Divergent (Divergent #1)

Author: Veronica Roth
Goodreads Rating: 4.35
Pages: 487
Format: Kindle e-book

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, 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 alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating 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 unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

 Well this book has been on my "To Read" shelf for a long time. With the recent popularity it has gotten (what with the movie in theaters) I decided it was about time I read it.

This was a super quick read for me. The plot, characters and story idea were all really interesting to me and dragged me into the story right from the first chapter. The idea of the world being divided up by factions made of certain ideals and values is really unique and creative. The story builds by showing how the factions initiate new members, the scandals of switching factions, and how each faction works together.

But everything changed when the fire nation... uh I mean, the Divergents come into play. The Divergents are special individuals who possess traits from many different factions, making them difficult to control. So obviously leaders of the factions, who want their nice little, structured lives to be nice and controlled, see these Divergents as a problem.

We follow the life of one Divergent, Beatrice, as she goes through her Choosing Ceremony to pick her faction, through her initiation and discover what it means to be Divergent.

For all you teen romance lovers, there is a budding romance that begins in the book. For all you teen romance haters (or like me, tolerators), the book is kind of light on the romance. There's no over the top "Hey I just met you and this is crazy but I will love you forever, don't ever leave me" thing that goes on (much to my relief). But there is a more realistic kind of relationship that goes on between the characters. A simple progression of meeting, getting to know one another, becoming friends and then that little inkling of hey this might be something more.

My description of the plot barely skims the surface of what this series brings to the table. The characters bring a whole other treat to the book. Tris, is pretty awesome. She's not my favorite female heroine but she is up there, especially in the bad-assery department. I love the books that really make you feel something for the characters so there will be characters you love to love and characters you love to hate.

The book gets a 4.5/5 stars for me. Why only 4.5? Well I didn't want to dampen the review by mentioning it before, but there are some aspects of the plot that are very predictable and if you are like me, it kind of dampens the book. I mention this at the end because, like I did say before, the plot is amazing. I don't want to let a little predictability take away from that. So enjoy the book and be prepared to have the next book close by when you finish. 

The Court's Decision: