Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent
Series: The Divergent Trilogy, Book 1
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: HarperCollins
Length: 487 Pages
Publication Date: May 3, 2011
Available Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle Edition, eBook, Audiobook
Source: Bought
My Rating: ★★★★★
Get it @: Amazon | Book Depository

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.

The story takes place in a futuristic version of Chicago. One where instead of flying cars and holographic phone calls we get a glimpse of a more realistic destroyed future. In said future, what I assume is the remains of humanity after WW3 (at least in the area of Chicago), the inhabitants have separated into five different factions: Abnegation (known for their selflessness), Amity (the ones who chose to live in peace), Erudite (those who sought knowledge without bounds), Candor (the ones who preferred the truth above all else) and Dauntless (famous for their daredevil attitudes). All the children from these factions study together and once they reach the age of sixteen they go through a choosing ceremony in which they must pick between staying with their family in the faction they were born or leave their faction for a more suitable one where they might fit in better. Once the teenagers choose the faction that will be their new home they are to live with the others from said faction and be initiated into their new lives. The initiation rituals vary between each faction seeing as they have different views on what is right and what is wrong and on what is necessary to preserve the peace and avoid wars.



The people that live in this futuristic version of Chicago aren’t just divided into these five factions. There are also the factionless. As the name suggests these people have no faction and so aren’t recognized by the other factions. They are mostly looked down at and are stuck doing the jobs that nobody wants, they are also the poorest of all the people who live in Chicago.

All the while I was reading this book I was amazed, thrilled and excited. From the first sentence I could already feel the pull of the story luring me in to a fantastic story which I am one thousand percent sure I will never forget and will very likely be re-reading soon. At first I didn’t really expect to have anything at all in common with Beatrice Prior (the main character of the story) but as it turned out to be I can relate to her in many more ways than one! Well, I wouldn’t say we are exactly the same in either personality or looks ‘cause the truth is that we aren’t. But the fact that I could find things with which I could relate to her was fascinating to say the least. Never in my life had I felt so strongly about a book. Every sentence, every paragraph, every chapter left me thrilled and hungry for more. Every challenge and obstacle that Tris (as she names herself) overcame left me with a feeling of pure energy running through my veins. From the first faction trial she totally didn’t expect right after the choosing ceremony, to the horrible fears that she has to face, this book left me more energized than a sugar rush (and trust me that’s speaks volumes coming from me).

All in all I loved this book so much I didn’t know how to write the review!

Quotes:

“The chasm reminds us that there is a fine line between bravery and idiocy!” -Four 

“Human reasoning can excuse any evil; that is why it’s so important that we don’t rely on it” - Beatrice’s Father 

“Are you human, Tris? Being up this high…It doesn’t scare you at all?” – Four 

“We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.” – Line from the Dauntless manifesto  

“What are you doing?”- Tris
“Flirting with death” - Four 

“That’s my girl. Tough as cotton balls.” – Will 

“We believe in bravery. We believe in taking action. We believe in freedom from fear and in acquiring the skills to force the bad out of our world so that the good can prosper and thrive. If you also believe in those things we welcome you.” – Erick 

“The cruelty of fate is that I must travel with the people I hate when the people I love are dead behind me.” - Tris

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