Divergent
by Veronica Roth
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: May 3rd 2011
Edition: Hardcover 487 pages (purchased)
What the inside flap says...
In Beatrice Prior's Dystopian Chicago, society is divied into factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue-Candor (the honest), Abnegation (theselfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On a appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beattrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is-she can't have both. So she makes the 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 mighty destroy her.
Likes:
WOW! I was really surprised by this book. Right from the first page, this books grabs you and pulls you in. The pacing was excellent. Very fast-paced and wasted no time diving into the nitty gritty of this story's dystopian world. I love this author's writing style. This author makes you feel the emotions the characters did when they went through them. All the characters in the story are very well written. Beatrice Prior, the protagonist of the story, is a very strong female character. Though at times she seemed kind of cruel, she was an excellent character that fought for the faction she believed she belonged to.
Dislikes:
There were some small gripes here and there that I didn't really care for too much. Like I mentioned before, Beatrice sometimes came out like a jerk but I understood why she thought or said what she said. My main gripe was that I thought the initiation part of the book took a bit longer than I thought it should have taken. It did make up for it with an amazing last 100 pages. It just seemed like it could have probably been a bit shorter and hit the awesome part of this story a bit sooner.
Who would I recommend this to:
If you are any kind of a fan to dystopian YA novels like Hunger Games, this book is so easily for you. The idea of the factions keeping things "so-called" perfect in dystopian Chicago is intriguing. Especially since there is a bit of corruption going on under everyone's noses. I won't spoil it for you but it is very good. While this book has the label of being like Hunger Games or what not, it is very different from it. I enjoyed this book very much and I cannot wait to get my hands on the 2nd one. I also might have a crush on the author of this book. Oh Veronica Roth, you are so librarian adorable. Just don't tell my wife I said that. ;)
