Divergent by Veronica Roth – review

For the next few weeks, I will be reviewing a few young adult dystopian novels that have come out in the last year. If you are a fan of Hunger Games craving similar novels, I implore you to check these reviews out.  Not sure what I mean when I say dystopian? Well, a dystopia is an imaginary place where the conditions and quality of life are unpleasant. It is considered to be the opposite of Utopia. If you ever read The Giver, by Lois Lowry, in grade school, then, not only have you read a dystopian novel, but you are also aware that in these novels, a dystopian world often appears to be a utopia upon first glance. Until, of course, the reader delves deeper into the literary world, to discover exactly how bad it can be when the government controls every aspect of life as we know it. Keep that in mind as we cover the next few books.

This week, I’m going to cover Divergent, by Veronica Roth. A quick synopsis of the society of this book:  Everyone in society has a role, based on which faction they are in. There are five factions. Let’s see if I can remember them all. Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). When teens come to a certain age, they are given the opportunity to choose which faction they will join and must devote the rest of their lives to that faction.  Faction before blood.

Beatrice was born into abnegation, and her day to choose her final faction is fast approaching. Her family expects that she will choose abnegation, but Beatrice is uncertain if she is as selfless as an abnegation needs to be to devote her life to it. The day before their choosing, the government puts all the kids through a test that will help them decide which faction they belong to. The test is secret, and it is only meant to guide them. The choice is still theirs, regardless of the test’s results. Beatrice finds her results to be quite surprising. Will Beatrice choose abnegation or will she betray her family for a new faction?

I’m not going to tell you what her decision is, though you can guess by the synopsis of the book that it isn’t going to be abnegation. What exactly are the results of her test? You’re gonna have to read to find out, but they are significant, as well.

First, let’s talk about Beatrice (Tris) as a main character. She’s a pretty strong lead, and she really comes into this strength by the end of the book. If you read Hunger Games and were a fan of Katniss, then you’ll probably like her. There are some ways that I like Tris more than Katniss. For one, she’s not as whiney. Granted, her life hasn’t been as difficult thus far, so that could be why. But as Tris comes into her adulthood, she discovers very quickly who she is and finds that she isn’t conflicted by the decisions she has to make. Sure, she questions some things like we all do when the going gets tough, but Tris doesn’t question the important things. She is confident in her decisions.

Second, there isn’t a love triangle. That’s always really refreshing in a teen novel. Yes, there is a love interest, but the book doesn’t focus on it the way other teen novels do. It’s nice to read a book where the main character, a young girl, isn’t making every life decision based on a guy that she believes she’s in love with. Tris is that kind of girl. She’s in love, but it doesn’t cloud her judgment (Bella…cough…ahem. Excuse me. Something in my throat).

Last, let’s talk about how I couldn’t put this book down. I had just finished Passion two days before and told myself I was going to take my time with this book. Savor it. (Also, I was broke, and I couldn’t afford to buy another book until payday!) Instead, I started reading this book on a road trip and finished it the next morning. It was the kind of book that you thought about whenever you put it down. And isn’t that the best kind? Really? There’s nothing about this book that I didn’t like. That’s an honest assessment.

If you are a fan of dystopian novels, such as Hunger Games, Brave New World, and The Giver, then pick up Divergent. Also, join me in my next review, as I am currently reading (and will review) the dystopian novel Matched and will be finishing my dystopia kick with the book Delirium shortly after.