10 April 2012

Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Published: May 3rd 2011
Series: Divergent #1
Source: ebook

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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.


Review:  The hype surrounding this book is crazy especially with Insurgent coming up May 1st! I was curious about all the hype so I decided to check out the book. I was expecting a lot from this book because of all the hype surrounding it and because its dystopian. I believe that it takes a lot for a good dystopian book to work, the world building has to be detailed enough with few holes but at the same time have a good plot.

World-building wise I would say that it was weak. How is it possible for the world population to be conformed to either one of the 5 factions (other than the Divergent)? so 1/5 of the population would NEVER tell lies (Candor)? Its really ridiculous if you really thought about it. Also, how does dying your hair funky colours display bravery (Dauntless)? I could go on and on about the weirdness of the Dystopian world created. This should have been a fantasy novel, it would have worked perfectly. :)


So where did the 4 stars come from?
THE CHARACTERS AND PLOT! 

I wish Tris/Beatrice was slightly older so that we didn't have to deal with all the 'OMG you are 2 years older than me, that's sooo old. How can you like me?' With that said, she was such a great character I found myself rooting for her in all the trials. Her bravery was beyond her years and I could really see her grow as a character. She couldn't understand bravery at first and went through different stages of figuring out what bravery was to her.

Four/Tobias was lovable. :) He was tough on the outside but cotton candy on the inside. Also there wasn't a love triangle, yay!!!

The plot was really enjoyable. Everything was well thought out and the Dauntless' trials were really interesting. The second half of the novel picked up pace and it got really good! The action scenes were consistent throughout the book, making you flip the pages at the speed of light to find out what happens next. Did Tris survive? Did they succeed? Overall it was an extremely engaging read and I found myself risking motion sickness on the bus just so I could finish the book! Can't wait for Insurgent!


My rating:

Recommended for anyone who loves exciting action scenes and sci-fi

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