Monday, May 7, 2012

Divergent by Veronica Roth Book Review


Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth   
ISBN: 0062024027 (ISBN13: 9780062024022)
Release Date:  May 3rd 2011
Format : paperback
Pages:
487
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Romance,
Science Fiction, Fantasy
Series:
Divergent #1








Summary

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 on the Book
The first thing I must mention is that there is no written summer on the back cover of the paperback book. i had to find the summery online. I think that the cover designer dropped the ball on this one. Even if the book is popular, it should still include a summary for new readers. That being said, this book was amazing! I loved every minute of this adventure. I couldn't stop reading this book, and when I finally did it left me wanting more. I can see myself doing things in this book, such as facing my fears of heights and needles. However, since the Dauntless fortress is mostly of heights I would probably get kicked out. You see, part of the initiation is facing your fears. It shows how strong Tris is though, as she's able to face her fears.

You can tell right away with our main girl Beatrice that she doesn't belong to the fraction she lived with for 16 years of her life. She always is curious, which isn't allowed in the Abnegation fraction. Nor is she suppose to speak unless spoken too. She wants to learn things, and that's one of the reasons she chose to be in a new fraction. She knew she didn't belong and that she would be better off in another fraction.  When she goes to a simulation to learn of the other options to pick for the ceremony, something wrong happens that changes everything for her life. It's only in the end of these problems that she chooses Dauntless, a fraction based on fighting you fears and being brave. As you read through the books you see her go through some hard times, making her look weak on the outside, but inside she's strong. She wants to get back and show everyone who she really is. It's because of this reason that she changes her name to Tris. This strong side is seen by Four, a member of the Dauntless assign to teach the students for initiation. Four is a strong character and drawn to Tris. He starts to look after her, though he doesn't show much kindness towards her. You know he's worried for her and wants to care for her in his own way. It's cute seeing how this strange pair react to one another and I love the moments they are together.

The Romance in this book is slow, but it's really cute how Tris and Four act towards each other. You see small hints from Four towards Tris and you know he has a thing for her. Tris doesn't realized her own feelings towards Four until later in the book. They have to be strong, supporting each other and covering one another's weaknesses. When they do start to relax and teach and kiss each other, I just couldn't help but celebrate. You know they love each other, but Tris doesn't seem to realize it yet. I hope she does soon.

As I mentioned before, the book centers around Beatrice (Tris), an Abnegation fraction child, and her life as she goes in for her testing to see what fraction she belongs to. From they day you turn 16 you take a test to give you options of what fraction you could choose to be in. On the main choosing day, you pick the fraction you most want to be in, either your own fraction or a different one. Beatrice picks the Dauntless as the fraction she would be staying with from now on, which makes her abandon her family. She changes her name and she can be who she wants to be, not someone she's not. The Erudite dislike the Abnegation because they are in charge of the government. Throughout the book there has been lots of made up stories about the Abnegation and soon it gets worse then the stories when the Erudite come up with something that is worse then anyone could have imagine and it involves the Dauntless. While not quite so serious, young readers can identify with this. From the moment they start high school, they're forced to pick their subjects to allow them to go to college or university.  It forces them to go down a certain path, shutting the door for other options if they change their minds. You may start high school thinking you want to be an actor, but change your mind to be a biologist. By grade 11, most biology options may be locked out for students, forcing them to retake classes.


Design


The book cover is rather plain, but they work with it to make it very eye catching. I love how the flames in the center of the book reflect when you tilt the book to the side. As I said above, I don't like the fact that the paperback version has no summary anywhere on the book cover, but besides that it's nicely done. The title and the placement of the author's name is very lovely and I can see the connection there is from this book to the next book. As the symbol changes when the placement of the characters change.




Overall
Great dystopian novel I loved everything about this book, from the facing your fears to the main plot line that will surprise you. I really recommend reading this book if your a big Dystopian fan.

Rating
5 out of 5 Howling Wolves

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