Review: 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.

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.”

–Description from GoodReads

Divergent by Veronica Roth is an intense, fast-paced book about bravery and choosing who you want to be. When I first received this book for review, I read it in one day. Then, I reread it just so I could experience it all over again.

It’s THAT good.

This book reminded me a lot of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins — not because of a similar plot, but because of the action and the character development and the way the book made me feel. I really connected with Tris – trying to live the life she knows she should, while trying to understand the part of her that doesn’t quite fit.

The plot development is phenomenal — I had no idea what was coming. And the ending — wow. I cannot wait to see what happens next.

I really enjoyed the realism that the gritty, future version of Chicago brought to the story. Hearing the names of buildings I know from our world renamed to fit in Tris’ world connected me to the story even more.

This is the must-read book of 2011. It has everything you’d expect of a great debut: deeply evolved characters, emotional roller-coasters and a plot that has you turning the pages faster and faster just to find out what happens.

This book hits store shelves today — and you should go pick up a copy as soon as you can.

Divergent by Veronica Roth is available from Amazon.

**Disclaimer** An Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher, Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. It did not affect my review in any way.