Divergent (Divergent Trilogy, Book 1)

by Veronica Roth

Paperback, 2015

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Publication

HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks (2015), 496 pages

Description

In a future Chicago, sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.

User reviews

LibraryThing member MargK

Prior to reading Enclave, I had already set the bar of expectations pretty low for dystopian YA fiction. Afterwards, I reset it to about a foot off the ground. So, all Divergent had to do in order to get into my good graces was a little hop right over to the other side. Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy,

right? Obviously not, 'cos Divergent aimlessly stumbled about, tripped over its own feet, and then proceeded to face plant into the ground like a drunken frat boy at a keg party. I was not amused.

My book lovin' peeps, I'm warning you now. This review is going to be brutally honest. Why? Because Divergent frustrated the hell out of me and wasted several hours of my life. Tit for tat. And I know, I could have put the book down & never picked it up again, but like many of you, I hate not finishing a book, especially if it costs me $18 plus tax. Also, given the fact that Divergent is almost 500 pages long and has received rave reviews, I was hoping that at the very least about 200 of those would be made of awesome. Therefore, I kept reading and waiting, but the awesome never made an appearance.

Anyways, let's get this show on the road. Brace yourselves. This might get ugly.

The plot...hmm, well I would describe it in the following arithmetic terms: 2 + 2 = 5. In other words, it was painfully simplistic and a bit logically handicapped. And here is why: (1) There was virtually no world-building and NOTHING was ever adequately explained, concretely defined, or fully developed and (2) the logic behind the concepts in this book as well as several actions of its characters was so full of holes that it was basically Swiss cheese.

First of all, we are never told when and how the factions came into being. We are simply told that Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent) were created to ensure that society functions efficiently and to prevent war. Well guess what? That makes no sense at all. Because by their very existence, structure, and way of living the factions promote things like segregation, discrimination, inequality, oppression, and competing belief systems. Sound familiar? They should. After all, they are the leading causes of discord & war among human civilizations throughout history. What a way to shoot yourself in the foot while simultaneously getting butted in the face by your gun's recoil. Bravo!

We are also told very little of what each faction actually does, and what we are told is fairly silly. Abnegation allegedly runs the government while being a complete pushover with no backbone. Erudite researches stuff, works on developing new technology, and arrogantly shuns & slanders other factions. Candor consists of human lie detectors that talk smack and openly insult everybody on a regular basis. Amity does nothing but smile and appear semi-catatonic half the time. And the Dauntless are supposed to serve as security, but in reality are just a bunch of reckless daredevils with borderline sociopathic tendencies. How this society manages to function at all or get anything done, I have no freakin' clue.

So what happens in Divergent? Nothing all that interesting or exciting until about the last 70 pages. The first 400+ are dedicated to Beatrice aka 'Tris' being initiated into the Dauntless, undergoing completely asinine training (read: senseless violence, death-defying acts of stupidity, and psychological torture), receiving a makeover, and repeatedly getting the snot beat out of her.

Oh, I almost forgot. Tris also ends up finding twu luv. Her love interest of choice is an older guy who (surprise, surprise) she knows almost nothing about and who treats her like crap in public because apparently it's for her own good. Moreover, Tris is not even pretty and looks like a 12-year-old child, but Four, the hottest badass around who is perfect at everything he does, thinks she's the best thing since sliced bread. AND...wait for it...wait for it...he just so happens to be a virgin with a tragic past & a wounded heart (making him broody & tough but with a gentle, soft side that no one else but Tris gets to see). I kid you not. Man, the cookie cutters making the rounds in YA fiction seriously need to get confiscated ASAP. Amirite?

Speaking of Tris, she started off kinda robotic, turned into a hypocritical biatch, took up membership in the TSTL club, and then strapped on a red bandana and acted like Rambo. To say that I disliked her would be an understatement. She passed judgement on EVERYONE and for things she herself did. In my opinion, she was cocky, mean, self-centered, and immature. On top of that, despite a couple of different people putting themselves on the line to protect her secret and warning her that being found out would probably result in execution, Tris frequently did things that were the equivalent of stamping DIVERGENT on her forehead and yelling "Here I am!" while jumping up & down, pointing at herself.

The sad thing is I could probably go on for several more paragraphs listing all the examples of unrealistic, illogical plot points & nonsensical ideas as well as reasons why I didn't like this book (e.g. the idiotic train jumping, the shoddy definition of being divergent, a teenager serving as faction leader, the miniscule adult involvement, Tris suddenly transforming into an unstoppable killing machine, etc.) But I won't because I'm tired of typing and I'm sure you're tired of reading this review turned rant. Needless to say, I have no intention of picking up Insurgent (book #2).

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LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50

Divergent by Veronica Roth is a dystopian story set in Chicago in a future that finds the people divided into factions, and each child, at the age of sixteen takes an aptitude test that helps them decide which faction they should choose to join. Sixteen year old Beatrice knows that she doesn’t

belong to the selfless Abnegation faction that she has been raised into, she has always been drawn to the fearless Dauntless faction. But choosing a different faction means turning her back on her family, as in this world faction comes before blood.

From the moment I opened this book I was captured by both the story and setting, but what made this book so superior for me were the characters. Beatrice or “Tris” as she becomes known is a small, skinny, flat-chested girl with a huge heart and courage to spare that I immediately liked. The other main character, Tobias is revealed to us more slowly, yet still comes off as a complete character, with his flaws, secrets and heroism revealed layer by layer.

The first story of a planned trilogy, Divergent sets the scene and tone for what is to follow. With non-stop action, great plot building and interesting moral choices for the characters to make, this story comes alive on the pages. We have the added bonus of a burgeoning love story between Tris and Tobias, which the author handles both lightly and deftly.

Divergent is a YA read that shows these characters taking charge of their lives, making snap decisions that will reverberate through the rest of the trilogy as they learn how to set new rules for this changing world that they live in. I am looking forward to following these characters into their future.

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LibraryThing member _Zoe_

I'd heard nothing but good things about this book, and its 4.51 rating with more than 150 raters is very impressive. It's a relatively long YA book at 487 pages, but those pages go by fairly quickly, and I can imagine that quickness factor increasing its appeal.

And yet as the book went on, I found

myself getting more and more disappointed. It's a dystopia, a genre that I generally enjoy, but I found the world-building very simplistic. Society has been divided into five factions, based on people's predominant characteristics: Dauntless, Candor, Erudite, Amity, and Abnegation. The selfless Abnegation members form the government, since it's best to be governed by those who don't seek power. At the age of 16, everyone undergoes a test to see which faction they're best suited for, and the next day they have to make a choice that will determine the course of their life. (Warning: some spoilers from this point on)

Beatrice was born into Abnegation, but never quite felt that she was selfless enough. On the day of the test, she's given a strange result: she doesn't fit into any one faction, but is Divergent, a dangerous category that she's never heard of and is told to keep quiet about. Still, she has to choose which faction to join, and ultimately decides on Dauntless. Most of the book then deals with her Dauntless initiation process, which is pretty brutal and not something that I particularly enjoyed reading about.

Of course, there's something wrong with this society, as required in a dystopia: Dauntless is not what it seems to be; the Dauntless leaders are actually working in conjunction with Erudite to overthrow the Abnegation government. I would have liked to see some subtle intriguing here, to understand the conflicting motivations driving the Erudite and the Dauntless, but unfortunately there's no political depth. The Erudite are just hungry for power, and people are just generally tainted by evil. To achieve what they want, the Erudite come up with an injectable formula that lets them control the regular Dauntless. Again, there's no room for complex decisions or subtlety, no struggles to figure out the best course. These people want power, so they take it via outright mind control. This made for a pretty boring read, in my mind.

So then we're back to the bloody action scenes, as the Dauntless go on a mechanical attack against Abnegation, and Beatrice has to fight against them--one benefit of Divergence turns out to be a resistance to mind control. A bunch of loved ones get killed, but Beatrice prevails in the end. We're ultimately left at what might be the start of an interesting story: the society is shattered and the future is uncertain. More importantly, though, Beatrice is with her love interest, and it's been revealed in a heavy-handed message that the key element of Divergence, the thing that made it unspeakable and got Divergents classified as dangerous rebels, is that they "can't be confined to one way of thinking" and therefore "can't be controlled". I was expecting to find some deeper conspiracy after all the secrecy, but it turned out to be pretty general.

And that's basically the whole story in four paragraphs, but the full version has a lot more descriptions of violence, with some romance thrown in. I read it pretty quickly, but I was ultimately left wanting something more.

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LibraryThing member kell1732

My rating for this book is a little weird since I really enjoyed the book in the the few hours that it took me to read it since I had to read it for a class. However, if I had taken the time that I normally would have taken on a book, I probably would grade it lower. Basically, I went into reading

this book telling myself that I was just going to have fun with this book and not analyze it. This, I believe, saved me from not enjoying the book as much as I did. Because of this, I'm going to write a review based on my initial reactions to the book, and then at the end, put down some questions that actually started bothering me once I though about the book in more depth.

I thought that the plot was fast-paced and interesting, and I liked the character of Beatrice/Tris. She has to make a tough decision between staying with her family, or taking the path that she feels is the best fit for her. And I'm glad she made the decision she did or else this book would be rather boring.

Tris decides to head to the Dauntless faction. A faction filled with supposedly brave individuals. However, by the time Tris has gotten there, the Dauntless have mostly become a group of thrill-seeking lunatics. For initiation, Tris is forced to go through a grueling series of tests and training in order to be considered worthy of Dauntless. Throughout these trials, I enjoyed watching Tris find innovative ways to solve issues, often relying on her intellect to get the better of some of the more brutal initiates. However, Tris is not immune to the brutal tendencies that others thrive on. There are times in the book when Tris forgets herself and goes too far. However, these moments made for great character building moments in which Tris examines why she did those things, and comes to the conclusion that she does not want to be the brutal Dauntless that everyone is trying to make her into, but instead be the type of person that the Dauntless used to be. Courageous, but not needlessly violent. Violence is not a sign of bravery, but cowardice.

The world is decently set up. I believe that placing the book in Chicago actually helped to ground the book a little. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been much description of the world. I at times had trouble seeing this world in my mind and was a little confused as to how the train system worked. I also wanted to know if this was just going on only in Chicago, or if this was actually a worldwide government. It almost seemed like the only place on the planet was Chicago which made it hard to picture the large scale affects of what was happening in the book.

I also thought that there is a case to be made for social commentary in the book. One of the plot points of the book is that Tris is Divergent, meaning she doesn't fit a prescribed personality that would fit into one particular faction. This is apparently dangerous in this world and Tris has to work hard to cover up this fact. One could argue that there is commentary here about the state of our own society and how, oftentimes, those who do not fit with the societal idea of 'normal' are shunned from society and sometimes even physically and emotionally harmed. It's a common theme that runs throughout the book that I thought was interesting.

Now for the nagging questions. Some of these may contain spoilers so read at your own risk.

How did the world get this way? The system of government seems so unbelievable and frankly stupid that I don't understand why anyone would think this was a good idea? I also don't think that humans could actually work this way. People are naturally diverse in their beliefs and how they choose to act. Nobody fits into one personality trait unless you are extremely boring. I can't make heads or tails of why this society even exists, or how it exists.

Why do the Dauntless feel the need to jump off of trains? This just seems like senseless risking of their own lives, not bravery.

Where are all the old people in Dauntless? It is mentioned briefly that there are no older people in the Dauntless faction, but what happens to them? Do they all just end up dying from reckless acts or is there something more sinister going on?

Where are all of the female leaders? I know that the main character can be argued to be a strong female lead, but where are all the others? There is like one Dauntless leader that is just mentioned but doesn't play a role, and the other female characters are like back-ups. The only other female leader is evil. I find this troublesome.

If being Divergent is supposed to be so rare, why is it that everybody that matters in this book ends up being Divergent?

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LibraryThing member foggidawn

Divergent is a dystopian novel set in a world where humans have divided into five factions that co-exist peacefully, each faction taking charge of one function of government or society. At the age of 16, each person makes the most important choice of their life: which faction to join. Factions are

based on which trait one most values: bravery, selflessness, intelligence, honesty, or kindness. Once a person has chosen a faction, the faction is expected to hold the foremost place in their loyalties, even before their family.

Beatrice Prior has grown up in Abnegation, the selfless faction which controls the government (because of their selflessness, they are seen as uncorruptible), but Tris doesn't feel like she is selfless enough to spend her life in Abnegation. She struggles with the thought of leaving everything and everyone she has ever known, but choosing her faction is only the first challenge that awaits her. After choosing a faction, teens must pass Initiation -- different for each faction, but challenging and sometimes dangerous. To top it off, Tris may be even more different than she originally suspected . . . and she lives in a world where such differences can get her killed.

This tightly-plotted story will grab readers' attention, pull them in, rush them through heart-pounding action, and leave them breathlessly wanting more. The author doesn't pull any punches, either: Tris's danger feels raw and realistic. The characters are strong and complex, and there's just enough romance to add interest to the story without taking over the central plot. Fans of The Hunger Games will love this book.

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LibraryThing member BeckyJG

Let's just get right to the obvious. Divergent, which was written by Veronica Roth when she was still in college, reads, well, like a book that was written by a college student heavily influenced by Suzanne Collins's near-perfect The Hunger Games. Divergent is also a dystopian novel. It's set in a

ravaged Chicago sometime in the indeterminate future, and adapts a number of devices used (once again, let's just say it: more masterfully) by Collins. The world seen by the reader is divided into factions, each one extolling what it sees as the most important human virtue: Abnegation, whose members strive for pure selflessness; Candor, where honesty is the only policy; Amity, whose motto might be "why can't we all just get along;" Erudite, which holds that knowledge is power; and Dauntless, where bravery is what it's all about.

The novel opens with the annual Choosing ceremony, in which sixteen year olds, after taking aptitude tests to determine which faction they're best suited for, choose--in front of family and friends--their affiliation for life. Not a whole lot of pressure there. Beatrice, our narrator and heroine, has an anomalous test result which causes her tester so much consternation that she erases it and tells Beatrice never to reveal the result to anyone. Beatrice is a Divergent. She has no idea what this means, but it's kind of scary.

At her Choosing, Beatrice chooses Dauntless. She's herded up with the other Dauntless initiates and taken to their compound, where her first test of bravery is to jump off the top of a building into the void. She does so--first in her group!--and renames herself Tris to commemorate the new person she thinks she'll become.

The bulk of the novel is taken up with the training of the initiates--to fight, to shoot, to face their fears--and the inculcation of Dauntless values. There's infighting and backstabbing, and more than one child is seriously hurt along the way. Nothing in the setting, the plot, or the characters particularly sets Divergent apart from the crop of dystopian novels that have glutted the young adult market since The Hunger Games hit just three years ago. Yet the action is solid, and the characters fine, and now and then there's a glimmer of something more, a glimmer which, in the last eighty pages of this 487 page novel, sparks the hope in this reader that the next installment of the trilogy may well embrace an originality not readily apparent in this one.

Divergent is recommended as a quick satisfying read for fans of The Hunger Games. Don't go into it expecting it Tris to shake your world the way that Kat did, and you'll enjoy it just fine.

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LibraryThing member nbmars

This YA dystopia comes as close as any to the nail-biting survival tests of The Hunger Games, with a little bit of the flavor of Ender’s Game thrown in as a bonus. I won’t say this book is as good as either of those, but it makes a good approximation.

Beatrice Prior lives in Chicago of the

future, where most of the skyscrapers are now empty husks, and where the populace is divided into five “factions” depending upon how they believe society should be run: Candor (those who value honesty above all else); Abnegation (the selfless); Dauntless (the brave); Amity (the peaceful); and Erudite (who believe in pursuit of knowledge as a panacea for the world’s evils). When children reach the age of 16, they undergo a “Choosing Ceremony” to select which faction they prefer, which need not be the same faction as that of their family, although it is thought of as somewhat of a disgrace if a child rejects his or her family’s faction. But the main important consideration is that they be committed to one faction or another, and not be "divergent." The selectees leave their families that very night to become initiated into, and trained by, whichever faction they choose.

Beatrice and her brother Caleb (also 16 although they were born almost a year apart) were brought up in Abnegation, and they will attend the same Choosing Ceremony to determine their futures. In exploring the post-ceremonial lives of Beatrice and Caleb, the reader climbs with them onto a rip-roaring ride through terror, helplessness, and a considerable amount of violence. Beatrice in particular finds herself over and over again in a classic zugzwang situation, which is the essence of her particular dilemma as a "divergent." But life, now scary and unpredictable, is also rewarding and exhilarating for both siblings, as they discover the true meanings of fairness, sacrifice, courage, peace, and the power of the intellect to effect both good and evil.

Evaluation: Summit (the studio behind "Twilight") picked up the rights to the film before the book was even released, which should alert you that this is one dystopia that actually lives up to its hype. The author, aged 22, wrote the book during her senior year in college. I don’t know how her other grades came out, but I’m hoping she got an A if she took creative writing.

Rating: 4/5

Note: This is only book one of an intended trilogy. [But I didn't need to say that, right? Because it's sort of become a sine qua non of "YA Dystopia"]

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LibraryThing member hermionewannabe

I enjoyed reading this book immensely. If you are a fan of The Hunger Games Trilogy, then you should definitely read "Divergent". The main plot is that Tris, or Beatrice, has to choose a faction to devote her life to- she can choose the faction she grew up in and stay with her family, or she can

choose a different faction and leave her family. I won't tell you what she chooses, but I will tell you that where-ever she is, she still loves her family and will do anything to save them- even kill and risk her life. This book is very fast-paced and every turn of the page is new and exciting. I don't know how well I did describing this book- it's difficult to put into words. Veronica Roth does an amazing job at that- putting it into words. While it is a complicated society, Roth explains it in a very 'uncomplicated' way. "Divergent" gets 5 out of 5 stars from me!

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LibraryThing member jmaloney17

Excellent!
This is a great YA book. In the vein of Hunger Games. This world is set up in 5 "factions," each dedicated to a virtue (honesty, selflessness, bravery, peace and intelligence). At age 16, the children of the factions are given a test that helps them determine which faction they will most

likely succeed. Beatrice is part of the faction that honors selflessness. She does not feel like she belongs. It is a lot of fun. It is not as overtly violent as Hunger Games. Though there is violence. It's a great book. Look it up and see if you would like it too. I look forward to another installment.

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LibraryThing member skaohee

This is the kinda book that I will probably annoy my friends with. Constantly telling them to PLEASE read this book to the point where I: 1. Hold something ransom 2. Bribe them 3. Buy it for them - in order to get them to read it. I want to shout from the rooftops how amazing this book is.

Where,

oh where shall I begin? Let's talk about the 5 factions. We've got the Selfless, the Brave (or as I much of the time thought of them "The Stupid and Crazy"), the Honest, the Intelligent, and the Peaceful. Our main character, Beatrice is born into the Selfless faction, however when she turns 16, she can choose where she goes. And she chooses to go with the Brave. The book tells the journey she makes through the initiation process for Dauntless (the Brave). This faction only takes the top 10 initiates so Tris has to be good. Which, she is (though not at first).

Let me go all super nerd on you and analyze the diction real quick. Why is it that Veronica Roth chose Dauntless for the name of the "brave" faction? They are the only ones in which the name of the faction has a Derivational suffix (thank you, Dr. Kerr.). Derivational suffix meaning that the -LESS is attached at the end. These people LACK something, they lack fear. All the other factions are FULL of something - not in the names themselves but if you think about it..the Erudite are full of knowledge (she didn't say they were lacking stupidity, etc). Alright, out of super-nerd world and back to reality..

And her instructor (and MAJOR HOTTIE) Four (yes, his name is Four..seriously sexy and the reason for his nickname is even sexier) is pretty much the apple of my eye in this book. He's sweet and a BAMF. His real name isn't so hot, but I'm willing to look past this. Although when he told Tris that he didn't think she was pretty..I was NOT very happy with him. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, my dearest Four.

On her way to becoming a member of the Dauntless, Tris has to go through some physical as well as mental obstacles. Seriously, this faction is CRAZY. I'm talking stabbing-people-in-the-eye-while-they-sleep and jumping-off-cliffs type of crazy. She also has to battle the faction that wishes to take down Abnegation (her old faction, where her parents live). The problem with this? The "bad guy" faction is the one that her brother is in. Rut Roh.

Tris is a strong female character who doesn't take anything from anyone. Whether or not that helps or hurts her, both she and I aren't sure. But I do love her and want to protect her. She's more special than she even knows.

My favorite character would have to be Christina though. She's a fellow Dauntless initiate who was originally in Candor (the honest faction). She's edgy and outspoken and just..blunt. I love it. *Shoutout to Sassafras - this character is you on paper.

Also, I liked that there was more than one "bad" guy. It was more like a group of bad guys and they aren't necessarily working together. I actually think that there were more corrupt people in this book than good people. Anyway, it spread out my hatred for the nemesis and so it was easier to perhaps, ahem..forgive certain characters for their "mistakes". And I liked that Ms. Roth had the guts to kill off so many people (And she did!). It was like a "HELLO. I am not some super sweet happy ending kind of girl". Alot of authors don't kill off as many people in THREE books as she did in this one. I'm loving it and hating it at the same time.

If I had to choose which faction I would be in, I would have to go with Amity (the peaceful). I'm not "brave" aka crazy enough to jump off of a moving train 7 stories up or get my face smashed in. I'm not willing to tell people my darkest secrets and be 100% blunt when people ask my opinion. I'm not selfless enough to ALWAYS put other people ahead of me. And I'm not hungry enough for knowledge. Plus, I don't like to rock the boat so Amity seems like the way to go.

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LibraryThing member ldelprete

This book came to my attention through a recommendation on facebook. It definitely makes the favorites list. I actually listened to this on audiobook, which I think added to the experience. Tris was a fantastic protagonist. She was strong and fragile, confident and humble, intelligent, and

extremely well-developed. Her evolution throughout the story was captivating. I loved how she found herself and her place where she felt she belonged.

There were many elements to the storyline. First was the political conflict. The 5 factions were well defined and easily justified. The overall concept of fitting into 5 different types of people in order to maintain peace after humans nearly destroyed the world and themselves previously was very easily accepted. I found the simplicity of the division natural and very interesting. This simplicity served as a tremendous contrast to Tris' complexity. Her voice was clear and loud while her introspect was cautious and unwinding. Her inner conflict forced you to question what you would deem acceptable if you were in her situation. This storyline alone held my attention throughout.

The next element throughout was the development of Tris' relationship with Four. Four was an amazing character. While his true identity was a bit obvious from his immediate introduction, his personality evolved nicely as the story went on. Because we hear the story from Tris' perspective, we get to know him as she does. There was just enough suspence with finding out his true attributes to keep it exciting and never dry. I loved the strength that Tris possessed when she was around him. I also loved the insight he provided for her. Their interactions were diverse and never lacked tension or electricity. Together their story was vivid and seem to play in my mind like scenes from a movie.

All of Tris' relationships were very robust. There really wasn't a time where I questioned her reactions to or feelings about the people around her. She had amazing insticts. Her refusal to conform to society was refreshing and inspiring. I found myself constantly rooting for her and pulling for her to remain true to herself.

The concept which brought us to the climax of the conflict was the only element that I was a bit disappointed with. I found that piece initially a bit of a stretch and maybe a little bit of a let down compared to the rest of the story. However, after the initial abrupt introduction of it, the pace and flow of its development fit nicely.

Overall this is a great story. Fans of the Hunger Games will love this.

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LibraryThing member ahappybooker

Veronica Roth’s first installment of her new dystopian series Divergent simply blew me away. I was not expecting this novel to contain such intensity and emotionality. I usually enjoy dystopian stories, but this one, although much more violent than what I was anticipating, was above and beyond my

expectations both with the depth of the characters and the unique plot. The storyline was thrilling, definitely not for the faint of heart. In this society, each citizen is classified into 5 separate factions based on the virtues that their personality is most suited to. The factions are Candor (honesty), Erudite (intelligence), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful). This seemed a bit strange at first, I was worried that a society of people adhering to such one dimensional views would fall understandably flat. This was not the case however. Veronica has created a fascinatingly terrifying world where nothing and nobody are quite what they seem. Divergent contained a bit more violence than what I am used to in a YA novel. This was not a negative aspect however. Roth did not shy away from the unexpected character deaths either which I always enjoy in a book as it is conceivable that when there is a war, many people are killed, and highly unlikely that the main characters make it out unscathed. The main character, Beatrice or Tris as she comes to be known, certainly does not make it through this book unscathed, physically or emotionally. I was fully caught up in her struggles to fit into her new faction and reconcile her feelings about the family she left behind. I loved how she grew as a character, realizing her inner strength while still acknowledging what she is physically incapable of doing. I think that the romance was fairly well written, building slowly as they got to understand one another. I really can’t think of anything that I did not like about Divergent. I can’t wait to read the next in this action packed thrilling dystopian series.

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LibraryThing member KLmesoftly

Just "okay." The worldbuilding isn't particularly deep (even by YA standards) and most of the conflict is single-player, as it were, with the protagonist competing against virtual simulations in the most dramatic scenes so the stakes are fairly low - by the time real danger rolls around it was too

late for me to really become invested.

tl;dr summary of the (actually kind of High School Musical-esque) premise: Mega-basic internet personality tests have REAL IMPLICATIONS and everybody gets assigned a clique based on their multiple choice quiz results at 15. Some people are ACTUALLY a combination of the traits "brave," "honest," "self-sacrificing," "loving," and "smart" which threatens the status quo and must be stamped out. Being "divergent" in this way somehow gives one the ability to lucid dream and immunity to mind control.

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LibraryThing member peptastic

Divergent or the tale of nail biting & picking was a dsytopian society set in Chicago. We aren't told much of why their society began this way or why the city is closed off from the rest of the world. I hope Insurgent answers my questions.I've been to Chicago only once but I find it hard to imagine

people can live cooped up for so long in one city. It's a fairly large city but as a country? Dauntless weren't antsy being cooped up?.I find it hard to believe these problems weren't foreseen by their forbears long before the events that occurred in Divergent. Can't people can value bravery and freedom without being killed? I'd be a divergent myself because I think transparency and freedom are the two most important things a government can and should provide their citizens but Candor turned me off in it's current form. People also deserve privacy.The author clearly admires Abnegation the most. I do think being selfless is important but children are selfish. That part was the best part of the book and when the character Tris was the most relatable. People will resent others if they have to give up everything for others. The Abnegation society can't function for the same reason Amity could not. Eventually someone will want something different [Amity] while Abnegation would probably read like the Vultures in The Jungle Book."What do you want to do today?""I don't know. What do you want to do today?"They even wear the appropriate grey.The strength of this book depends on if you buy into that most people are just one thing. I don't agree with that. I'm hoping that in the next book she meets more people that are Divergent. I do think people will do a lot to fit into society so that makes up for that weak area. Tris didn't show too many sides of being Divergent. She showed a lot of Dauntless though. She had a good moral upbringing which seemed to make up for more of her going against the grain than being Divergent. She took a lot on faith until other characters such as Will and Four explained that Dauntless wasn't always about throwing people to the wolves.If being Divergent just ends up being a genetic difference in simulation serums I'll be disappointed and might down star this book after I read Insurgent. Tris made the comment you replace traits with other ones but they all have a flip side. I hope this is where Roth is going with this. It took Tris too long to catch on that doing stunts to get you killed isn't what Dauntless was originally about.Every faction was well described and it was easily explained by showing us through characterization the faults of each one. She didn't have to resort to telling us or throw anything in. I gave it four stars since government propaganda and transparency are very important issues to me. The villain of this book basically ran a smear campaign all year about Abnegation before she resorted to mind control. This is where the book failed in the last half. If people had turned on others without being manipulated by a serum it would have been far scarier. The pros of the books-Strong heroine & love interest. I liked Four a lot. Their romance was predictable but it wasn't cliched. Well except at the end. Good political story. Ideals before people and relationships aren't healthy. Don't be all of one thing.Her family dynamic. Her brother Caleb was an interesting character.The factionless. We didn't get to learn much of them. This is clearly where the cruelty of this set-up with factions has been. No wonder the Dauntless initiates were cutthroat. If you make the wrong choice in any of the factions you become factionless and live a life without food.Cons-Not much happened if you take away the Dauntless initiation which wasn't that important. Except for the creepy subplot with Al I found it rather boring.The nail biting description and several characters played with their cuticles. What gives here?

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LibraryThing member fyrefly98

Summary: In the world of Divergent's future, humans have identified which vices causes mankind the most problems (selfishness, ignorance, dishonesty, cowardice, and aggression), and divided themselves into factions, each of which promotes the opposing virtue to one of these vices. Beatrice Prior

was born into Abnegation, whose rules promote extreme selflessness, but she often doesn't feel as though she belongs. On her sixteenth birthday, before she undergoes the ritual in which she must choose which faction to belong to for the rest of her life, she undergoes the routine test to determine which is the best fit. However, her test results are unclear; rather than fitting neatly into a single category, she shows aptitude for several factions: she is a rare aberration known as a Divergent. Warned to hide her test results at all costs, she chooses to join Dauntless, the faction that values bravery among its members, and to shorten her name to Tris. Life as a Dauntless initiate is no picnic, however, and only the strong survive. Tris may look like the weak little girl from the spineless Abnegation, but she's determined to make it through the initiation... but will her hidden Divergent tendencies be a help or a hinderance?

Review: I absolutely tore through this book. It's not short - almost 500 pages in the hardcover - but I devoured the whole thing in less than 24 hours, and that's including a full day of work and a good night's sleep. The book is almost non-stop action, and it's fast-moving enough that it's damn near impossible to put down. Added to that, Tris's story sucked me in completely. Amid all the action, there's a definite thread of romance, complete with a swoon-worthy leading man, although - refreshingly - the book is concerned with Tris's personal journey in all its facets, rather than focusing exclusively on the romantic angle. She's a great heroine, strong and independent but still human and relatable, and surrounded by interesting (although not always particularly multidimensional) secondary characters.

The only real issue that I had was with the structure of the dystopia. In terms of worldbuilding, it's fine, and it was easy enough to get immersed into the world that Roth has created. My problem was that it felt a little arbitrary, with no logical path on how we got from here to there. I don't need my dystopias to be likely (I'd rather they weren't, actually), but I do need them to be plausible, and the five-faction system of Divergent just seemed a little silly when I stopped to think about it.

...Which, as I mentioned, wasn't often, considering how well this book sucked me into its story and didn't let me go. I'm hoping that as Roth has a little more space to flesh out her world in the next book(s), a deeper and less arbitrary structure and history will start to emerge.

Oh, and did I mention that it's set in a post-apocalyptic Chicago? I love reading stories set in locales I know, and now I'm dying to read Roth's next book if for no other reason than to figure out what the heck happened to my hometown. Riding the El will never be quite the same again, that's for sure. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Although this book isn't quite the revelation that The Hunger Games was, it's definitely poised to capture the attention of fans of that series, and should be a fast, exciting, and enjoyable read for fans of YA dystopian novels more generally.

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LibraryThing member varwenea

I read Divergent via my book club, and the recommender said, “It’s just like Hunger Games, except better!” For me though, to be ‘better’ for a ‘just-like’ book requires a definitive differentiation. The book started with two solid differentiations: a thoughtful heroine (Beatrice over

Katniss) and clear messaging across how the factions were defined and their meanings (vs. the HG districts). The latter often made me THINK about how each of these characterizations truly mean in real life or otherwise. Thumbs up! HOWEVER, the ending, as with many of these trilogy books, falls flat with little ‘wrap-up’ except simply the story will continue. To me, that’s just wrong. If Hunger Games can finish with the games done and the winners going home, and Harry Potter can find the Sorcerer’s Stone, try a bit harder already.

The main parts I liked – the five Factions and their driving principles. These factions were formed as a result of a warring world, which was “blamed on the fault of human personality – of humankind’s inclination toward evil, in whatever form that is.” Of course, we, as readers, would find it impossible to live so singularly by these individual principals, nor do we define ourselves in such silos. Be that as it may, these thematic societies are part of the book’s charm.

Abnegation: Selflessness. Provided selfless leaders in government. They blamed selfishness for the wars.
Dauntless: Bravery. Provided protection to the society. They blamed cowardice.
Erudite: Intelligence. Provided teachers and researchers. They blamed ignorance.
Candor: Honesty. Provided Trustworthy and sound leaders in law. They blamed duplicity.
Amity: Kind, Loving, Free. Provided understanding counselors and caretakers. They blamed aggression.

The author, primarily through the heroine Beatrice, also known as Tris, provided extended traits and characteristics of these factions. The quotes below reveal nuggets of these. Individuals, who do not clearly fit the any of the factions above, are labeled as a Divergent.

While I wouldn’t say the book is predictable, the flow is obvious. The plot twists were in the lower level details, which is fine for a page-turner quick read. I didn’t find it as action packed as Hunger Games, but I didn’t need that, either. Interestingly, the arena, the preposterous Capital, and the gruesome fighting of HG, made HG a more unpredictable read than Divergent. I guessed the ‘main plot’ before it was revealed, and the mean (=bad) guys were still the bad guys. Regardless, Divergent is still an entertaining and enjoyable read. It’s worth a few hours’ time.

Quotes:

Abnegation: Selflessness
From Beatrice: “My father says that those who want power and get it live in terror of losing it That’s why we have to give power to those who do not want it.” Is it just me or does this remind you of Dumbledore’s magic in hiding the Sorcerer’s Stone?

Candor conflicts with Amity:
“Those who seek peace above all else will always deceive to keep the water calm.”

Beatrice’s Dauntless perspective, which I view as a twist to the famous quote of ‘Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.’ – by Ambrose Redmoon:
“There’s a difference between not being afraid and acting in spite of fear.”

From Dauntless Manifesto:
“We believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another.”

From Beatrice: “A long time ago, Erudite pursued knowledge and ingenuity for the sake of doing good. Now they pursue knowledge and ingenuity with greedy hearts.”
I had originally categorized Beatrice as being insightful and/or thoughtful. With this quote, I had wondered if she was verging on being judgmental. Perhaps, it’s simply a fine line between the two.

Being selfless makes you brave. Abnegation may not be so different then Dauntless.
Four says to Beatrice, “Because you’re from Abnegation. It’s when you’re acting selflessly that you are at your bravest.”

Will mocks his prior fraction, Erudite: “They’re arrogant and dull.” I can easily see how intelligence leads to arrogance.

Re: Suicide. It’s not the first time I’ve read suicide is a selfish act.
“In Abnegation no one has committed suicide in recent memory, but the faction’s stance on it is clear: Suicide, to them, is an act of selfishness. Someone who is truly selfless does not think of himself often enough to desire death.”

Regarding Erudite’s leader, Jeanine:
“She see problems and forms solutions based on the data she collects. Abnegation stood in the way of her desire for power, so she found a way to eliminate it… Divergence is just another problem for her to solve, and that is what makes her so terrifying – because she is smart enough to solve anything, even the problem of our existence.”
This pinched a nerve for me, since we are problem solvers in our society and this is how many of us live our lives. At what point do we cross a line via rationalization?

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LibraryThing member LauraLulu

Loved this. LOVED it. Action packed YA dystopian, with great character development and a heroine that you don't want to bitch slap. And that's saying something in the YA genre lately. People are comparing it to The Hunger Games, but the stories are nothing alike. However, they are both awesome,

fast-paced YA dystopian books with great characters you can root for. So I won't compare it to The Hunger Games, but I will say that if you liked The Hunger Games (and didn't everyone?), then pick this baby up.

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LibraryThing member SavvyEscapades

Divergent by Veronica Roth
Recommended for people who like: The Hunger Games, Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies series, Ender’s Game
“Genre” Tags: Dystopian, Adventure, Cinematic Style Writing, We Need to Save the World but First We Have to Survive School

The Official Summary: 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.

Review:
I’m going to warn you that this is not going to be like a normal review. I really don’t want to spoil anything, especially when the blogosphere did such a good job of not spoiling me. But the book is so well-crafted* that I am going to put on my “Writerly Analysis” hat so I can more thoroughly sing Roth’s praises.

I am a little behind the rest of the blogging world. Most of the other book bloggers were gushing about this book when it came out two weeks ago. I was in the middle of law school finals. But I went out and got it because every review I saw was gushing about this book— and with good reason! This book is amazing. It starts a little slowly, but that’s mostly because the reader follows Beatrice’s actions with the thought of “Well, duh. You have to make that choice, or this is going to be a really dull 500 page book.” That’s just a really, really tiny issue though, and the world is so interesting that the reader can let little things like the first 50 pages of slight indecision slide. Of course, if you’re a really character-driven reader, you’ll probably love that part, especially as it relates to Beatrice/Tris’s later development.

By the time I was halfway through the book I was hooked. I couldn’t put it down because of the awesome blend of romance and action and stress. And you know what I said about the beginning being a bit predictable, because otherwise there’d be no book? That goes away. Big time. By the time I got to page 300 or so, I was reading and thought to myself, “Oh dear lord. She might just kill off a main character. I think she both could and would.” And that terror kept me flipping pages.

This book also has what I like to think of as the cinematic writing style. Both Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies series and Ender’s Game have it— there’s a lot of focus on external action and the language is precise and clear. It’s really just an extreme form of the old writing mantra of “show don’t tell.” In this book and Westerfeld’s Uglies, the heroines tends to default to action in times of stress because that’s where they can kind of connect with their instincts and forcefully go after what they want. A counter-example would be Harry Potter. Though J.K. Rowling is a genius, she spent a lot of time in Harry’s head, which is why I think his internal struggle doesn’t translate to the screen well.

Switching to another of my favorite “Analyze the writing topics,” there is another reason to love this book: closure. The story has a definite, satisfying ending! On the cliffhanger scale, this book ends on a “Hm. Well, now we have a vague, massive problem to deal with, but at least we have faced the immediate threat” a la Harry Potter. I can live with that. In fact, I love that. Down with cliffhangers!!!

Rating: 5+ stars— Definitely qualifies as one of the best books I’ve read in 2011. Veronica Roth is amazing (especially when you consider this is her first book! I’m so jealous. It’s really jaw-droppingly good) and is being added to my “read everything by this author” list.

Other Tangential Thoughts: If you are participating in The Story Siren’s 2011 Debut Author Challenge, this book counts! This is Veronica Roth’s first novel! Also, according to Good Reads this is the first book in a trilogy. The second and third books are untitled as of yet. If I haven’t convinced you, you can read the first 100 pages for free from Veronica’s website.

*I realize well-crafted is a subjective term. I think it’s amazing, largely because there’s a central theme about the meaning of strength and courage, but the book is ridiculously engaging for both plot and character-driven readers alike. Once you’re done being introduced to the world it’s ridiculously well-paced, and the romance is believable (no insta-love, though there is a bit of insta-crushing on both sides ;) )

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LibraryThing member littleton_pace

This book was recommended to me as one to read because I was a fan of The Hunger Games. As a fan of the Hunger Games, this book was boring.

The idea itself is quite sound and interesting. Five factions, you have to decide where your loyalties lie and the phrase 'faction before blood' is repeated

throughout the book. However despite a strong start all of this disappears as the story becomes a cliched look inside a weak girl's mind as she deals with feelings for a boy she likes but really shouldn't because he's such an anti-social hardass.

Beatrice/Tris is inconsistent to me. She starts out as weak, quiet, unassuming and then becomes a witty, arrogant, snarky young girl. If it was mean to be the Dauntless effect, there was no real connection there for me.

My biggest issue of the story is that so much is referred to as normal behaviors for certain factions, Candor are honest, Dauntless are daring, etc, but we have absolutely no history on why these factions came into existence. There is just brief mentions that things are different now and the factions are to stop the world becoming what it used to be. But it doesn't specify if this is post-war, or present day, or anything. And the brief mention of the factionless (people who don't get selected or are kicked out of a faction) makes me think that this is where Tris is going to end up, and perhaps rally the factionless together in some renegade fight against those in charge who, again, are not identified too clearly.

I found the whole novel predictable. When Beatrice explains the factions at the beginning and notes her family born Abnegation as the extremely polite do-gooder faction who never ask questions and always put others first, and then explains Dauntless as the 'scary' option because they are so fearless, it was screamingly obvious that Beatrice was going to change. The shock was that her brother changed as well, but we don't get a hell of a lot of insight into that. Tris somehow makes it to the top of the leaderboard with all her other Dauntless initiates to her own and to my disbelief. She doesn't get why she's good, and its not explained to the reader.

The strained romance between Tris and Four I found utterly unbelievable and awkward to read. And it surprised me how this girl who grew up with such a sheltered life and has never had the social interactions expected of a girl her age manages to act exactly like a teenage girl from a modern day novel. Whenever it was a scene with Four and Tris, I skimmed right past it. I could not care less about them, and the story narrows to become just about the two of them towards the end, so I skimmed a lot of that, too.

If you want The Hunger Games without the action, adventure, mystery and unique heroine, then read this book. Otherwise, avoid.

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LibraryThing member TinaV95

I thoroughly enjoyed this first book in the "Divergent" trilogy. The main character reminded me of the heroine in "The Hunger Games" and the plot about a dystopian society was also in the same vein. However, that did not detract at all from my enjoyment of "Divergent" in its own right.

The concept

of a society divided by factions was quite captivating for me. I kept wondering where I would fit in the faction system... Am I courageous, peaceful, smart, honest, selfless?? Younger and older readers alike can see parts of themselves in the very believable characters that Roth paints. I really liked the protagonist and I am a fan of YA authors increasing the strength of the female leads of recent novels.

All in all, I really loved this book. It was indeed a page turner. I stayed up late reading when I should have been sleeping (I am NOT the intended YA audience and need my beauty rest!). I will be heading to the bookstore soon to pick up the second novel in the series.

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LibraryThing member ctmsjisc

Every once and awhile people like to read books about dystopian societies. They help people realize that our government isn't as crazy as we think. “Divergent” by Veronica Roth, was a book filled to the brim with adventure, thrill, and romance all packed into one dystopian society.

There is

five factions in the community; Dauntless, Amity, Abnegation, Candor, and Eurdite. Each believes in being the opposite of what supposedly corrupted our world. Different factions believe in; bravery, peacefulness, selflessness, honesty, and intelligence.

Children are born into the faction their parents are in. When people are sixteen they choose the faction that they would like to be in. Once a person picks their faction, they have to go through an initiation process. If they don't pass the initiation, they become Factionless. Being Factionless means you're at the lowest place in the community.

Beatrice is sixteen and is getting ready to choose her faction. She is not sure what faction she should choose. Beatrice knows that she should choose her original faction, Abnegation, but something about it she doesn't think fits her. Beatrice wants to know what faction she really belongs to.

“Divergent” is about Beatrice and her faction. Once in her faction, Beatrice begins to notice that something isn't quite right.

I could not put down “Divergent” by Veronica Roth. It was so intense at some points that I read almost until midnight! I give this book an easy five stars, and each star is well deserved.

“Divergent” was a lot of fun to read because you never know what is going to happen. You suspect something to happen but the complete opposite thing will happen. Adventure and suspense were never left out of this book.

Adventure was a main part of this book. I loved all the aspects of the adventure. Everyone likes different kinds of adventure, but I think anyone can love the adventure in “Divergent”. The idea of having a big city/community and have to be broken up in sections seems interesting. When you can barely see other factions, and live on your own. It all seems so adventurous and fun.

In this community, ONE decision decides your whole future! The faction you pick decides your job, spouse, and everything you do. Having this one decision to choose is nerve-wrecking and that is why I loved this book. The author made it feel like I was the one who had to make this huge decision. It wasn't only the decision making that I felt like I was in the book, but I felt the love, sadness, and hurt. I felt these things for Beatrice but also for me. The author made them so real that I felt like I was experiencing them myself. Veronica Roth did amazing job writing this novel.

The story had romance too, most good books do. Beatrice is faced with an intense, annoying, hard instructor who happens to be strong, handsome, and intelligent. She doesn't know whether the feelings are just there, or are just eating her insides up. Every girl loves a little romance, but it's not too much that boys won't enjoy the book.

I think the end of the book did come a little too rushed. This might have been because it actually came too rushed, or because I was enjoying the book so much I didn't want to stop. I thought the last chapter would be big and extravagant, but it was calm and weak. I felt like I wanted more of a conclusion, although the rest of the book made up for the ending. Once I thought about the whole book again, the ending was just a small thing I didn't like out of the whole book!

“Divergent” by Veronica Roth will easily make your top ten favorite book list! Mine is tough to get on but “Divergent” made it in a heartbeat. Divergent was full of fun, adventure, and anything that goes into a great book. Reading it was like eating warm and gooey brownies, you just can't stop!

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LibraryThing member AuthorMarion

I saw the trailer for this movie before I realized it was a literary trilogy. So I bought the book the same day and finished reading within three days. A page turner that did not disappoint. The story of a future world divided into five factions is thought-provoking to say the least. And the

choices that each person makes will either make or break their personal futures.

When Beatrice Prior is tested along with countless other teens, her results are not what is expected. Her test administrator tells her, in whispers, that she is what is known as a Divergent - meaning she has capabilities that the Union (the new world order) may kill her for possessing. And when she chooses the Dauntless faction over her home faction of Abnegation, she finds her true self while uncovering sinister plots and conspiracies. Along the way she makes friends with two of her fellow initiates and finds romance with Four, one of the initiate instructors. What follows is a roller-coaster ride of failure and success and the uncovering of family secrets long held. This first book of the Divergent trilogy ends with the beginnings of war - a war that has been instigated by people who are fed up with the way the Union is run and who want to take control into their own hands. But is this revolution going to produce a better world or will it end up with one faction ruling the others?

Divergent is a face-paced thriller with characters that are complex and simple at the same time. A blend of physical strength and deep intelligence marks Tris and Four as the forerunners of the resistance in much the same way as Katniss Everdeen of Hunger Games. Fast-moving action will keep you turning the pages long after bedtime.

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LibraryThing member DarkFaerieTales

Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick and Dirty: About a girl who has to decide between being brave, selfless, or peaceful in a society where you can only be one. If you love the Hunger Games, READ THIS BOOK! If you don’t, READ THIS BOOK!

Opening Sentence: There is only one mirror in my

house.

The Review:

I had high expectations for this book after hearing the praise from other people and seeing good reviews. And does the story deliver. In a world where everyone has to choose which faction they want to be in for the rest of their lives — Dauntless, Cantor, Amity, Erudite, or Abnegation — one girl has a decision that could change her entire life. During Beatrice (Tris) Prior’s placement test she discovers a dangerous secret. She’s Divergent — someone who has the aptitude for multiple factions. Although she was born into Abnegation, she decides to transfer into the intimidating faction Dauntless. The story follows her through Initiation (the trials in order to become a member of Dauntless) and her realization that something bigger is happening in the world of the five factions.

The world-building in this book is refreshingly original. Each faction has its own flaws and virtues, some more obvious than others. Dauntless is brave to the point of recklessness, but they know how to persevere in times of trouble. The trials Tris has to go through in order to become Dauntless are intimidating and absolutely perfect for the initiation of a group trying to be courageous no matter what situation.

Beatrice seems weak in the very beginning of the book, but she has the strongest backbone out of any heroine I’ve ever read. Sure she is still afraid before tests, but it doesn’t faze her. She keeps going, even if the future seems impossible. Fleeing isn’t even an option to her; her bravery is refreshing and her aptitude for other factions keep her level headed while the rest of Dauntless becomes careless. She also has loyalties to her family (going against “faction over blood”) that she doesn’t want to change even if it means problems being accepted into Dauntless. Yet she still has flaws. Tris has trust issues because of her secret of being Divergent and her determination not to show Abnegation traits among the Dauntless. Of course dating her instructor doesn’t fit into that plan.

Four is Tris’s instructor with bucket-loads of secrets. Sometimes he seems uninterested. Sometimes he taunts her during training, and yet sometimes he seems like he cares for her. The whole thing has Tris confused with this unexpected and new type of affection (Abnegation didn’t allow public affection — it’s selfish). Four is a broken hero that seems all tough on the outside, but he’s really shielding himself from his past and the secrets he’s keeping hidden away.

The entire book is action-packed with a satisfying but not overwhelming romance, funny, and has snide remarks. It’s a great book for those who love the Hunger Games (I found myself comparing Tris and Katniss on multiple occasions). There are plenty of twists that keep you guessing and new obstacles to overcome throughout the entire book. My suggestion: take a weekend and READ THIS BOOK!

Notable Scene:

She curls into a ball to protect her side, and I kick again, this time hitting her in the stomach. Like a child. I kick again, this time hitting her in the face. Blood springs from her nose and spreads over her face. Look at her. Another kick hits her in the chest.

I pull my foot back again, but Four’s hands clamp around my arms, and he pulls me away from her with irresistible force. I breathe through gritted teeth, staring at Molly’s blood-covered face, the color deep and rich and beautiful, in a way.

She groans, and I hear a gurgling in her throat, watch blood trickle from her lips.

“You won,” Four mutters. “Stop.”

I wipe sweat from my forehead. He stares at me. His eyes are wide; they look alarmed.

“I think you should leave,” he says. “Take a walk.”

“I’m fine,” I say. “I’m fine now,” I say again, this time for myself.

I wish I could say I felt guilty for what I did.

I don’t.

The Divergent Trilogy:

1. Divergent

2. Insurgent

FTC Advisory: Katherine Tegen Books provided me with a copy of Divergent. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

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LibraryThing member taleofnight

I have been trying to write this review for weeks. I feel like I can't write a review that could do this book justice, or add anything new that other reviews hadn't brought up. But I am in absolute love with this book. This book made me nervous, scared, angry, ecstatic, and sad. It was just awesome

and this has to be my all time favorite book right now. Love it.

Basically, the book is about Tris being initiated into the faction of her choice. And the initiation is quite action packed. Which I was surprised to find out that it was so full of action. If I actually bit my finger nails, I would have been biting them as I read. I've never had a book make me nervous or scared the way this one did. This is definitely one of those books that remind you why you love reading so much.

I really liked that this book focused a lot on choices. I'm terrible with making choices and take way to long to decide on things. And Tris is so, well, she's not fearless, but she's close enough. I would never have the guts to jump off a train or off the side of a building. Especially since she grew up in Abnegation, where running wasn't even allowed. How she could just jump into the swing of things and barely hesitate is beyond me. The whole time I was reading I was trying to figure out what faction I would be in. It would definitely not be Dauntless.

And I have to mention Four. How can you not love Four, even though he could be scary at times. And he was very difficult to figure out. But that just makes him more awesome.

And I'm really trying not to spoil the book. That was the best part for me, going into the book, not knowing what to expect. So I'll just leave it at this:

Overall this is a fantastic debut and I can't wait to read the next book in the series. And everybody needs to go get this book, if you have not gotten it yet, and read it!

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LibraryThing member 4sarad

This book is sort of like The Hunger Games, sort of like The Matrix, and sort of like Inception. Intrigued? You should be. I loved this book. It's fast-paced, it's interesting, and I was often surprised by things. It definitely wasn't one of those "I saw all of that coming a mile away" kinds of

books. Usually I have a list of complaints after reading a book, but honestly all I can think of for this one was 1 - Why didn't they just kill Marcus when it's so clear he's a bad guy and 2 - If this were "real", Tobias would have snapped Jeanine's neck instead of trying to choke her. I think they were just kept alive for the series' sake, which is fine. I'm looking forward to more!!

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