Friday, September 13, 2013

Review: Divergent (Divergent: Book One) by Veronica Roth

How I Came to Know About This Book: Through Goodreads.


Format of The Book: Ebook (epub version).


Genre: Young Adult/ Dystopia.


Length of The Book: 487 pages (for paperback).


A Short Synopsis: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, 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 alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating 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 unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her. (Goodreads Description)

Characters of The Book:   
       
  • Caleb Prior
  • Beatrice Prior (Tris)
  • Christina
  • Drew
  • Eric
  • Erudite girl
  • Gabe
  • James Tucker
  • Jeanine Matthews
  • Lauren
  • Lynn
  • Marcus
  • Marlene
  • Max
  • Molly
  • Mr. & Mrs. Prior
  • Peter
  • Rita
  • Robert Black
  • Shauna
  • Susan Black
  • Tori
  • Uriah
  • Will



My Review: I was really looking forward to reading this book and I knew I would enjoy it. Since reading The Hunger Games I have been slightly obsessed with dystopian novels and knew I had to read this one and I was not disappointed.

Beatrice has always been taught that she should be selfless and help others but she has never fit in with her faction, became bored easily and wanted another life. So when she turns sixteen and has the chance to change her life by choosing a different faction she does.
It's hard for me to write this review without giving away which faction she chooses, because it's basically the setting for near on the entire novel. But I really don't want to ruin the experience for you. Beatrice makes her choice, which is not the same faction as her family. She's then thrust into a whole new world with vastly different rules to her old one and a completely different way of living. She adopts the nickname "Tris" and launches head first into this shocking new way of life.

Her new faction - wow. The atmosphere is incredible, it's crazy, it's confronting and so very addictive. These traits the factions are moulded around, they're things we see in our every day lives. We value them, we strive to become more honest or brave or kind. But when you make a person construct their entire life around one particular value and not allow a healthy balance, these values can turn deadly. Intelligence can be an extraordinarily dangerous weapon when used the wrong way, selflessness leaves no room for self-preservation, bravery can become skewed and toes the line of cruelty and sadism.

Tris quickly learns to toughen up physically, if you don't learn how to throw a punch you're a goner. Veronica Roth doesn't shy away from violence or death or moral and ethical issues - she brings them right to the forefront. As Tris was completing some tasks during her initiation into her new faction, I totally shared in that exhilaration along with her. The fear, the thrills, the hatred, the appreciation. We see the good parts of her faction and the way the members can draw together, but other times you see the startling evidence of what corrupt leaders can result in.

I didn't love this book straight away but I was curious as to what was going to happen. As I read more I fell more and more in love with the story. It's such a great dystopian world and I was completely sucked in and needed more. I love that there is a great love story in with the story as some dystopian novels I have read are completely focused on the dystopian world without a love story and I am such a sucker for a good love story. I completely fell in love with Four the more I read and I was completely hooked to the book.

Here's one of my favourite quotes from this book:



I thought this was a really good story but not the best, until I got further and further through and I was blown away by what was happening and I ended the book thinking I NEED to know what's going to happen next and I am so impatient for the next book.

Before I read this book I had heard people saying it was better than Hunger Games and I honestly don't think it is. Don't get me wrong it is as good I think but then I don't get how people can compare the two because they are completely different.
Divergent is way too great and captivating to be the debut novel of an author.
This is undoubtedly one of the best books I've read lately.



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