Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Some books grab a hold of you in such a way that the moment you finish them you flip right back to the beginning to reread it again. Divergent is such a book! I started it last night, and was up until 2am finishing it!



This is a fantastic debut by Veronica Roth, which is set to be the first in a new series. One of the things that impressed me most was that each character stayed true to themselves as the story unfolded, which is difficult for a writer especially considering that several of the characters have major secrets that are revealed throughout the book that could have potentially changed the direction of any one of the characters. This is a novel I could easily picture as a movie adaptation.



A dystopian novel set in the remnants of Chicago, Divergent is a wondrously complicated tale of virtue, ethics, family and even a little romance. In an effort to stabilize the world, the community has been divided into five factions; Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave), and Erudite (the intelligent). Children are raised in the faction of their parents, but when they are sixteen, they must choose a faction to train with and live with for the rest of their lives. An aptitude test is taken by each teenager to guide them to the faction for which they have a disposition. If they choose a faction other than their parents’, they are seen as betrayers.

Beatrice Prior has been raised Abnegation, but has never really felt she fit in with the faction. Her aptitude test provides inconclusive guidance as it indicates she has dispositions for more than faction and that she is Divergent which forces her to make a difficult choice; join a new faction and leave her family, or stay Abnegation and never be true to herself? She chooses to join the Dauntless (the brave), where she takes the name Tris and quickly realizes the faction initiation process is much more difficult than imagined. Her trainer, nicknamed Four, takes a special interest in Tris’ progress and pushes her to the edge.

As the initiation process goes forward, the initiates find that not all of them will be welcomed into Dauntless, but rather they only accept the top ranked. If they fail, they will be factionless and forced to live homeless performing the most menial jobs. The competition becomes fierce as the initiates fight for the few top spots, and Tris becomes the target of a brutal attack. Can Tris survive by drawing on the virtues of the other factions, and what will the Dauntless leaders do if they find out she is Divergent As Tris and Four grow closer they learn of a sinister plot that will lead Erudite and Dauntless to make war on the Abnegation. Can they stop it before Tris' family and the rest of the Abengation are killed?



After I finished the book I told my brother about the book, and he asked me which faction I would choose? I had a hard time answering, which is the point of the book that as individuals we need all five virtues. The question is an interesting one though…If you could only choose one which one would it be?





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