Review: Divergent, by Veronica Roth

From Goodreads:
In a future Chicago, 16-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.

***

This book has had rave reviews, and with good reason.  It was a fast paced dystopian novel set in the future Chicago.  I couldn't set this book down once I picked it up.  It was a captivating story of bravery, cruelty, goodness and brutality.  


It was an interesting look at human nature, our fears and weaknesses, but also our strength and passion.  I've never been much of a fan of dystopian novels, but this one really knocked my socks off.  I loved Beatrice (Tris) and the discoveries she makes about herself, her friends and family, and her society.  


I have only two complaints about this book.  One was that Roth named a character "Four".  It made a lot of sentences weird.  For example, "Four turns around the corner".  I couldn't decide if Tris made four turns around a corner or if Four himself turned around a corner once.  My second complaint was that this story almost made me want to get a tattoo (almost, but not really).  Tattoos, piercings, and drinking are all widely used, accepted, and celebrated in the faction that Tris joins.

This book is definitely intended for an older (YA) audience.  There is mild cursing, loads of violence, plenty of kissing, and people die gruesome deaths.  


Reading level: Ages 14 and up
Hardcover: 496 pages
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (May 3, 2011)
Amazon
Goodreads Pin It