Divergent--Veronica Roth

(Thanks to Amazon for the image)

One of the new YA books that I am kind of obsessed with is Divergent by Veronica Roth.

Amazon gives a great description of the novel. "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."

My review:
I had seen people posting the cover of Divergent on Pinterest, and loved the cover art. I know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I can't help it. If the cover art rocks, I am so much more likely to pick it up and give it a chance. Anyway, just before Winter recess, my friend was asking me what my "holiday reading" was going to be. I decided that I should go to our library and pick something up. I read the inside jacket blurb and decided within the first chapter that I was completely hooked.

I got Divergent home and sat down with it on Christmas afternoon after all the morning excitement had calmed down. I could not put it down! Finally at midnight, I decided that I absolutely had to put it down or I would have been up all night, and the first thing I did when I woke up was rush back to the couch to finish. I was a little afraid that it was going to be a lot like most of the dystopian society novels that have popped up in the last few years (like The Hunger Games--which will be reviewed at a later date); however, I was pleasantly surprised to see all the new ideas brought in to make Divergent a pretty original novel.

I loved the characters: Tris, the protagonist, is well developed and you can feel what she is going through trying to fit into her faction. I love Tris' love interest. It is a cute/frustrating/sweet/slowish development between the two, which doesn't leave you feeling like, "What?! Where did this come from? It's so out of the blue!" or "Oh my goodness! Hurry up and kiss already!!"

One of the key things I loved about this book is that the descriptions of the settings/characters/etc. are very well done. They make Tris' society real and exciting.

I think that it's a great pick for teens. It's got a ton of gripping action, a love story, and a interesting plot. It would be a great one in the classroom to pair with some of the classic dystopian societies. I would look at the structure of the societies to compare/contrast the structure and the back story as to what led to the creation of the society.

I'm waiting on the edge of my seat for the second installment of the Divergent Trilogy, Insurgent, which is scheduled to come out on May 1, 2012

My final review: 5 out of 5 stars