Divergent (Divergent #1)

If I had to describe this book with just one word, it would be: intense. The dystopian world that Roth has created is truly intense. I couldn’t imagine having to pick a “faction” that would require the dedication of the rest of my, especially the factions in Divergent. I think that Tris was one of the best characters I have read in a long time. She is strong, smart, and dauntless. It was no surprise she chose to join the Dauntless faction. She belonged there more than any other recruit. Then there was Four. Smoldering, complicated Four. Their complicated relationship was wonderful. I loved that they were equals. They fed off one another’s strengths. It was a very believable path towards a relationship.
I thought the overall plot of the book was fantastic. It was a little slow at first, but it picked up quickly. There were plenty of terrifying twists and turns throughout Tris’s time in the Dauntless headquarters. However, the tension was slow building; but when it exploded, it hit the fan. At times, I was a little frustrated with the slow building tension, but I appreciate its purpose. It was a slow and steady building climax. The ending was a bit unresolved, in my opinion. There was a huge climatic event that didn’t seem to have much resolved, but I know that’s because the next book is going to begin in the middle of some kick butt action. Overall, this was a good read, but I think book two will be better.

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.

A great choice to read this.

The story is about Beatrice Prior, who lives in the dystopian future of Chicago, Illinois. Every 16 year old must make a choice what faction (group of people) would they dedicate their lives to forever. For Tris (She renames herself), it’s a heartbreaking choice to leave her family. The choice she resolved surprised everyone. She chose a faction where people risk their lives to do something that involves courage and determination. As she encounters each stage of the initiation, she discovers a horrible secret that might unfold what seems to be a perfect dystopia.

This is my first time to read a dystopian novel. AND IT WAS GREAT! I have second thoughts about this when I first looked at it on a bookstore, and after buying it, I never regretted the decision to take it! I finished it in just a day (Which is so rare for me). What kept me unguarded were the mystery, thrill, and excitement. It was a perfect example of what I see of Earth in an alternate universe. Everybody says it’s better than Hunger Games and Matched though I think not really (I haven’t read those two; it’s still on my “to-read” list). But it was 100% perfect! Roth brings up what makes a dystopian novel so thrilling and full of action. Even though the novels full of heartbreaking scenarios, Roth fills it up with wit and romance.

The story was perfect. I imagined many things at once if the world would be like this. And Tris is great example of a heroine. She’s smart, strong, kind, and determined. She never let’s anyone control her, even her family. And her friends make one hell of a company. Christine knocked my feet off with her jokes and with Will and Al for their strong support in the story. My favourite part of the novel was the part were Tris’s mom save her from the brainwashed soldiers. It was so full of hope and thrill, but was cut early by an unfortunate event. And the romance part was great. It slows up all the hype and lets the characters unfold themselves on their soft part. The action was great! Guns and combat, it’s like watching a Matrix movie or something like that. The thrill creeps up on me every time a chapter begins. Those antagonists are written perfectly. I hate them! That should be the point. Antagonists are not to be loved, they’re to be hated. It really checks up on me if I still hate those bad-ass enemies.

This novel rocked my world. It still does. It now inspires me to reach up to those dystopian novels and read it. I thought it was bad, but it wasn’t. It was like a teenager’s ordinary day, where their Sweet Sixteen will make them choose the life they want, and then they continue to make their lives meaningful, and the part where the initiation rites are like rites when you want to join a club, set aside the dangerous games. You’d love this if you read it. Choices are good, but don’t have doubts on this book. It’s as good as a freshly baked chocolate-chip cookies. Be sure to check out your nearest bookstore and grab a copy of this thrilling debut.

Recommending to readers of Hunger Games, and those who, like me, haven’t read Dystopian novels.

I was pleasantly shocked by this book! I usually stay away from the violent, dystopian books, but when you meet the author in person and really like her sense of humor, the book can't be half bad. Truthfully, it was a whole lot better then I thought it would be.
The cover interested me from the start. It has a way of drawing the reader in, seeing what is underneath the surface. It was beautifully crafted and I enjoyed looking at it.
Now to the characters. I really enjoyed Tris's personality. She had a war raging on inside of her that no one would expect. Every little decision she made, she thought about. Even leaving her home to go and see some foreign faction, was Dauntless of her. Tris was the first jumper, and will always be to the Dauntless faction.
Then there's Four, *squealing girl moment* I LOVED HIM!!! Yeah, okay maybe that was a little dramatic, but hey, its the truth. He was the brave, quiet, trainer. Who was always there, standing in the background, watching you improve on your movements and fighting skills. He was a mysterious person from the start and I loved getting to know him throughout Veronica's book.

If you liked the Hunger Games then you would enjoy Divergent. The plot kept me guessing and surprised me around every corner. I give it 51 out of 51 tacos!! That's how much I enjoyed this book!!! I cannot wait for the sequel!!! Well done, well done!!
~~Sam :)

I have this thing about book hype. So often, I hear about a book over and over again, how wonderful it is -- and then I read it. Even if it's not a bad book, I still feel let down, because I went in expecting something spectacular and I got...good. Which is certainly not a problem. I love good books! But I hate feeling let down.

Only a few books have lived up to the hype for me. DIVERGENT is one of them.

I've linked the flap copy before, but in case you don't remember it, it's here. (Conveniently, you can also order the book there.)

There were so many things I loved about this book, and I'm afraid if I say too much, I'll spoil it for you. So I'll resort to vagueness.

One of the things that really worked for me in this book was the worldbuilding. I loved how Veronica changed Chicago into this huge dystopian city, but disguised the dystopian nature by having everyone in factions named after virtues: Erudite, Abnegation, Dauntless, Candor, and Amity. And in this world, everyone has to choose which faction they will belong to -- which virtue they will value most of all.

I loved Beatrice's choice, her reason, and the consequences. The tagline on the cover is "One choice can transform you." During Tris's training for her faction, she goes through real physical and emotional changes. This book is tough, and Veronica doesn't hold back on making her characters pay for their choices.

Reading this book, I kept asking myself what choice I would have made. It's tough. I can't imagine making it when I was sixteen. What a harsh world! (HarperCollins made an aptitude test app on Facebook. I got Dauntless. Yikes.)

The characters' choices in this story go a long way to show human nature, how easily we can do the right thing -- or not. I also loved how Veronica showed what fear can do to a person, and how it can drive them.

This is a thick book. At nearly five hundred pages, one might worry about overwritten, useless scenes, but DIVERGENT has none of that. The writing is sparse and clean, and the pace is quick. It sweeps you up and carries you until the end, delving deeper into human nature than many stories are willing to go. At the same time, it can be surprisingly funny and clever.

But what most impressed me about this book is Beatrice: She has choices; she makes them.

Sometimes they're good decisions, and sometimes they're bad. They always have consequences. Regardless, Beatrice is a strong, proactive character, and I would not want to meet her in a dark alley.

If you enjoyed THE HUNGER GAMES, this book is for you.

Fabulous read for both boys and girls!

I heard a lot about this book before reading it. Everybody raved on and on about how good it was and I had never even heard of it! Then, I saw it in my library and I knew that I needed to get it. I think that one reason I had always passed it up is because the cover. Don't get me wrong, it is awesome and extremely relevant to the story, but it is sort of...forgettable.


The book itself, however, was very UNforgettable. It is a modern twist of dystopia and while there is not a large amount of insight as to why the society has shaped to be the way it is, I get the feeling that readers will get more information in later books. Divergent is fast-paced, with delicious narration and a compelling story line.


It started out kind of slow, but really picks up after the Choosing Ceremony with tons of action and high emotion. This book is really about finding where you fit in in a society where everyone dedicates their life, mind, and heart to one value. I think if I had to pick one virtue to live by...I wouldn't live very long. Especially since each of the virtues are taken to extremes. Abnegation, for example, are so selfless that they can only look in a mirror every three months! Excuse me if I sound vain, but could you imagine not even being allowed to look at yourself? And that's the problem for Beatrice because she can't dedicate all of herself to one virtue either. She has a mind of her own that travels in a bunch of different directions, therefore she has options when it comes to making decisions. Her mind doesn't just follow one path. She tries to force herself to fit in, but she soon realizes that it just isn't possible.


One thing that bothered me, though, is that I think the ending was too simple. Okay, maybe simple isn't the proper word, but I think it was an easy way out for Veronica Roth. I'm not going to spoil it, obviously, but I think that one of the conflicts was solved very predictably (is that a word?).


This book has a lot of surprises. Some of them completely broke my heart and others were quite pleasant. It also has a lot of secrecy and it shows Beatrice struggling with the urge to reveal those secrets. There are hard decisions, of course, as Beatrice tries to deal with her Divergent mind. And there is pain. Lots of it.


All together, Divergent was an excellent book that left me wanting more.

The teen book shelves have been littered with the life-after-our-world, or dystopian, books, who try to capture a world as real feeling as our own, and try to top the HUNGER GAMES Trilogy. I’ve never liked many of these wannabes, and i liked the premise of DIVERGENT, but still was skeptical that maybe it was just another one of thoooseee.

But man, was i proved wrong! I knew from the first page that there was something extra special about this book! DIVERGENT had a peculiar protagonist that was lost and full of questions, and i liked that she wasn’t some know’s-what-she-wants, speaks-her-mind, never-backs-down girl character with all the girl-power stuff. Beatrice is an odd protagonist because she is lost in the beginning of the story, and i really liked that she didn’t deteroriate over the course of the novel.

This is by far one of my favorite books of 2011 so far, due to the romance that is subtle and not overpowering like Twilight, and the action is descriptive and heart-pounding. Every page was a pleasure to read, and i would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good teen book!

When I first heard about how much hype that this book was getting, I knew that I really wanted to read it. The plot seemed exactly like something that would interest me, so after reading some reviews online, I decided to get it. Am I glad I did! This book was awesome!

This story follows the life of sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior before she chooses her faction and everything after that. ?However, Beatrice isn't just your normal character, we soon find out that there is something special about her, which is what we gradually learn about throughout the book. Probably my favourite thing about this book are the characters. They are very distinct and easy to remember. Beatrice is a really strong female character, which is something I love. Also, we meet other characters such as Caleb, Beatrice's brother, and her faction friends Christina, Al, Will, Uriah, and many others. Four and Eric, their trainers, are also very well written. I love Four's story.


The writing of this book is also great. There were some nice, memorable quotes in the novel. Also, I thought that the whole concept of factions was great. Each faction is so different! I have to say that I love what the Dauntless value. They believe in facing their fears which is very brave and makes for a great story. Veronica Roth created a very believable world that I loved reading about! The factions are meant to divide society based on each person's beliefs. This is explained a bit in the book so I don't want to talk too much about it, but basically, this is meant to sustain peace in the society. Additionally, this book had a really nice flow. Things were constantly happening. It didn't move too quickly, but that is something I enjoyed. Basically the entire novel is Beatrice's initiation process into her faction of choice. Although Divergent is almost 500 pages, there weren't too many words on each page, and the story was gripping, so it felt like I read it in no time.


The only one issue that I had with this book was the end. I don't want to give much away, but I'm sure the end was supposed to be more emotional for me than it was. I think this was because I wasn't able to build strong enough connections with certain characters in order to really understand them. These characters I thought were not spoken about too much, so I didn't really feel a strong bond to them. This being said, I really don't think this was too much of a problem.

All in all, this book was great! I would definitely recommend this novel to others, and I think that this book has been my favourite of the summer so far. I read it about a month ago, but Divergent is just one of those books that you keep thinking about, so it is still fresh in my mind. I am really looking forward to the next book, Insurgent, as Veronica Roth is writing a trilogy! Yay!