Apr 30, 2012

Divergent - Veronica Roth Review


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.
Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance. (From Amazon.com)

I have mixed feelings about this book. It’s supposed to be something like the Hunger Games, but since I‘m still waiting to get them from the library, I wouldn’t know. I liked the style of this book very much and I was impressed to learn that this is the author’s first book. It was very well written! Though on the downside it had some parts that I thought were overly awkward and somewhat unnecessary. As I’ve mentioned before, I steer clear of romance as much as possible. I’ve read books that have a little romance but it doesn’t dominate the book and it isn’t the books focus. With Divergent I think it leaned further toward the romance side of the scale than away from it.
Would I read the next book? Yes, I think I would. The way it was written was quite captivating. Veronica Roth is only 22 and she writes amazingly well. While this book would not be numbered among my favorites because of the whole romantic objective, it is really a great book as far as how it’s put together. The characters were nicely developed as well.
As far as violence goes, I wasn’t bothered by it. Mostly because I know its fiction. I know the Hunger Games are said to be pretty violent but I haven’t read them yet, so I can’t compare much of anything.
Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Pages: 487
Type of Book: Fiction

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