Divergent
By Veronica Roth
(Katherine Tegen Books, Hardcover, 9780062024022, May 2011, 496pp.)
The Short of It:
Reading this is like visiting a theme park from the comfort of your home. Lots of thrills. A fast-paced, adventurous read.
The Rest of It:
When you hit a certain age, you are expected to make a choice that could change your life forever and it’s time for Beatrice to make that choice. The world that Beatrice lives in is divided into five factions:
Abnegation – the selfless
Amity – the peaceful
Candor – the honest
Dauntless – the brave
Erudite – the intelligent
After completing her aptitude test, Beatrice is told that she falls into more than one faction. That she is in fact, Divergent. At the time, this information doesn’t mean much to her but she is told that being Divergent is a danger in and of itself and that she shouldn’t tell anyone, not even her family.
At the choosing ceremony, she is forced to make a decision. Should she stay with her family in Abnegation? Or should she choose another faction? As you can imagine, the factions and how they view each other is key here. Beatrice, after making her decision changes her name to Tris and then realizes that she is in the middle of a much larger plan.
This book is pure fun. It’s well-paced with characters you can relate to. It’s not over-the-top dramatic as some young adult books can be and it rates low on the violence scale which is odd for a dystopian novel. I sat down to read a few chapters and ended up reading it straight through.
A lot of readers compare it to The Hunger Games but I prefer this series over HG. Oh and yes, Divergent is also part of a series but I found it to be more entertaining with better writing and a lot less violence. I just picked up book #2 so I can’t wait to dive in.
Source:Â Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.
Book Chatter 
I like when you get swept up in a book without meaning to.
Oh, ok. I suppose I’ll read this. I am so behind in my tbr for this genre – it will be years probably.
Years? You crack me up. I put it on my list a long time ago and to be honest, checked it out and returned it at least 4 times before I finally had the time to read it. But one day I was in the mood for a quick, riveting read and it fit the bill. I think I read it just one sitting or maybe two.
This book has gotten great buzz but I’m not sure it’s for me. Maybe I’ll try it one of these days.
I actually think you’d like it!
I wasn’t as impressed with Divergent when I read it as I had expected to be and I never got around to reviewing it, but it stuck in my memory more than a lot of other books, so I guess it made more of an impression than I thought!
I enjoyed the faction aspect. The choosing thing was a little Harry Potterish but I let that slide.
I’ve got this one on my YA possibilities list…I used to be such a fan of YA, but lately I’ve become such a grump about it. My oldest daughter has made a stack for me of titles I MUST read…the good news is that like you said about Divergent, most of them are pretty fast reads for me, so I guess I just pick up the next one on the list and knock it out…I made it to Chpt. 56 last night of The Stand though and I need to keep going if I’m going to start It :p
Yes! Finish The Stand so you can get to IT. I couldn’t read IT at all yesterday or today (so far) but I plan to make up for that later.
I liked this very much. I have to warn you though that Tris does a total personality 180 in book two. In my opinion. I didn’t care for book two much….
No! Tell me it isn’t so!! I have book two but haven’t cracked it open yet.
I bought this one a long while ago, after all the rave reviews started to come out. It seems like this is one to make time for in the very near future. I am glad that you loved it! It can be hard to find anything that really does it for me in the YA category, but this one sounds like it just might! Terrific review today!
I finally decided to take the plunge with this one and am now on the library’s waiting list. I don’t read much YA, but I’ve heard from enough like-minded readers (and now one more!) that this one is worth getting. I’m looking forward to it!
It’s a fun read and in my opinion, better than Hunger Games.
Ooh, you had me at “Reading this is like visiting a theme park from the comfort of your home.” Yum!
Ih it was, too!! There’s thrilling, initiation type stuff.
I really liked this book too. I’ve had the second one since the day it came out (my daughter insisted) but haven’t read it because of what Jill said. I’ll get to it someday but I have more urgent reading issues right now…
I just love when you love a book!
Especially one that I love!
I loved this story as well. I listened to the audio book and I can’t wait to get the next installment. If you haven’t read Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, that is a phenomenal story and is actually amazing in audio!
I agree that it felt more realistic than HG. But I didn’t think it was as much “fun.”
I agree, total fun in a book. I enjoyed the second one as well
Better than The Hunger games, eh? 🙂 It does sound like an interesting premise. I am tempted to give it a go.
I loved the intensity of this book – especially the training scenes.
thanks. I was curious with this author & her books but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do another dystopian novel again. I will get to it!
Divergent is a book that I must read before the striking of the clock ringing in 2013!!!
Just hop on your boat and get it read! You’ll fly through it.
I liked Hunger Games but didn’t love it like everyone else, so maybe I’ll like this one better as well! I haven’t been reading much lately but am in need of “lighter” reading when I do. I wonder if this fits that.
This book sounds intriguing. As I was reading your review I was thinking it sounded similar to Hunger Games and then that comparison came up. I’ve actually not read HG yet, though…just saw the movie. I was thinking of snagging it as an audio book (aka “commuting book”). Sometimes though I have to debate whether I’m ok listening to a certain book or if I’d prefer to actually read it.