Divergent by Veronica Roth Published by HarperCollins on 2012-02-28
Genres: Action & Adventure, Dystopian, General, Girls & Women, Love & Romance, Science Fiction, Social Issues, Values & Virtues, Young Adult
Pages: 576
Format: Hardcover
Add to Goodreads
Buy the Book at Amazon • Buy the Book at Indiebound •
Paperback features over fifty pages of bonus materials, including a sneak peek of Insurgent, an author Q&A, a discussion guide, a Divergent playlist, faction manifestos, and more! 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 also recommend:
- Railsea by China Mieville
- Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier
I am so so so very late to the Divergent train. Veronica Roth’s novel hit it out of the ballpark for so many readers and it’s been on my radar for so long that, frankly, I was scared to pick it up. I remember my first experience with majorly hyped media: Forrest Gump with Tom Hanks. I had heard from so many people that the movie would blow my mind that I thought there would be no possible way to live up to the expectations that I had built up as a result. Divergent was a similar experience for me. And while I love both the movie (and Tom Hanks) and really enjoyed Divergent, it also fell a bit short of, what I readily admit to be, my unrealistic expectations.
I’m a huge fan of really gripping young adult dystopia. The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner – these books thrilled me. Strong female characters in fantasy books like Graceling also thrill me, so combining fantasty, science-fiction, an end of the world scenario and a really strong, but human, girl thoroughly appealed to me. Plus, you know, there’s a movie coming out so I figured I better kick myself into gear.
Here’s what I loved about Divergent. I loved Roth’s extensive world-building. Every detail, down to the clothing being worn, was crafted and I never felt out of the loop on something. Everyone’s roles were clear-cut and defined and the initial struggle for Beatrice Prior was simple and complex, all at the same time. I thoroughly enjoyed the ideas of different factions being more than just based on physical ability or appearance. I thought it the world set-up and the faction set-up provided a simple enough foundation for a very complex story to be built on them.
I also enjoyed the thoroughness of Tris’s journey. I loved being privy to all of the strategies and tests. Too often this step is skipped in favor of the bigger picture, but it really sets the stage for the story. It’s in those moments that a reader really gets to know the character and can sympathize with hard choices made in the future of the story.
Now, what fell a bit beneath expectation was the romance. I really shouldn’t be surprised at this point, more often than not romances written for the young adult audience just move too fast for me to fully comprehend how in the world they work. I mean, there are life and death scenarios happening in these books, in Divergent, and yet Beatrice is making eyes at some guy who just so happens to be making eyes back at her? It didn’t come off as believable, it came off as “this book needs a romance because that’s what audiences want to here, let’s give it to them.” That sounds really harsh, but everything else was taken just so slowly, it was just disappointing to see the romance take off at lightening speed.
Still, Divergent was a fun read and definitely kept me up late at night working my way through it. When I put it down I immediately picked up Insurgent, so you know that is worth something – especially considering the pile of books I should be reading instead. I’m looking forward to seeing the movie and watching the world that so captivated me come to life.
Check out these reviews!
- “Roth did an amazing job with Divergent and she is able to keep the reader interested the entire way through.” – I Am a Reader
- “But this book, the story, writing won me over gave me hope again. It was definitely an incredible debut book for Veronica Roth.” – The Night Owl Post
- “If you’re looking for a dystopian book filled with romance, action, and many unpredictable things, I definitely say you should check this book out sometime. ” – Downright Dystopian