REVIEW: Divergent (Divergent #1) by Veronica Roth

Author: Veronica Roth

Pages: 487

Genre: Dystopian - YA

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

AMAZON: Divergent (Divergent Trilogy)

Synopsis. (Goodreads:

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.

REVIEW: 5 out of 5 stars

Divergent is the first book in this wonderful new trilogy set in dystopian Chicago.

There are 5 factions within society, Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent).

Beatrice Prior is part of the Abnegation faction and along with her brother, Caleb is about to sit for an aptitude test which will then allow them to select which faction they wish to be a part of; a requirement of all 16 year olds on a certain day each year. Never believing she was truly selfless she decides to devote herself to Dauntless, a seemingly better fit for her.

The results of her aptitude test also show she is a ‘Divergent’ but is told she must keep this information to herself unless she wants to end up dead, she has no idea what being a Divergent means and this knowledge is quite scary, especially since there is no one she can talk to about it.

Tris as she is known to the ‘Dauntless’ seemed fearless, she missed her family but tried to show she could fit in even under extreme pressure and brutality; she had to endure some pretty nasty initiations but kept on going in order to succeed, she was helped along with the support of a few new friends as well as Four, she grew throughout the book both mentally and physically, I loved her as a character.

I adored Four! He was strong and honest when he had to be but was also compassionate and caring at other times, he trusted Tris and gave her bits of advice to go forward and information about himself he hadn’t shared with others which helped her in ways she never expected. They have a sweet, young romance and I look forward to seeing how it progresses.

I loved the world building, the writing, the well defined absorbing characters, the complex factions and the rules and regulations they each abided by – it was truly fascinating and certainly unique.

There was never a dull moment, I was captivated by this book; it’s definitely a wonderful start to this amazing new trilogy and I am looking forward to seeing how the growing conflicts between the factions are resolved.

Kudos to Ms Roth on a thoroughly enjoyable read. I can honestly say that Dystopian is fast becoming one of my favorite genres! I absolutely LOVED Divergent.

The only gripe I have is I have to wait until 2012 to read book 2, Insurgent!