Thursday, November 22, 2012

Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: 3rd May 2011
Find on: Amazon, Goodreads

Quick Review: 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.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series--dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.


Detailed Review: This book could be described in one word. Awesome. This book was just so AMAZING. Even words cannot say what I really think about Divergent. 

It starts with Beatrice Prior going to school. Her mother is cutting her hair for her and she isn't allowed to look at her reflection because it was self-indulgent. She is about to sit for an aptitude test which may help her decide what faction she's going to choose: to leave or stay with her family. She is from Abnegation and she finds it hard to be selfless, no matter how much she tries, unlike her brother Caleb, who makes such a good job out of it.

Guess what the aptitude results are.

They are Divergent, or inconclusive, as the administrator said. The test only ruled out two factions: Candor and Amity. 

Beatrice didn't really know then how much this secret could change her whole life and whole world. Now on Choosing Day she has to choose one out of three factions: Erudite, Abnegation and Dauntless.

She would never choose Erudite, because of their insults at her faction about the government and their leaders. Now Dauntless, she has always wanted to be one of them. She watches them jump off the train for school every morning. If she choose Abnegation, that meant she was still loyal to her family. But did she one to be one of them?

Finally, Choosing Day and arrives and she has to make her choice. From that day onward, she starts to find out that her family has more secrets than she has ever imagined. Her brother is to go first since the register was done backwards. And he chose...

Erudite.

That's a shock right? I mean, he has always been the selfless one among both of them and to think that all of it has been a pretense is just...

Beatrice herself chose Dauntless. She and her brother have just betrayed their family and faction. She is selfish. She is brave. 

Time for initiation. The real test. And to be honest, Dauntless have the worst initiations ever. Only the top ten are allowed to stay. The rest are left factionless. With only this one fact in her head, she tries her best and finally ends up first. Though not without consequences. Her Divergence has started to shown in the simulations. She can manipulate them. 

On visiting day, her mother came to visit her. And another secret just pops out. Her mother was Dauntless. 

OK, the romance. I haven't explained that yet. 

She falls in love with the instructor. Yup, that's it. 

But the ending was the best part. It ends with Abnegation being slaughtered by simulation-controlled Dauntless. Only the Divergent are immune to the serum. That's when she finds out that Tobias is like her too. Surprise. There's a another secret he's been hiding since he joined Dauntless though.

He used to be in Abnegation and his father was Marcus Eaton, one of the government leaders of the city. The reason why he left was because his father kept torturing him. He wanted escape.

Overall, I LOVED IT. I really wish I own the book! I had to borrow it from one of my friends. *sigh*

Can't wait to read Insurgent!

Brief Review: The author has the power to put you in the main character's shoes, which is good and the way the factions are depicted give new meaning to Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games. Amazingly written. A book that can't be ignored. Buy it when you see it.

Final Rating: 5/5 'Totally Amazing and Awesome'











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