Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Goodreads Summary: 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 the 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 her in mortal danger. Veronica Roth’s young adult Divergent trilogy launches with a captivating adventure about love and loyalty playing out under the most extreme circumstances. 

I had very high expectations for this one, having seen 5 star reviews on so many blogs recently. While the story was a bit slower than I had imagined, it still drew me in and deserves this 5 star rating. If you enjoyed The Hunger Games, (which I did) then you’ll love this too. It does feature teenagers beating the shit out of each other in a somewhat controlled environment.

Beatrice is faced with a choice that will define everything she is: Should she go against everything she knows and grew up with or should she stay where she is, in a faction that she doesn’t feel she belongs in. The five factions are:

Abnegation (Selfless)

Candor (Honesty and Truth)

Amity (Peace)

Erudite (Knowledge and Intelligence)

Dauntless (Courageous and Brave)

Going against her family, she chooses Dauntless and so begins her journey of self-discovery. Tris is a strong, likeable character who just gets on with things and doesn’t complain. You can’t help but admire her bravery and loyalty when it comes to her friends. She has some very difficult choices to make throughout the book and she consistently stays true to herself. All of the background characters were well developed and they each brought something to the table. I particularly liked Al and Christina.

And then there’s Four, Gah! What a guy. I see Four as the strong, silent type. In my opinion he often seemed a bit cold in some of the more intimate scenes but it worked so well! The romance seemed solid and real and didn’t take over from the rest of the plot.

Overall, I thought it was an excellent read. It was full of twists and turns and was often brutal and violent which actually made it particularly thrilling for me. Tris definitely has some maturing to do in the next two books to make her a more likeable character. I don’t doubt that she will have countless opportunities to show us what she is really made of.  5/5 Stars

Have you seen the cover of book two? INSURGENT! I love it :)