Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth

Pages: 487

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Genre: Dystopian, Romance, Young Adult, Fnatasy

Rating: 5/5

Beatrice Prior knows that on the day of the Choosing Ceremony, when she turns 16, she will have to make a decision that will change her life. Living in a world where there a 5 factions – Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the fearless), Erudite (the smart), Candor (the honest) and Amity (the peaceful) – Beatrice must decide which one she wants to be a part of for the rest of her life. Will she leave her family in Abnegation, or will she forsake her dreams and remain with her parents?

“ONE CHOICE

ONCE CHOICE

DECIDES YOUR FRIENDS

ONCE CHOICE

DEFINES YOUR BELIEFS

ONCE CHOICE

DETERMINES YOUR LOYALTIES – FOREVER

ONCE CHOICE

CAN TRANSFORM YOU”

After choosing Dauntless, Beatrice now has a new life, a new name (Tris), a new future. Now all she has to do is pass the Dauntless test that will prove she is meant to be in that faction. But what she is stunned to learn is that only 10 people will make it into Dauntless, and the other 10 will become factionless, a group of people who have no faction and are the lowest of the low.

And if that isn’t enough, it turns out Tris is Divergent. Being Divergent means that she is one of the few who do not fit in any faction, but at the same time, fit in them all. And she’s being hunted down by those who see Divergent people as cowards. Smart, tiny and at an extreme disadvantage, Tris will have to fight for her victory, and explore who she really is if she has any hope of becoming a part of Dauntless.

I really enjoyed reading about Tris. She’s fun, witty, brave and adventurous. Facing the same odds as Tris, a regular person would have given up. But not Tris. A loyal friend and always the odd one out, this heroine has a lot to learn if she has any hope of becoming a part of Dauntless. As she continues her Test, she discovers a new side of herself – and the life she lives. Discovering hamburgers, wearing clothing that aren’t gray and the weird feeling she gets every time she is with her instructor Four, are only a few things that make Tris more than the average protagonist.

Reading Divergent was simply magical. Veronica Roth describes a place full of adventure, action and bravery – a combination that is utterly enticing. The only way to actually describe Divergent is fun. Fun and dangerous. Throughout the story, there is always something big happening. No chapter is boring, and on every single page, sparks are flying.

Usually I might groan at the fact that Divergent is yet another dystopian book. So many have been published recently, and many of them are barely worth reading. To my delight though, this book is absolutely perfect. There is just no better way to write a story like this.

Now, many people are complaining about the fact that Divergent is almost exactly like The Hunger Games. And yes, the first time I saw Divergent, I thought it was just a strange looking copy of The Hunger Games, but man was I wrong. In fact, I have to say that Divergent is better than what people say it was copied from. Why? Because to me, Divergent had a more engaging plot line. It was more fun, it was more dangerous, it had more details. And it was an amazing new idea.

This is a book that I can add to my short list of books to reread – it was just that good. Read Divergent by Veronica Roth, and join Tris as she discovers who and how important she really is. If you like action, a bit of romance, and lots of adventure, Divergent is definitely the book for you. Other books in this series includes Insurgent and the upcoming book Allegiant, publishing October, 2013.