Divergent (edition 2012)

Divergent is the first book in the Divergent Trilogy. It sounded reminiscent of the Hunger Games which is why it was on my "to read" list. Then my 12 year old wanted to read it for school so I thought I'd better get a move on and check it out. It was fantastic!

This story is another from the dystopian genre where the futuristic world is quite different from what it is today. There are five factions where people live and each faction has its own style of people - each person conforms to the personality of the society (faction) in which they live. At the age of 16, each person gets tested to see which faction he/she is best suited for but ultimately gets to choose his/her faction. The rest of his/her life is dependent upon this one choice.

Beatrice (later named Tris) is the heroine of the book and represents another strong, smart, confident protagonist (much like Katniss in the Hunger Games.) As she nears the end of initiation for her chosen faction, an uprising occurs that sends her and those she loves and hates into a fight for survival. This book is full of suspense, action, betrayal, and a touch of romance.

I highly recommend this book! ( )

Things I liked:
1. The details surrounding the factions and the little things that made them distinct. It was fun to wonder which faction I would best belong to, and interesting to think about where each virtue's strengths and failures are.
2. I like that Tris was badass but at the same time has a lot of believable flaws as well (inability to be completely selfless, squeamish about intimacy from her years as Abnigation, hot temper when it comes to her loved ones).
3. Four isn't your typical YA love interest. I didn't immediately peg him as the guy put in the sotry for her to end up with. I like that. I wish they had more "moments" and conversations to fill out their relationship, however. Roth does make a bit deal of him treating her as someone strong and not deserving of pity even when he rescues her, which was interesting.
4. A bit of moral ambiguity. Our good guys here aren't completely good. Tris has no compassion when Al begs for forgiveness. Christina isn't always the best friend to Tris when Tris comes out ahead of her. Al is a big teddy bear who wasn't made for the ruthlessness of Dauntless' corruption and, in desperation, does some pretty bad things. Mr. Prior takes his faction a little too far. I could see any of them turning to the dark side at any moment. Interesting.

Things I didn't like:

1. Why is there no backstory as to how Chicago become dystopian? Are there people left in any other city? Are there factions everywhere? How long ago did the world plummet? Why was moral reform the top priority over survival and restoration of the city? These may be answered later in the trilogy, but there's no reason I can think of that this information couldn't be put in the first book.
2. Tris does have a bit of YA heroine syndrome, puzzling over things that are obvious, refusal to believe any boy could like her, and other tiresome things.
3. There are a few inconsistencies, particularly with Tris acting shocked over information we already have. She seems to find out that her mother is Dauntless twice, she sobs hysterically and then talks about not having cried in a long time, ect. Edit button!
4. The mind control bit. Everyone being turned into robots reminded me strongly of Saturday morning cartoons. The simulations and explanation of stimulating the part of the brain that processes fear was at least vaguely plausible.

It made for an entertaining audiobook and had some great scenes (where Tris lets knives be thrown at her so that Al gets spared) but could have been so much better with a bit more work! ( )

Very readable, if slightly predictable. In any dystopic tale, I have trouble accepting the premise that all people everywhere have readily accepted whichever whack-a-doo social set-up the protagonist has to fight against. I suppose that's part of the moral: if you don't watch out, mob mentality will allow society to go directly to hell before anyone even notices, and then we'll all just be complacent. But. This is probably all just my inner rainbows-and-roses preference chafing slightly against all the violence and doom in this story. If I had a faction, I suppose it would be Amity or Abnegation (or some combo of the two... isn't that the problem??) so I have a hard time understanding Tris' willingness and ease in picking up violent behaviors. (Rambly review. Sorry. I'm sleepy.) I was sad for Al's fate. (I was sad for him the moment it became clear that he was into Tris and she was not into him.) Four was okay, if a bit obvious.

Recommended by: Amanda K, Bethany Z. ( )

AMAZING! Seriously, for me, this topped the Hunger Games which I didn't think was possible. Like the HG, Divergent explores a distopian society in which the people are divided into separate communities, factions. From here the stories differ as the female protagonist must choose which faction she belongs to. Ultimately this means that she must first discover who she really is, thus the novel focuses largely on self-identity and the struggle that she and those around her must face. Of course, like any good book, it includes a love story. This is a MUST READ for everyone! ( )

Divergent was probably one of the best books I've read. There are many things I liked about this book, and few things I didnt. Firstly, I adored the main character, Tris. She is powerful, strong, and her opinions and outlooks on the events of the book really made the book that much better. I have a love/hate relationship with the romance between Four and Tris. I liked it because its something that helps liven up the slower moments, and I am personally a hopeless romantic. I personally thought that Dauntless initiation dragged on a little too much, before the real action started, but I can overlook that. Also, the ending could/should have been a lot better. Overall, I absolutley LOVED this book. It's a must read! ( )