Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent (Divergent, #1)

by Veronica Roth

She turns to the future in a world that's falling apart.

The No. 1 New York Times bestseller DIVERGENT - also a major motion picture.

For sixteen-year-old Tris, the world changes in a heartbeat when she is forced to make a terrible choice. Turning her back on her family, Tris ventures out, alone, determined to find out where she truly belongs.

Shocked by the brutality of her new life, Tris can trust no one. And yet she is drawn to a boy who seems to both threaten and protect her. The hardest choices may yet lie ahead....

The first book in the DIVERGENT series that has swept the globe - selling millions of copies world-wide.

Reviewed by Amanda on

4 of 5 stars

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Actual rating: 4.5

Original review: http://onabookbender.com/2011/11/16/review-divergent-by-veronica-roth/

Divergent is narrated in present tense, which sets it apart from a lot of books, and throws the reader into the book; it is the tense of the Dauntless. This wasn’t just a story; it was a commentary on human nature and society, and therein lies the appeal and beauty of Divergent. It operates on a multitude of levels, and I love books like that.

I found the factions fascinating (Dauntless would so not be my faction; the heights would do me in) because where the general premise and idea of each faction is sound, in practice, it is flawed and creates the same problems — or worse — that the world experienced in the first place, which had presumably led to the creation of factions. Divergent asks questions like: what is bravery? What is selfishness? Is it possible to put one character trait above all others? Is there just ONE trait we are missing in this world? Would having the one trait make the world a better place? Buried deep within a story about a girl named Tris is a philosophical debate.

Having Divergent set in a setting that is familiar to our world made it easier to connect to, even though I have never personally been to Chicago (except the airport, which doesn’t really count). Because each faction is tied to a character trait that can be easily twisted, examples of which we can easily find in our daily lives, it was not difficult to find a place within Tris’s world; I know exactly what faction I would be in. I loved Tris who grew into her self throughout the initiation process, and I loved Four (oh, Four!) because he was one of those strong and silent types who is always there for you, even if it doesn’t always appear that way.

I went in with low expectations and ended up being blown away by Divergent. It’s YA, but it is decidedly absent of typical teenage angst. It is our world, but it is not. It goes beyond a story to speak to something deeper, greater.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 24 October, 2011: Finished reading
  • 24 October, 2011: Reviewed