Divergent Overview: 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.
Quick Review:
Ages: 12+
Reason for specific age: There are a lot of fight scenes (seeing how she is going into the "tough" faction) and just a few scenes that are not really gruesome but they're not all butterflies and rainbows either (not as bad as Angelfall). There is no cursing
Stars: 5
Reason: Suspenseful, interesting, and attention grabbing. I couldn't stop turning the pages and reading what happens next. I feel like this is going to be the next Harry Potter or The Hunger Games, but maybe that's just me.
Review:
Sure The Hunger Games by Susan Collins was
good, but Divergent by Veronica Roth was
by far a more enjoyable story. The overview basically tells you what is going
on in the story. Dystopian Chicago, divided into five factions and at the age
of 16 each citizen must choose whether or not they want to go into a different
faction rather then stay in the one they grew up in.
The book is written in the main character's (Tris) point of view.
Beatrice (who later changes her name to Tris), was so much different from the other young heroines we see in today's
books. Most of the book dwells upon the fact that Tris must get initiated (or "accepted")
into the faction she chooses, otherwise she'll end up fractionless (which is
very bad in their terms). Unlike Katniss (from The Hunger Games) and Penryn (from a book I
reviewed earlier called Angelfall), Beatrice isn't as
confident in her decisions nor does she have the muscle to fight like a
*spoiler* Dauntless (the brave faction). Physically she is weak, but when it
comes to mentally controlling her greatest fears she is stronger than then all
of the other contestants she must go up against. But that's because of the
secret power she poses (and THAT I will not spoil).
I loved getting to see Tris change into a completely different person by the end of
the book. She went from living a boring life of politeness to an adventurous
and action filled lifestyle. Since you get to read her thoughts, you can see
not only her outer appearance changing (from stiff gray clothing and your
"tough" guy kind of clothing) but her mindset in how she makes
decisions changes as well.
The last fourth of the book focuses on a war that
begins in one of the factions. While I liked the initiation and all, this was
the most suspenseful and thrilling part of the book. You won't believe what
happens to who and I will admit at some points I cried (since I imagined myself
in her shoes). I'm still in shock of it all but what happens in a book happens.
So what probably most of the ladies are wondering about is the love interest. Other than the interesting setting, suspense and all the change going on in the character's life, the love interest was really cute and added to the book. I noticed in other books that whoever the character is going to fall in love with is a dead give away most of the time, but in Divergent you wonder maybe yes, maybe no. You're thinking they could fall in love, but you're not sure if they will given the circumstances (something that I liked). When she does fall in love with someone, it's not just out of lust which was a breathe of fresh air compared to several other books.
So what probably most of the ladies are wondering about is the love interest. Other than the interesting setting, suspense and all the change going on in the character's life, the love interest was really cute and added to the book. I noticed in other books that whoever the character is going to fall in love with is a dead give away most of the time, but in Divergent you wonder maybe yes, maybe no. You're thinking they could fall in love, but you're not sure if they will given the circumstances (something that I liked). When she does fall in love with someone, it's not just out of lust which was a breathe of fresh air compared to several other books.
In conclusion, if you're looking for another apocalyptic
read, somewhat like The Hunger Games, Divergent by Veronica Roth is a great read that honestly keeps
you guessing and your eyes pealed as you read the book. I recommend to probably
around middle school ages and up.
THE SECOND BOOK IS COMING OUT MAY 2012
Author's Website (Blog):
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