Monday, March 19, 2012

Divergent by Veronica Roth


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:
I have loved Sci/Fi Dystopian novels ever since I was Handed Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451, something about them just intrigues me, keeps me enthralled and up late at night.  Veronica Roth's Divergent is amazing and will forever be added to my best books ever list.

Roth set her book in a non specified future in the city of Chicago.  She describes this once beautiful city and what it has turned into in an almost poetic manner.  I was clearly able to picture the world that Tris lives in.

Many of you know how much I love The Hunger Games, but one of my issues with it and many other dystopican novels is the plausibility of what has occurred in society.  Roth actually spends a little bit of time explaining why the factions came about.  While it is not her strongest storyline it doesn't leave the reader with a taste of unbelievability in their mouths. 

Like The Hunger Games, this book is very violent.  Violence doesn't normally bother me but some in this book did.  It took me a while to realize why.  In The Hunger Games the violence is forced upon the characters, in Roth's book Tris chooses the more violent path.  Something about the fact that this was what she chose always lingered in the back of my mind when the violent scene came up. 

Right now I am trudging through a book with absolutely no romance, many years ago I discovered if there isn't at least a hint of romance I tend to dislike the book.  Roth has an on again off again romance line that adds to the page turner effect she created with her writing and overall story.  I can't wait to see what happens in the sequel Insurgent that comes out May 1st.

I have to admit that I was in a bit of a reading funk until I picked up Divergent, I had started and stopped 5 books and since reading Divergent I haven't been thrilled with anything.  It truly is a wonderful book and if Dystopian novels are your thing you should read it. 

5 Stars!

Other books that I've read that you might like if you like Divergent:
The Host
The Hunger Games

Other books that have been suggested to me because I love Divergent:
Delirium
Matched
Wither
Feed
The Maze Runner (on my To Be Read pile)
Ashes, Ashes
and many others

I've started a Cast on Cast It but not all the actors I like have been updated into the system: 

Zoe Boyle
As
Beatrice/Tris


Chace Crawford
As
Four

Aaron Stanford
As
Eric

Matthew Atkinson
As
Caleb

Maggie Q
As
Tori

Anjelica Huston
As
Jeanine

If you have read or do read Divergent let me know what you think of it!  i would love to hear both sides, thost that love and those that don't. 





No comments: