Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publishing Date: May 3rd, 2011
Genre: YA/Dystopia
Pages: 487 pgs
ISBN: 9780062024022

Rating: 5 stars

Summary from GoodReads:
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.

My Review:
After reading so many reviews I had to go out and buy this book. I am so glad that I did because is it AMAZING! Many people compare it to the Hunger Games but I'm going to say it: I think it is even better than the Hunger Games. This is not to say that I didn't like the Hunger Games because I loved them! I think that I really liked Beatrice's character. She was conflicted about her faction when we met her and when the book ends she continues to be conflicted about her faction. I loved Roth's writing style and I felt like I couldn't put this book down. I really liked the idea of her new world. It was interesting to read about why each faction believed the War happened and how they set about trying to change the world and ensure nothing like that ever happened again. I also think it's equally interesting how over time, the core values of the factions began to change slowly. It just shows that we are still dealing with humans who can be corrupted by power and control. In this book, we see that the Erudites and the Dauntless want to take control of the government from the Abnegation and in the end they are corrupted. For the majority of this novel, this not the focus. There is some foreshadowing that things will not end well but most of the book focuses on Tris' training and initiation into the Dauntless faction. She really struggles with fitting in, especially since she is proven to be Divergent. It is interesting to note that because she is divergent she does well in her training. I don't want to give too much away but this book is excellent. You have to go out to your local bookstore and get a copy of it. In fact, this book is part of a series and I don't want to wait for the next book. I wish it was out already! Overall, I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.