Divergent by Veronica Roth Book Review

I didn't get to post my book review yesterday because I was having trouble with the blog, so I am posting it today. But in addition to a book review I have had planned for two weeks now, I also ran upon a topic from the YA Highway's Road Trip Wednesday:

What is the best book you've read this month?

That's an easy answer.

photo found here

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.

(Mini-synopsis from Amazon.com)

I wanted to read "Divergent" a few days before its release on May 3rd. The only dystopian novels I have read are Scott Westerfeld's "Uglies"; "Pretties"; "Specials"; and "Extras" . Those books were amazing, and so is "Divergent". Before reading the book, I was so confused about which faction I would join. Now I definitely would choose Dauntless for the experience and because it includes some of my favorite bits of action--guns, fighting, snarky attitudes--even though I would face the horrifying, feasible issue of becoming factionless. A few posts ago, talking about "Divergent", I said I was afraid to become Dauntless because I would hate be factionless. Now I believe that the Dauntless experience would be worth becoming factionless. Shocking, I know. Being factionless is horrible, an eternity alone and struggling for food and clothes with horrible, outcast jobs.

Two of my favorite aspects of a book are romance and action; if the romantic scenes and action scenes are exceptional, I will swoon. "Divergent" is packed with action, and I mean guns-up, butt-kicking action, mixed with a slow flow of romance--picture me swooning. I absolutely LOVED every SECOND of it! As if dystopian isn't an interesting subject already--and I certainly cannot wait to read The Hunger Games now--this futuristic Chicago is a city I would love to visit to observe and learn more about. I know, my Erudite is showing. *Grins*

Also, I would like to state that Tris (Beatrice Prior) is probably my favorite heroine. If I could choose to be like a character from a book, it would probably be Tris--I would love to have Hermione Granger's brain and ability to remember everything she's ever read, though. I love Tris' bravery and will, mixed with her Abnegation-self and her intelligence. To me, "Divergent" is a wonderful story about allowing yourself to be who you want to be, no matter the limits or obstacles, nor how terrifying or challenging those obstacles may be.

I cannot wait for the sequel, whose title has just recently been released:

(picture from Veronica Roth's blog.)

Here are some of my favorite quotes, though I do not have the page numbers:

"Human beings as a whole cannot be good for long before the bad creeps back in and poisons us again."

"What is it with you today?" says Christina on the way to breakfast. Her eyes are still swollen from sleep and her tangled hair forms a fuzzy halo around her face.
"Oh, you know," I say. "Sun shinning. Birds chirping."
She raises an eyebrow at me, as if reminding me that we are in an underground tunnel.

"Moths," repeats Will. "You're afraid of moths?"
"Not just a cloud of moths," she says, "like...a swarm of them. Everywhere. All those wings and legs and..." She shudders and shakes her head.
"Terrifying," Will says with mock seriousness. "That's my girl. Tough as cotton balls."
"Oh, shut up."