Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth

Details: ARC, 496 pgs.

Published: May 3rd, 2011 by HarperCollins, Katherine Tegen Books

isbn: 9780062024022

Reading Level: Young Adult

Source: Another blogger sent it as a gift

Description:

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.

My Thoughts:

Wow.  Just W.O.W.  Seriously, like so many other dystopian books out there, I'm speechless.  But speechless is one sucky review so lets see what lame words I can come up with to try to get my point across at how amazing this book was.  I can tell you this~ this was one of those books that I wanted to tweet every five minutes saying omygoodness, omygoodness, omygoodness!  This book is freaking AMAZING!  But I refrained.  Mostly.  I did share with some personal friends though.  They loved my enthusiasm.

I heard so many amazing things about this book like the day after people started getting ARC's.  And I already knew I was dying to read it.  So when I got my hands on it I scheduled a day of reading.  Hey, I knew I wouldn't want to put this one down!  

I'd heard this was the next Hunger Games trilogy.  That it rivals all other dystopians out there.  I'm not sure if I can really compare it to others because to be honest it seems like I love them all!  They are almost all amazing and leave me with this wonderful feeling of awe.  And so all I can say, is it lived up to all my expectations and beyond.

The first part of the book is learning about the world.  You know how it is, as you read you piece the pieces  of the puzzle together and learn how it all works.  At least as much as the author allows you to see.  Or as much as the character's seem to know.  Everything is a clue so every detail is important and interesting.

Tris is perfect as a lead character.  You see in the beginning that she's grown up having to be meek and quiet, but we find out that maybe that's not how she feels she really is, inside.  She's tough, she's strong, she's devoted to everyone she loves and cares about, she's fearless, she's outspoken... she's so much more then she ever even knew she was.  She's amazing.  That's all I can say.  

The way this world works is crazy.  Crazy, and weird and unbelievable.  It just doesn't seem right, I mean, you can only be ONE thing?  Seriously?  You can't be kind, and you can't be selfless, or fearless, etc all at the same time?  To be honest at the very beginning it felt a little silly to me.  But as the story went on I got why it went that way, what the purpose was originally. 

The romance.  Sigh... seriously, this is kind of impossible to talk about without giving spoilers.  I'll say this, it. was. amazing.  The sexual tension was insane.  The way the author made us feel the romance between the two without ever really being told.  Make sense?  Maybe not.  But it all started with the simplest things but we feel it.  We feel that chemistry between them.  

The way she ended the story was genius.  It wasn't a conclusion, not by a long shot. But it was the closing of one chapter.  So we weren't left screaming "Did she/he live?!" but it was open enough that we'll be anxious for book two.  And seriously, I'm VERY anxious!  

This is one of those books that's above and beyond 5 stars, but that's all I've got.  Just know, you HAVE to read this book!

 You can find Veronica Roth on her:

Website | Twitter 

Disclosure: I received this book as a gift and all opinions expressed are my own.  I was not paid or influenced in any way.