Book: Divergent


Veronica Roth
Young Adult
Katherine Tegen Books / February 2012
Kindle / 487 Pages
Series Divergent #1

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, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

I picked this book up because My sister read the series and loved it

What I liked the Most? The concept behind the different factions

What I liked the Least? EVERY FREAKING OTHER THING

Review: I went into this story open minded (most of the time my sister's taste in books aligns closely to my own) and grew seriously irritated as I plodded through the nearly 500 pages. Now it wasn't all bad, but the majority sucked.

Decent: The story kept me interested, in spite of the boring repeative training scenes. I wanted to see where the story was going.

Could have been better: The writing style was totally immature. The descriptions were extremely lacking in almost every scene to the point that I had difficult time imagining the scene.

The characters are full of inconsistencies and read as very one-dimensional (Mary Sueish in a lot of aspects).

I personally did not believe the world for even a minute (major difference between this and Hunger Games). The split into five groups that based around a specific virtue was so beyond it was completely impractical and oversimplifies human emotion. The split reminded me of an odd mixture of the Harry Potter school Houses and the Hunger Game Districts to the point that I felt it was unoriginal, badly conceived idea.

The abso worse: This book reads as a not so subtle anti-science and anti-intellectual message. Point in fact, the author creates a society fraction Erudite that are supposed to be the "evil" sect and since they are the knowledge, science, technology and progress sect then basically you label these interests as evil.

It starts off strong with the world building creating a world that maybe could exist, right up until the kids are tested. Then it's like the next 3/4s of the book is on slow motion, then BAM actual action that takes place too quickly and is over in an instant then book end. This makes the whole book feel out of balance.

Equally important, the main character is a very uninspiring, shadow Mary Sue, ala Twilight's Bella, she's hollow and full of contridiction. Pretty but not really pretty, smart but not smart enough, oblivious to the other characters because she is too wrapped up in her self. In an age of newly brilliant characters (Hermione and Katniss) the willfully stupidity of Tris feels like a betrayal, a real set-back.

Recommended to: No one - this was beyond stupid

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