Divergent

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Published: May 3, 2011 by Katherine Tegen Books

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. 

       This is a highly anticipated new dystopian book, the start of a trilogy, that definitely lives up to all the hype surrounding it. It's great to see so much interest in a debut author, especially when she's only 22 (! don't I feel like a slacker now...) and being published by an indie company. And despite her age and the way everyone seems to be comparing every single dystopian book ever written to The Hunger Games, Veronica Roth delivers an intense story that has me wanting more. There's not much I didn't like about this book. The pacing and mix of action and introspection was pretty much perfect. *Minor spoilers ahead*- it's not really a secret or a surprise which faction Beatrice chooses, but if you don't wanna know, don't read the spoilers. 

Reasons I love this book:

• Tris- She's a strong character- I mean, how could she not be with everything she has to face? SPOILER! When she chose Dauntless she didn't know how intense her initiation would be, but she knew they jumped from moving trains. So she had guts choosing them, plus she is crazy curious about everything. END SPOILER!
• Four- I really love his character- from the way he opposes Eric in how he feels the initiates should be trained, to his struggle to return Dauntless to the honorable faction it once was- plus he's sweet but a little dangerous, which is sexy
• world setup- the setup in this book is great and it lends itself to a lot of moral conflicts, which are starting to become evident as the faction system begins to break down
• initiation- I wouldn't want to go through it- it's brutal physically, mentally, and emotionally, just as the Dauntless leader intended- it makes for a lot of twists and turns and is crazy exciting to read about
• Tris' mom- you'll have to read the book to fully understand this, but from the beginning you get the feeling that she will support whatever decisions her children make, even if it means they must leave her

Huh, what?

• Eric- he's a jerk and a traitor, plus the complete opposite of Four- I know we're supposed to hate him, but he's sadistic and bloodthirsty
• Peter- the person he manages to manipulate into betraying Tris made me sad. The lengths he goes to just to up his ranking shows what a despicable coward he is.
• Jeanine- the Erudite leader, obviously the factions' pursuits were meant to be strong suits, but she is taking advantage of her faction's responsibilities in order to advance Erudite and lessen the other factions
• weird names- I'm not someone who has a problem with odd names, except when it distracts me from what I'm reading. Beatrice is old fashioned, Four is a little odd, and Tobias? That just makes me think of this:     

(Tobias from Arrested Development)

The boyfriend factor:

• He liked it, but didn't love it and commented that the faction names were unoriginal and that he would've gone nuts it Beatrice has chosen any other faction.

Favorite quotes:

• I hold my breath as her turns the last knife in his hand. I see a glint in his eyes as he pulls his arm back and lets the knife fly. It comes straight at me, spinning, blade over handle. My body goes rigid. This time, when it hits the board, my ear stings, and blood tickles my skin. I touch my ear. He nicked it. And judging by the look he gives me, he did it on purpose.    - Tris  pg. 164
• "But what..." Peter yawns through is words. "What does firing a gun have to do with...bravery?" Four flips the gun in his hand, presses the barrel to Peter's forehead, and clicks a bullet into place. Peter freezes with his lips parted, the yawn dead in his mouth. "Wake. Up," Four snaps. "You are holding a loaded gun, you idiot. Act like it."     - pg. 77

5 Robots

A book with action and intrigue. I'm looking forward to more!

Acquired: Bought