Divergent (Divergent #1)

What an amazing debut. I love this book, and can't wait for the next installment, INSURGENT.

I loved this book so much that I've both read it, and listened to the audiobook version. Some books are just meant to be read. This book, on the other hand, is one of those rare pieces of work that could go either way.

This book had been in my "To-Read" pile for almost a year before I took the time to pick it up. Let me tell you, I REALLY wish I had no waited that long. I loved the book!

The story follows Beatrice, as she starts her journey as an initiate in her new faction, Dauntless. She has to struggle for her life and fight for the lives of her family and friends; all while she tries to uncover the deadly truth of what it means to be labeled Divergent. If you are a fan of The Hunger Games, then definitely take the time to read this, you'll be intrigued by the relationship between Tris and Four.

I read Divergent a year ago, and I was waiting for Instrugent to come out. But when it actually came out, I realised I had to read Divergent again. And I am very glad that I did. This book is a dystopian that changes you. There is not a lot of books that I can compare this amazing book to. It is very different to a lot of other dystopian books that I have read. Because of the factions and what the purposes of the factions are, make this book very unique.

When sixteen-year old Tris makes her choice, she cannot foresee how drastically her will change. Or that the perfect society in which she lives is about to unfold into a dystopian world of electrifying decisions, stunning consequences, heartbreaking betrayals, and unexpected romance. One choice decides your friends, defines your beliefs and determines your loyalties...forever.

Divergent is a brilliant, heart-pounding debut that cannot be missed by anyone!! This is a book at it's best and is near impossible to beat. Everything about it will simply blow your breath away, change your mind, and make you scream until your voice is hoarse. The choice of reading this book will transform you forever.

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I love this book. A lot. I started and finished it in the same day. I completely got sidetracked from anything considered "important" (homework, eating, etc.)and read this fantastic book instead. It's well worth the hunger and procrastinated, messy work. I have a weakness for books told in a future/dystopian society, so the time setting alone drew me to Divergent.
In the future city of Chicago, every 16 year old must choose a "faction" to belong to- Candor, Dauntless, Erudite, Abnegation, and Amity. They can either stay in the faction they were raised in or switch to another. Once in a faction, you're there for life. You must base your entire mindset on the characteristics of each faction. For example, with the Candor faction, the members must try to obtain full honesty and impartiality. By grouping in factions, the theory is that altogether they will reach peace, even through differences, as long as each does their own share and they respect each other.
The main character, Tris, is a 16 year old girl that's truly relatable. She feels all emotions and has the characteristics that someone from reality may have. Veronica Roth created a perfect character that anyone can understand. The other characters have their own distinct and creative personalities as well, which I love. I felt like I actually knew Tris while I was reading it.
So, Veronica Roth can write well. Really well. She can create characters beautifully. She can tell a creative story. She did her research and made sure every detail was perfect- up to the definition of every important word. And she knows how to continue the story without boring the reader to death. Divergent deserves a full five stars. Read the book. You won't be disappointed.

Initially, after all the hype buzzing around Divergent, I thought it might be another disappointment.

But, I was totally wrong! This is one of the rare books that I finish in one sitting.

Divergent does not kick off with a promising first chapter. The explanation for each of the five factions seem lacking and slightly illogical.

However, I have to point out that Divergent's success and popularity lies in Veronica Roth's wonderful characterization and stunning storyline.

Beatrice is a real character who is really selfish and mean at times, and she knows it. She is constantly thinking about where she really belongs. She grew up in Abnegation which values selflessness above all, but she has never found it easy to be selfless like those around her. During her aptitude test, Beatrice is classified as Divergent, a dangerous category that her examiner helps to hide.

What is Divergent? Simply a term to describe those who belong to more than one faction, a mind that cannot be as easily controlled as others who tend to lean towards one of the values.

In the Choosing Ceremony, Beatrice chooses Dauntless to the disbelief and anger of her father. Her brother, Caleb, chooses Erudite for intelligence and pursuit of knowledge. Abnegation youths are not inclined to change factions, with only one-- son of Marcus (leader of Abnegation), Tobias, who went to the Dauntless.

This is the turning point of the story, the part which propells Divergent from one of those faceless dystopian novels to a first-class action-packed tale. As the story unfolds into the trials and challenges of initiation, the novel takes no effort to read at all, as one scene smoothly transits into the next. Most importantly, Tris (she changes her name for a new start) really grows. The character growth is spectacular! She becomes really bodacious (badass *coughs*) but not those type of brazen and arrogant ones who keeps making mistakes.

And here comes the best part of the whole book-- Four who must be one of the best boy-character-in-a-book ever! I absolutely loved him! A big THANK YOU to Veronica Roth for having no love triangles. Even then, the love between them is striking! Four has a sense of stillness to him plus a quirky sense of ; he is good-looking though his looks are not mentioned much in the book. The best thing about him is how treats Tris: not tortured, pained or anything, but straightforward, like they are equals, though initially wary. There's a sense of mystery around him until it is revealed at the end that he is Tobias, from Abnegation as well, and he is Divergent like Tris.

Divergent ends as war breaks out. (not revealing anything yet, go read it yourself, save you the pleasure!)

And it's a good ending because we know that Insurgent (Book #2) will start head-on with the action and the climax, can't wait!

Divergent is an action-packed read that also exploits some of human's most vulnerable sins and shortcomings. And as we see the people with power live in fear of losing it, as we see Tris slowly understand that real bravery is ordinary-- the courage that drives one person to stand up for another-- and not that different from selflessness, Divergent becomes more than just an entertaining dystopian story, but one that really highlight and illustrate to you the human weaknesses. Then we see Tris grow up and it's like a beautiful coming-of-age tale.

Sometimes, it's the characters and what the story really teaches you that is important, not that much of the world-building. Because after all, quoting Stephen King, Fiction is just the truth inside the lie.

Simply stunning. That's all I can say for one of my favourite books of 2011.

Roth has caught me completely in this debut novel of hers. . . I can't wait for the next installment. She is epic. . . I LOVE FOUR!!!!

I loved Roth's dystopian novel, especially its Heroine. Beatrice Prior of Abnegation steps into the simulation room to find out which faction she belongs to. . . She is frightened about her results and she should be. She's a Divergent, she has the qualities of Abnegation, Erudite and Dauntless, from here she is perplexed. How will she choose? She ends up choosing Dauntless, the braves. Finds herself in reckless and unbelievable heights of danger, in a few weeks she has now control over fear, not actually fearless but in control. She ranks first in the initiation. This is quite spoiling the people who haven't read it yet, anyway the book is AH MAY ZING! You've got to grab a copy!

rly good book.

Having finally read Divergent, at last I understand why it is held in such high esteem. And I couldn't agree more with all the people who have read it and described it as one of the best books they have ever read; I am now one of those people myself!

There is just so much to love about this book...

I love Tris, who is fiery, strong and actually very brave. I think her name matches her perfectly - (aside from the fact that her name is very short, like she is physically as well) I think Tris sounds like a fighter, and Tris is a fighter. I actually did a double-take when I first read the name 'Beatrice Prior' at the beginning of the book; it sounded so prim and proper that I didn't even realise it was the protagonist's name but rather thought that it was just another character. Then again, it makes sense - Abnegation Beatrice is sensible and reserved, whilst Dauntless Tris is fiery and wild. Once in the book, Tris is described as 'tough as nails' and I totally agree with this image. There are times when Tris does seem cold and hard-hearted, but she makes up for it with selfless acts of bravery such as taking the place of a friend to stand in front of a target whilst knives are being thrown at her.

I love how Tris visibly learns and grows throughout the book. Tris has never really felt like she belongs in her home faction of Abnegation, where everyone is meant to always be completely selfless, but she has led a relatively untroubled and straightforward life for sixteen years. And then, on Choosing Day, the one choice Tris makes really does change her life entirely.

The tough and brutally competitive initiation into her new faction that follows presents challenging situations and pushes Tris to her boundaries, both mentally and physically. Along the way, she discovers her own capabilities and learns the true meaning of bravery.

I love Four, strong and seemingly fearless, surrounded by the mysteries of his past. When we first meet him, he is cold and guarded but this wall slowly comes down and we fall in love with the person we find underneath.

I love the fascinating plot - tense and full of action, but still somehow managing to be beautiful, and

I love how realistic everything is - somehow Veronica Roth has managed to create both a world, and characters, that felt really real to me as I read Divergent.

I was quite surprised to discover that Veronica Roth is only 23, but hopefully this means we can expect much more wonderful reading material from her in the future; I, for one, can hardly wait until the release of Insurgent!

Veronica Roth takes us, readers, in the future Chicago where when you are 16 years old, you need to choose one of the five factions; Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful) and Erudite(the intelligent). Somehow, I tended to be an Erudite or a Dauntless.


The beginning was too slow for me. I actually almost gave up reading it since it was too slow, but when I was about to give up; BANG! I then loved the book.


I can't wait for the awaited sequel called 'Insurgent'!


I would recommend this to anybody who likes fiction books. It's a must read.