Divergent (Divergent 1) by Veronica Roth

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, 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 alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are–and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating 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 unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her. (Goodreads)

When people are sixteen they have to choose a faction that values different virtues and where they want to live the rest of their lives. Beatrice is torn because while she doesn’t feel like belonging to Abnegation, leaving would mean not seeing her family again. Before the choosing ceremony everyone goes to a test that tells a recommendation which faction they should choose. But the test gives a shocking result: there’s not one faction she should belong but several. People that has that kind of result is called Divergent.

For once I agree with all the raving and hyping: I loved this book!

I liked Tris who was both brave, strong and same time vulnerable. She learned to stand up for herself even if her old faction taught people to be selfless. She learns to merge the best parts of two faction.

And of course there was the romance part. And for once there wasn’t a triangle that every YA book seems to have. Gotta love that. And it wasn’t too much like teen-age drooling. And I liked Four. There could have been little more telling about how he looked but oh well, worked fine for me. Maybe he’s past didn’t come so much as a shock but that didn’t ruin anything. I loved to see their relationship grow and getting to know each other.

I wish there would have been more about Tris’s mother’s past but I hope we learn more in the future. But that’s pretty much the only complain I have.

What a great debut from the author and I’m definitely reading the next book!

5/5
Published: HarperCollins Children’s Books (2011)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 487
Source: library