Divergent by Veronica Roth

Book Details

Author: Veronica Roth
Ages: 13+
Rating: 10/10
Number of Pages: 487
Plot: Set in the future, this novel tells the story of a sixteen year old living in a secluded society controlled by a faction system. The society is separated into five distinct factions, Abnegation (those who favour selflessness), Erudite (those who favour intelligence), Candor (those who favour honesty), Amity (those who favour kindness) and Dauntless (those who favour bravery), in which everyone must conform or become factionless. In this divided society sixteen  year old Tris must find a way to fit in to hide her secret. In order to protect herself Tris ventures to a new faction, away from her family, where she learns that no one can be trusted and everyone is a threat to her survival.
As she learns how to fight and protect herself, Tris befriends initiates from a range of different factions and falls in love with one of the instructors, the mysterious Four. In order to protect the innocent Tris must team up with those who share her unique and dangerous 'gift'.

I have read and reread this book so many times I have actually lost count. I found out about Divergent through my English Literature teacher; at first I was sceptical as it seemed very similar to other dystopian novels/ series such as The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. How wrong I was. The clever plot is simple yet so intricately detailed as the book progresses that it becomes more than just another dystopian novel. even the characters have qualities that people can easily relate to and see in their friends or family members. I absolutely adored this book from the first chapter.

Beatrice Prior, or Tris as she is later known, is one of my all time favourite protagonists. She is brave, strong, extremely sarcastic and is not one of them characters you just want to scream at in frustration every chapter. Her almost awkward and reserved personality, I feel, perfectly portrays the members of the Abnegation faction and helps to emphasise the completely contrasting world she is now forced into. We are first introduced to Beatrice as she approaches the day in which she must devote her life to a faction. She must make the hard decision to either stay with her family in a faction where she feels that she does not belong or leave her family in hope for finding a place in this dictatorial society.

After making her decision and changing her name Tris now must fight in order to survive in her new faction where the weak and cowardly are discarded and made factionless. Through the initiation process we meet the mysterious Four. Four is a strong and hard character who seems to open up as he gets closer to Tris; as we learn more about Four we discover that he is not only brave, but also kind, intelligent and selfless - a perfect mix of the factions. Four, much like Tris, is so cleverly thought out that the reader instantly falls in love with him - well, I did anyway.

As we learn more about the set up of the factions, we learn that there is friction and sinister plots brewing amongst the factions and when violence erupts Tris must team up with Four to defeat the enemy. Secrets are revealed and shocking revelations unravel as the violence hits a shocking climax.

Divergent is an excellent example of a gripping read throughout. Roth's amazingly unique plot and mix of characters has helped to make this book a huge success. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins or the Gone series by Michael Grant (which are also great examples of dystopian novels). I have started reading the next book in the series, Insurgent, which is just as gripping and amazing as the first! Furthermore, I would recommend that you read the book first before seeing the film adaptation, as it will give you more background information on the characters and understanding of the quite complex faction system. I recently saw the film and, unlike some film adaptations, it is everything I hoped it would be and more. Of course, some characters like Uriah have been removed (which is unforgivable!) but other than that the set, cast and action are everything I hoped they would be. I cannot wait to finish the series and read more about Tris and Four.

Reviewed by Daisy Wallis.