Title: Divergent
Series: Divergent #1
Author: Veronica Roth
Rating: 5/5 Factions
Spoilers: None

Synopsis:

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: ZOMG! I’m in love. There is nothing quite like finding a book you just can’t put down, and that’s what Divergent was for me. I got it from work this morning and finished it just now. I liked the base premise enough that I picked this one up without reading any reviews. At 16, everyone has to pick which faction they will become a part of. Each one is basically based on a trait that is considered the best. Honesty, bravery, intelligence, selflessness and kindness. I was a little irked that the faction I probably would have chosen ended up being the bad guys. Grrrr.

The real action in this book doesn’t start until that last 20% of the book, but you don’t even notice because you get so caught up in the wonderfully imagined society that has been created for this novel. Tris’s initiation into her chosen faction is both harsh and thrilling the entire way through.

I would have thought that Tris’s personality being pretty opposite from mine that I may have had trouble relating to her but that wasn’t the case at all. She was brave, a genuinely good person and someone I would totally want to hang out with.The other characters were excellent as well. They don’t always do exactly what you expect and when.. err… someone… commits a pretty harsh betrayal you can’t help but feel shocked and hurt on Tris’s behalf.

One part of this book I especially loved as the lurrrvvee interest. It wasn’t overly convoluted or drama-ey and that’s what made it great. No love triangles or broken hearts, just good people finding each other during an otherwise crappy period in their lives. Hurrah!

Anyways, this book is the reason I usually don’t read books right after they come out. I don’t know how I am going to survive an entire year without seeing what happens next! If you haven’t read this yet… do it now!

Everyone keeps comparing this to the hunger games, which I haven’t read yet… but I just might now. If I love those books as much as I loved this one it will be time well spent.