Divergent (Divergent Series, 1)
This first book in Veronica Roth's #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent series of books is the novel the inspired the major motion picture starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James, and Kate Winslet. This dystopian series set in a futuristic Chicago has captured the hearts of millions of teen and adult readers.
Perfect for fans of the Hunger Games and Maze Runner series, Divergent and its sequels, Insurgent and Allegiant, are the gripping story of a dystopian world transformed by courage, self-sacrifice, and love. Fans of the Divergent movie will find the book packed with just as much emotional depth and exhilarating action as the film, all told in beautiful, rich language.
One choice can transform you. Beatrice Prior's society is divided into five factions—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). Beatrice must choose between staying with her Abnegation family and transferring factions.
Her choice will shock her community and herself. But the newly christened Tris also has a secret, one she's determined to keep hidden, because in this world, what makes you different makes you dangerous.
And don't miss The Fates Divide, Veronica Roth's powerful sequel to the bestselling Carve the Mark!
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Community Reviews
I don't know how I expected to feel about this book. I approached it with the academic in mind, which might be why it took be a little longer to invest emotionally in it. I knew that the main character (Beatrice "Tris" Prior) would be identified early on as 'special,' she would engage in training activities, and guessing by the title and subsequent books to follow, she would lead a rebellion against her dystopian society. Okay, pretty much genre-standard here for series books.
It wasn't until I realize that other people--namely, her mother--know more than they let on that I started to really get into the story. From then, I read the rest of it at a breakneck pace and switched from my academic-mode to the entertained-reader-mode. Every moment I could, I'd pick up the book and read on.
So, though I recognize why people identify this as good for fans of Hunger Games, please know that this ISN'T HG. She isn't Katniss, though at times, I felt that Tris could be somewhat unyielding in her voice. The violence in the book is different from the that in the HG Arena and I think there are some other (different?) "real/gritty" things that come up in this book, including abuse, sexual assault, and the death of loved one(s). I am curious to see how these sorts of things continue to inform Tris's character and her decisions, but I also want to see her deal with these things and struggle with them. I don't know whether these things are explored more in INSURGENT or not, but I plan on reading it to find out.
All in all, the writing was smooth (but I didn't always like the repetition of sentences/emotions, i.e. "I don't know; I don't know; I don't know."--almost always in 3's, and often separated by semicolons--a fine technique, but when used regularly, it was less impactful for me), and the story eventually drew me in so that I wanted to see what would happen. I admire Tris, but don't necessarily know if I like her more than I like anyone else in the story--including Four. In a way, I feel somewhat indifferent, but I do feel bad for her as the story unfolds and some terrible things happen to her. I think that's the only thing keeping me from rating this book 5-stars: my love for the characters isn't as deep as I'd like it to be. But maybe that will change in INSURGENT!
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