Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

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

Paperback, 487 pages

Published February 28th 2012 by Katherine Tegen Books (first published 2011)

Terri's Thoughts:       

I may be a little late jumping on the bandwagon for this book however I knew I had to read it. The reason is simple. The movie is coming out this month and I will be going to see it with my nieces who have both read the book and loved it.  I can not in good conscience see a movie if I have not yet read the book.  So I sat down with no expectations although I may have seen the movie trailer once or twice.

This is one of those books that are considered YA that can appeal to all audiences.  I have left my YA days behind a few years ago and I was glued to this story.  From the very beginning I loved the character of Tris and I knew I was going to be invested in her journey. In a way it was a coming of age story where she left behind all that she knew to find herself in the Dauntless world.  She was a character that was not without flaws however strong and courageous.

Then there was Four.  I need not say more.  I fell in love with him from the moment he was introduced.  He was the perfect character for this story and the his connection to Tris was what made this story in my opinion.  His story is what kept me glued to the pages.

I won't go in to detail about the plot as there have already been thousands of reviews of this novel.  I will say that I do feel that this story is just a cut above the other similar stories that are popular these days and have been made in to movies.  There is just something that has stuck with me on this one.  I was not planning on reading the next instalment right away however I think I will have a hard time staying away as I need to know how this story evolves.

I highly recommend this story!

About the Author  

Veronica Roth is from a Chicago suburb. She studied creative writing at Northwestern University, and wrote DIVERGENT (Katherine Tegen Books, May 2011) and INSURGENT (May 2012). The third and final book in The Divergent Trilogy, ALLEGIANT, will come out on October 22, 2013. In the meantime she will spend endless hours browsing Wikipedia in her pajamas as she eats corn flakes. (Or some other kind of bland breakfast cereal.)

Website:  http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/