Monday, August 22, 2011

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Release Date: May 3, 2011
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Pages: 496
Format: NookBook
Acquired: Bought
Interest: Series
Age Group: Young Adult
Challenge: 2011 Debut Author
Rating: 5 Stars

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.

I don't think I have ever read a book so fast. This was the craziest ride I ever took. I love the concept. I love Tris. I love Four. I hated Marcus and Peter. I loved the Dauntless. Hated the fighting that went on. I was literally jumping on my feet.

Reading dystopia has always left me thinking and wondering, and this book gave me a new idea of the future. Veronica did a wonderful job of describing each faction and bringing to life each character. They were very real to me, and I kept asking questions, which thankfully, were answered. I don't think there was ever a slow part, besides the beginning when everything was getting picked up.

I was shocked that it was Erudite who began all this but since they are the smart ones, I guess that makes perfect sense. I was also shocked by the choice that Tris made herself, but I knew she didn't belong in her own faction.

The feelings that Beatrice had at the beginning when it came time to decide what to do is, what I think, what most teenagers feel like. Torn. How do you define yourself? How do you decide where you belong? And most importantly, how do you make your parent's understand your choices? I felt bad for Beatrice that this was the life she lived and really wished that there was a way things could have been simple for both her and her brother.

But simple would not make this novel a NYT bestseller or already a movie deal signed and ready to go.

Christine and William were awesome, totally saw those two together. I felt bad for Al and what he must have been feeling throughout the beginning of the trials. I also felt like Tris was just trying too hard to be tough, which of course is never good, especially in a faction that is ruthless.

I'm sad that I read it so fast and so soon, because now I have to wait impatiently for book two. And for those who read this book, you already know how the ending just makes you antsy for the next book. You gotta know what happens next!

Adventures, fast, kick-ass, and fun! You better have a free day off because once you start it you will not want to put it down!

No comments: