Hi everyone!
This is my first review! Please don't judge me too harshly if it's not up to par!
Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Pages:
Genre: Teen Fiction
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: February 8, 2012
Reading Level: Young Adult
*Caution: Spoilers in this review
Synopsis
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. 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.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are. 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.
Book Trailer
My Thoughts
My first impressions upon finishing Divergent were that this was definitely one of the best books I've read. I really loved Tris and Tobias (Four) together, I couldn't get over the fact that they were so perfect for each other! I loved the way the author described the setting and I also love how she chose to write the story in first person. It was intriguing to read the story from Tris's P.O.V, rather than from a narrators P.O.V.
When I was skimming through the book before reading it, I assumed that it would be like the Hunger Games. Upon actually reading Divergent, I discovered that while the story reminded me of the Hunger Games in small ways, it's actually nothing like the Hunger Games.
When Tris's mother died saving her, I put down the book, and then reread the portion because I had to make sure it had actually happened. I didn't like the fact that the author killed off her mother, but I understand why it had to be done.
Marcus (Tobias's father) was an interesting character, and I'd like to see how he develops in the next book. I felt an instant hate for him, after reading about Tobias's fear landscape and how his father was one of his four fears. I'm also curious to know if Tobias's mother really died or if she just escaped her husband.
Tobias and Tris (as I've said before) are perfect together. When they went through Tobias's fear landscape and she helped him face his fears, I just couldn't take the shipping feels. When he tells her he loves her at the end of the book, that just about finished me off. She doesn't say she loves him however, which made me think of the Hunger Games, when Katniss doesn't say she loves Peeta until later on. However, Katniss and Peeta had a completely different relationship than Tobias and Tris, because while Katniss was acting for the Games, Tris returns Tobias's feelings (even if she doesn't say it aloud).
This book had a slower start (it seemed to me), but nothing could've prepared me for the climax (which I won't spoil because I've spoiled enough of this book already).
Overall I would rate this book 5 out of 5 nail polish bottles because it was an incredible read.
