Thursday, October 27, 2011

Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth (Divergent Series #1)

Divergent by Veronica Roth: Book Cover

Divergent
By Veronica Roth
Genre: Young Adult/Dystopian
Sexual Intensity: None
My Rating: A+

Synopsis from B&N.com
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.

My Thoughts
I think, after reading this book, I need to add a few more "+'s" to my rating system. I don't think I've read a better book all year long! I mean, I've read quite a few so it's hard to say that, but DANG I loved this book! At almost 500 pages long, it was a BREEZE to read. I was snagged from the very first page.
This book takes place in Dystopian Chicago, where the city is divided into 5 factions. Each faction lives by a certain virture. There is Abnegation (the selfless), Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent).  When children turn 16 years old, they are allowed to choose which faction they want to live in for the rest of their lives. Beatrice Prior shocks herself and her family when she chooses to move to Dauntless. Being raised in Abnegation, she's still unsure whether or not she even belongs there. She doesn't feel selfless and in fact, feels like she's being held back. So she chooses to live among the brave.

It's not quite as easy as just moving to a new faction. Initiates must compete for top honors among other initiates to become full-fledged members of their new factions. If they don't make the grade, they are turned away and live factionless. This is equivelant to being a bum on the streets and having no family to turn to. This raises the stakes a bit!

Throughout the book, we follow Tris (Beatrice's new chosen name for her new life) on her journey through the initiation phase. She makes friends, finds love in an unlikely boy, and finds herself. All is not sunshine and roses though as you'll see Tris fight for her life. What comes after the final initiation celebration took me by surprise and now I can't wait for the 2nd in this series, Insurgent, to come out in May 2012!


6 comments:

  1. lol. I came really close to giving Divergent 5 stars, but I'm a real stickler for ratings so I settled for 4.5 stars instead. :)

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  2. Haha, I'm pretty good about throwing out a high rating:) If I enjoyed it as much as I did, it deserves it! I was even telling my husband about it, he just nods his head and says "Sounds good, babe!" Hahaha, he's so good to me, lol!

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  3. LOL...I have a couple of A++ and I think one A+++ on my blog, so I understand! Everyone keeps raving about this one. I should just give in and go buy it, shouldn't I... smiles!

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  4. I lent this book to a friend before reading it...now I think I'm going to regret that! Great review!

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  5. Yes Christi, you SHOULD! Have you read Hunger Games? This one is better (IMO!)

    And yes, Tales, you should regret that decision, lol!!! So good! Go steal it back:)

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  6. This book was amazing if you love action romance and mystery you are going to love this book, much better than the hunger games.

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