Review: Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth
Publish date: 2011
Source: Library

"Beatrice "Tris" Prior has reached the fateful age of sixteen, the stage at which teenagers in Veronica Roth's dystopian Chicago must select which of five factions to join for life. Each faction represents a virtue: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. To the surprise of herself and her selfless Abnegation family, she chooses Dauntless, the path of courage. Her choice exposes her to the demanding, violent initiation rites of this group, but it also threatens to expose a personal secret that could place in mortal danger. Veronica Roth's young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under most extreme circumstances."

Let's see...I loved this book! It's a dystopian YA, which makes most people think of the Hunger Games, of course, but I am pretty sure I enjoyed Divergent more! I liked the main character, Tris, and thought she was fairly well developed, which I did not think of Katniss. I liked learning a bit about each of the factions in this future Chicago, and I really hope we learn more about them in the other two novels in the trilogy. I noticed in some reviews on Goodreads that some people were frustrated that Ms. Roth did not give enough backstory for the world that she created, including a general history, but I am convinced that she has much more to tell and reveal in the other books. I think Divergent ends in a way that allows Insurgent to do a lot of explaining, if that makes sense to those who have read it.

I'll be honest...this book was long. Like, 500 pages. Happily, though, it is seriously hard to put down and even though I could barely keep my eyes open the other day, I plowed through the last 100ish pages because I just HAD to keep reading. So good. If you like dystopian lit, this is for you. Simple but effective writing style, good characters (I imagine Four as being quite, uh, good looking?), and an intriguing storyline. Can't wait for the rest of the trilogy.

Currently reading: The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson