Thursday, May 12, 2011

DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth

Okay, so I'm sure most of you have heard of DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth. It's only #3 on the New York Times Bestseller List.

In case you haven't, here's a little summary: 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.


So it's dystopian. (win)

And first person, present tense. (win/win)

And a lot of other things I really like. Let's start a list, shall we?

1. Simulators. Dude. I love simulated stuff, and it's incredibly hard to write. I know, because I've done it. And Veronica does it brilliantly in DIVERGENT.

2. Cool names like Four. That's right. FOUR. How awesome of a name is that? And I thought Jag was neat. (Um, yeah. "Neat" is for seven-year-olds. #fail)

3. Fight scenes. In the novel, the MC, Tris, chooses a faction that focuses on fighting, so there's some major fight scenes in the novel. Dirty little secret: I sort of like it when people bleed.

4. The factions. I love that there are groups of people that the characters have to pick from when they're still teenagers. If you haven't taken the quiz yet to find out what faction you belong to, do it. (And if you ever meet Molly O'Neill, editor for this book, be prepared to answer. She'll ask you!) I chose Erudite when I met Molly, but my quiz labeled me as XXX.

5. The mother. So I don't think it's a huge secret that I love family relationships. The messier, the better, in my opinion. And I loved Tris's mother. She was strong, and soft, and wise, and kind, and everything I want to be in a mother. And that's some excellent characterization.

Make sure you get your hands on a copy of DIVERGENT soon. You won't regret it.


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27 comments:

Theresa Milstein said...

Now I want to read this!

What do you mean by simulator?

I love reading and writing messy family relationships too. In fact this morning's post touches on that.

Jess said...

Thanks for the review~ I love that you posted things that stood out to you as cool (PS~ Jag IS an uber-cool name). By the way, loved the first two chapters of POSSESSION and can't wait to read the rest!

Matthew MacNish said...

First of all Jag Barque is still one of the coolest character names ever, and I know cool.

But, Four is also awesome, as is this book. Well, okay, I haven't read it, yet, but she's in the league, so it's basically a guaranteed epic win.

Stina said...

I'm reading it now. I'm not in love with it like most people. Can't wait to find out which boy the blurb is talking about. ;)

Natalie Aguirre said...

Can't wait to red this. I'm waiting for it to come in at the library.

Unknown said...

This is very high on my list! I'm just waiting for it to get here!

Jenna Wallace said...

Can't wait to read this. Sounds intriguing!

Donna K. Weaver said...

Another book to add to my pile!

Kelly Polark said...

Great review. I love that it is set in dystopian Chicago!

Unknown said...

Man.... I'm going to need to make more time for reading with all the book reviews I've been reading lately!

Leslie S. Rose said...

Thanks for the DIVERGENT recommendation. My Kindle is whimpering for me to push the BUY button. I'm hoping Chicago pizza is in the story somewhere.

Kristin Rae said...

I just bought this last week and started reading it, i like it so far!

I once met a person that went by the name Fourth (he was a 4th of whatever his first name really was...). It sounded really funny when he introduced himself. Everyone had to ask him several times to repeat what it was he was actually saying.

Ishta Mercurio said...

I read this! I happened to be in the bookstore the day it came out, and I had read the first 100-pages teaser that Harper Collins had online, so I snapped it up. And the whole time I was reading it, I had to fight off my husband's greedy little book-thieving hands, because he had read the first 100 pages too.

I liked this book a lot, except for the ending, when I think Tris made some stupid decisions. But, I still liked it! And Four is an awesome name, and so is Jag.

Debbie Davis said...

this book looks so fascinating to me! I really want to get it! It was so good to see you again and "re-meet" you at storymakers! =0)

Stasia said...

This book sounds beyond awesome. Can't wait to read it!

Shannon O'Donnell said...

I'm reading it right now! :-)

Christine Fonseca said...

I am dying - DYING - to get my hands on this book and read it!

Krispy said...

I didn't read that 100 pg teaser (no time!) and I'm kind of glad I didn't because I'd probably want the book more than I want it already! My TBR is too big though. I need to finish off a few more before I let myself pick up this one, but waiting is so hard!

P.S. Jag is a cool name. ;)

Liesl Shurtliff said...

Plus it's set in Chicago. Win.

Chantele Sedgwick said...

SO excited to read this! Almost as excited as I am to read your book! Seriously. Is June here yet? ;)

Golden Eagle said...

I love the sound of this book--and I really like the cover for it, too. :)

Alyssa said...

Great review, Elena! I loved this book too... I'm definitely on a dystopian-binge at the moment... :)
- Alyssa at Redhead Heroines
Book Review of "Divergent" by Veronica Roth

Claire Dawn said...

After my last 20-book spree, I've banned myself off Amazon. But the ban is up the first of June. Guess what's in my shopping cart for my first batch...

Claire Dawn said...

PS. Four reminds me of Six from Blossom. 90's tv :) Good stuff!

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

I just started Divergent because my daughter told me I had to read it. I hope you're both right.

Anonymous said...

Absolutely LOVED this book. Pretty much everyone I talk to...I beg them to buy & read it. So excited for Veronica Roth making it to the #3 spot on the NYT's Bestsellers! My review of this book was basically a huge gush of excitement. :) SO glad this will be a series!

http://sashandem.blogspot.com/

-Em

Ishta Mercurio said...

Blogger sucks sometimes.

Also, I read this, and I really liked it. Even though the ending bugged me. Four was an amazing name, for a really intriguing character.

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