real.

I love the zip line scene the best. It shows Tris overcoming all that fear and finding her identity; and for the first time, feeling like she belongs somewhere. For the first time she feels brave and loved and it’s a wonderful scene.

Oh, Four, what an interesting guy you are. Half the scenes reveal Tris and Four have so many love-hate moments. One moment they’re sharing secrets and kissing, the next she’s slapping him in the face. Semi-cliffhanger ending, I like that. Overall, a very good book, just not unputdownable for me. When I first read this, it was really the first dystopian I’d ever read and although the world building and the fight scenes was great, I had a hard time visualizing some of the other things that were happening and that didn’t flow well for me.

*My thoughts on the movie: The actors chosen for this movie were pretty spot on, though it must be strange for Theo James to play an eighteen-year old! I liked the zip line scene better in the book, though I liked the final fight scene against Jeanine better in the movie (she throws a knife into her hand!). Also, they left out Edward, which sucked because he was kind of an important character in this book as well as the next.

Other reviews…

• The Book Smugglers
• Fantasy Book Review
• Story Snoops

If you like this book…

…you might try the Chemical Garden series by Lauren DeStefano, the Delirium series by Lauren Oliver, the Taken series by Erin Bowman, or the Roar series by Emma Clayton.