Divergent

By: Veronica Roth

Series: Divergent, Book 1

Challenge: Dystopia Challenge

Published: 2011

# of pages: 487

Official description:

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.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

My opinion: I started this book a little skeptical about how good it would actually be. I knew it was being compared to The Hunger Games, but seriously, how can anything be better than The Hunger Games!? So the beginning of the book seemed very juvenile and took me awhile to enjoy. But I eventually ended up really enjoying this book and can't wait for the next in the trilogy to be released this year!

I enjoyed imagining what faction I would be in if I lived in the world presented in Divergent. There are 5 factions. I'd be in Erudite, along with everyone in my family. Except my sister, she would definitely be "factionless." For awhile I couldn't think of what faction she fit into, but realized she already is basically factionless in this world, so there you have it. My husband read Divergent as well and said he'd want to be in Dauntless, but we figure he'd probably be assigned to Amity. :-)

So, if you've read this and know what I'm talking about, what faction would you be in?

Why I gave this book 4/5 stars: Easy & entertaining to read, good pace, interesting characters, original plot and setting. A little bit too "young adult" for me to fully appreciate, but that just makes it better for people who really are young adults!

Other reviews:
Book Nut
S. Krishna's Books
Bookfoolery and Babble
It's All About Books
Royal Reviews

Have you reviewed this? Let me know and I'd be happy to post yours as well.