Title: DivergentAuthor: Veronica Roth
Classification: YA Fiction, Dystopian
Source: Bought!
Overall Grade:
A+
Would I read it again?
YES
Would I recommend it?
I told someone to buy it the second I finished!
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Summary (from 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.
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.
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My Thoughts:
Holy. Crap.
Divergent is not only the best dystopian book I've read since The Hunger Games series, it's also one of the most thrilling, touching, and captivating books I've read all year. In fact, it may even be close to knocking Suzanne Collins' epic trilogy off its pedestal if the next two books in the series are as amazing as the debut!
Beatrice, AKA Tris, is an amazing heroine. She is faced with the incredible task of deciding the rest of her life at the age of 16, with the pressure of her family and her faction's expectations on her shoulders. After she makes her choice, one of several difficult ones that she must make throughout the book, she launches into her new life.
I think what made Tris such a compelling main character is that even at the beginning of the novel, she is already at odds with her environment. As the books moves along, she continues to struggle with her surroundings, including the people that form them. Tris is the underdog of all underdogs and her struggles are at times difficult, and at times thrilling to behold!
Divergent is the kind of book that you cannot stop reading for hours on end. But when you finally do pause and glance up from the page, you are surprised to find that you are not Tris. That you are not right there fighting, learning, and scrapping to stay alive right along side her.
This book has an addictive quality to it, much like The Hunger Games. There is a constant sense of competition, survival, and violence that keeps the pace moving along at breakneck speeds.
However, the moral side of this story, as well as the romance, is just as palpable as the action. I loved the way that Roth explained Tris' world in relation to its governing factions. The principals that these groups represent create a great theme throughout the novel! Also, the romantic relationships in Divergent are very resonant for a book that sometimes borders on grizzly.
Read this book! The only reason you shouldn't get off the couch and run to your local bookstore... (or pick up your finger and click over to Amazon...) RIGHT THIS SECOND... is if you do not like to read amazing books. Well?! Do you?!
Beatrice, AKA Tris, is an amazing heroine. She is faced with the incredible task of deciding the rest of her life at the age of 16, with the pressure of her family and her faction's expectations on her shoulders. After she makes her choice, one of several difficult ones that she must make throughout the book, she launches into her new life.
I think what made Tris such a compelling main character is that even at the beginning of the novel, she is already at odds with her environment. As the books moves along, she continues to struggle with her surroundings, including the people that form them. Tris is the underdog of all underdogs and her struggles are at times difficult, and at times thrilling to behold!
Divergent is the kind of book that you cannot stop reading for hours on end. But when you finally do pause and glance up from the page, you are surprised to find that you are not Tris. That you are not right there fighting, learning, and scrapping to stay alive right along side her.
This book has an addictive quality to it, much like The Hunger Games. There is a constant sense of competition, survival, and violence that keeps the pace moving along at breakneck speeds.
However, the moral side of this story, as well as the romance, is just as palpable as the action. I loved the way that Roth explained Tris' world in relation to its governing factions. The principals that these groups represent create a great theme throughout the novel! Also, the romantic relationships in Divergent are very resonant for a book that sometimes borders on grizzly.
Read this book! The only reason you shouldn't get off the couch and run to your local bookstore... (or pick up your finger and click over to Amazon...) RIGHT THIS SECOND... is if you do not like to read amazing books. Well?! Do you?!
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Overall Grade:
A+
Would I read it again?
YES
Would I recommend it?
I told someone to buy it the second I finished!
Great Review. I am glad I finished the book and did my review, so I can now check out everyone else's review!
ReplyDeleteThanks Joanna! I'll have to check out your review too to see what you thought of it :)
ReplyDelete- Alyssa of Redhead Heroines
Definitely sounds like one both my daughter and I would love - going on the wish list!
ReplyDeleteYes yes yes! Excellent review. Sums up my feelings well.
ReplyDeleteI just picked this up the other day to reread it, it's definitely that good! I'm glad you had the emotional connection to the characters and you loved it so much, great review!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Audrey!! I loaned my copy out right after I read it, and I'm already DYING to have it back, haha! :)
ReplyDelete