Divergent is the first of the three book series by Veronica Roth. If you have seen the movies, you know the story - and if you are interested enough to be reading this review, you are going to like the novels.
Divergent takes place in a post apocalyptic dystopian future, where you are born in to one of five societal factions, removing the threat of independent will: Abnegation are selfless, Amity are peaceful, Candor are honest, Erudite are intellectual and Dauntless are brave. At sixteen, there are aptitude tests which tell you which faction suits you best and a ceremony where you may stay in your faction or choose another forever. If you can't succeed in your new faction, you will be exiled to live factionless outside society.
Tris Prior was Abnegation born, but chooses Dauntless. Her tests unusually show her aptitude for three factions, an anomaly known as Divergent which she must keep secret. As she goes through her physical training to become a brave fighter, she falls in love with a Dauntless leader named Four. The training includes injections with serum which cause fear hallucinations, problems you must solve for mental strength. Tris and Four, along with several other new Dauntless discover that the intellectual Erudite faction is actually running control tests on them, converting them into a unwilling army. The selfless Abnegation have always been in power, and the Erudite want to use the Dauntless to overthrow them, which might destroy the society itself.
There is pressure to stay true to your faction, so the fact Tris can relate to other factions a dark secret, bringing the theme of teenage identity and where you choose to fit into society. Written for the young adult market, the romance with Four never goes beyond a hug and a kiss, and they become equals in the fight against the Erudite leaders. One of the great features of the novel is diversity, each faction is comprised of all races and ages, abilities and sexualities, so any reader can picture themselves in a faction. That said, you have to be ok with sixteen year olds getting beat up, shot, stabbed and often dying during training. Taking place in a fantasy world makes it easier to gloss over, but Dauntless is brutal and when it escalates to raids on other factions, there is a lot of combat and people getting shot in the head.
It's well written and, although I had already seen the movie, held my interest. The Tris in the novel is a much younger sixteen year old girl with blonde braided hair, and Four is only eighteen despite being a Dauntless leader.
If the novels appeal to you at all, you will most likely like them. Despite being 500 pages each, they move quickly and the plot never drags. Recommended.
2011 / Hardcover / 489 pages
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