Divergent: Once Choice Can Transform You
For Beatrice Prior and other sixteen year olds in her dystopian society, one small choice can transform your entire life.
Set in the heart of Chicago during the not-too-distant future, Beatrice’s society is split up into five main factions, each of which are responsible for cultivating a particular virtue. There is Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Erudite (the intelligent), and Amity (the peaceful, otherwise known as The Hufflepuff House).
At the unripe age of sixteen, teenagers must choose which faction they want to join and live in for the rest of their lives. Once their choice is made, there is no going back---even if it means leaving your family behind in another faction. Failing to choose and stay with a faction would result in a fate worse than death: being factionless and living on the street. While Beatrice lives quite a comfortable and perfectly boring life in Abnegation, her heart leaps to join a faction with more adventure and challenge: The Dauntless.
What follows is a confusing aptitude test (where Beatrice learns a dangerous secret about herself that sets her apart from the rest of her peers), an almost lethal initiation process, new friends and new enemies, unexpected romance (and by 'unexpected', I mean 'unexpected for Beatrice', not for the readers), and the threat of the destruction of the society she has known all her life.
Written by debut author, Veronica Roth, I was pleasantly surprised by this dystopian thriller. Beatrice makes a refreshing protagonist who, unlike other popular female voices, spends less time wondering about her Prince Charming and more time kicking butt. Her narrative perspective is very straight and to the point, which many readers may find off-putting at first. However, with time, readers will find that her unique voice makes it easier to process the action, intensity, and violence that grows towards the novel’s end.
Character development is a little muddy due to the detached perspective of the protagonist. After enduring abuse, Beatrice seems strangely unaffected by her experiences. Whether this is because Roth wishes to portray Beatrice as a strong individual or as a phlegmatic robot devoid of any feeling is unclear.
On the other hand, Beatrice’s love interest is a Byronic, troubled, and angsty young man who serves as a nice contrast against her otherwise apathetic attitude. Roth makes no attempts to romanticize Four (Don’t worry, that’s not his [i]real[/i] name.), which makes him much more likeable and real as a character.
The only real criticism for this novel is the unbelievable antagonists, who come off as being more cartoonish and Disney-like in their portrayal and dialogue. They even come with their own evil gloating and ridiculous evil laughs. Batteries not included, though. There are also some issues with how the society and the economy could actually function, but these small details don’t distract from the overall story.
The plot and theme of the novel deal with many issues such as overcoming fear, leaving behind family, discovering hidden strengths, and jumping out of moving trains and landing on rooftops like a ninja without killing yourself. The heart of the novel, however, is all about the choices we make and how they define or destroy us.
Divergent is the first book in the trilogy. The second novel, Insurgent, had already been released. Overall, Divergent would get a solid three and a half stars out of five. It’s a fast-paced, entertaining, and refreshing read.
At the unripe age of sixteen, teenagers must choose which faction they want to join and live in for the rest of their lives. Once their choice is made, there is no going back---even if it means leaving your family behind in another faction. Failing to choose and stay with a faction would result in a fate worse than death: being factionless and living on the street. While Beatrice lives quite a comfortable and perfectly boring life in Abnegation, her heart leaps to join a faction with more adventure and challenge: The Dauntless.
What follows is a confusing aptitude test (where Beatrice learns a dangerous secret about herself that sets her apart from the rest of her peers), an almost lethal initiation process, new friends and new enemies, unexpected romance (and by 'unexpected', I mean 'unexpected for Beatrice', not for the readers), and the threat of the destruction of the society she has known all her life.
Written by debut author, Veronica Roth, I was pleasantly surprised by this dystopian thriller. Beatrice makes a refreshing protagonist who, unlike other popular female voices, spends less time wondering about her Prince Charming and more time kicking butt. Her narrative perspective is very straight and to the point, which many readers may find off-putting at first. However, with time, readers will find that her unique voice makes it easier to process the action, intensity, and violence that grows towards the novel’s end.
Character development is a little muddy due to the detached perspective of the protagonist. After enduring abuse, Beatrice seems strangely unaffected by her experiences. Whether this is because Roth wishes to portray Beatrice as a strong individual or as a phlegmatic robot devoid of any feeling is unclear.
On the other hand, Beatrice’s love interest is a Byronic, troubled, and angsty young man who serves as a nice contrast against her otherwise apathetic attitude. Roth makes no attempts to romanticize Four (Don’t worry, that’s not his [i]real[/i] name.), which makes him much more likeable and real as a character.
The only real criticism for this novel is the unbelievable antagonists, who come off as being more cartoonish and Disney-like in their portrayal and dialogue. They even come with their own evil gloating and ridiculous evil laughs. Batteries not included, though. There are also some issues with how the society and the economy could actually function, but these small details don’t distract from the overall story.
The plot and theme of the novel deal with many issues such as overcoming fear, leaving behind family, discovering hidden strengths, and jumping out of moving trains and landing on rooftops like a ninja without killing yourself. The heart of the novel, however, is all about the choices we make and how they define or destroy us.
Divergent is the first book in the trilogy. The second novel, Insurgent, had already been released. Overall, Divergent would get a solid three and a half stars out of five. It’s a fast-paced, entertaining, and refreshing read.
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