Published : May 3rd, by Katherine Tegen Books
Source: Library
Grade Rating: A++++
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.
Review
OH WOW! I started to read this book on Saturday evening and finished it last night. If you have kids, you know that this is quite the accomplishment. I just couldn't put in down or stop thinking about it. This a dystopian series that takes us to the Chicago of the future, to a world that is recovering for war and trying to re-invent itself. It is difficult to imagine that your life depends on choosing a faction, and that its ideology is ingrained into your thoughts, ideas, your sense of self and your value to society. Ms. Roth has created a world that we get to know well, her descriptions are excellent as well as her characterization.
Divergent is a wild ride, is a thriller that takes you to the difficult roller coaster that turs out to be Tris's life. Tris is a kick-ass heroine that reminds me a little of Katnis from 'The Hunger Games' (if you haven't read this series you are missing out too!) We can se,e as the novel progresses, how Tris grows in her new faction, the conflict within herself, and her interactions with Four and her classmates and new friends and enemies.
The novel is action packed and even the all the descriptions necessary for us to understand Tris's world are so interesting and well written that you don't feel like the book is as long as it is. All the characters are well crafted and they all have their strengths and weaknesses, which makes them feel more real. Four is combination of tough, sweet, maddening, violent, and so much more; I really loved him and I am glad that Ms. Roth didn't leave the story with a big cliffhanger.
This is by far the best book that I have read so far (so many good books this year, right?) 'Insurgent', the second book in the series comes out sometime next year.
It was so difficult for me to review this novel because I loved it so much. It's made it onto a lot of my TTT and TGIF posts, simply because it's the best. I'm so glad you enjoyed it too!
ReplyDeleteYou can read my review here.