Saturday, February 12, 2011

ARC Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent
By: Veronica Roth
Published by: Harper Collins/Katherine Tegen Books
Publication date: May 3, 2011
496 pages
Recommended for fans of The Hunger Games, Across the Universe, and generally amazing books

From Amazon...

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, 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 alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating 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 unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

It's books like this one that make me remember why I started blogging in the first place. You know how it is when you read a really incredible book and you wanna call up all your book loving friends to say, "You gotta read this!!!" Consider this my call to each of you....you've got to read this!

I honestly don't even know where to begin to do this book justice. Roth has created a dystopian world that I immediately bought into. She explains how and why things came to be the way they are and it felt real. The factions are a brilliant and original concept and I caught myself trying to determine which faction I would choose under the same circumstances and which factions my friends and family would pick. It was fascinating and compelling reading to find out about each one and its members.

Now, pair the fabulous world building with vivid characters....Tris is a complex, determined, and multi-dimensional protagonist. She goes through A LOT and learns about her strength, her values, her very character along the way. I adored her. I want to know her. Another thing I loved about her? She's not described as being traditionally pretty. As a matter of fact, she pretty much considers herself to be distinctly not pretty. So many times we have a beautiful girl as the heroine of a story, it was refreshing to see a lead female who wasn't your typical cookie cutter girl. She is someone who isn't important because of the way she looks, but rather because of the person she is and the things she does. Love, love, love! The other characters in Divergent are well fleshed out too, even when they did things that sometimes were downright heinous I was able to understand their reasons for acting the way they did.

And the story. Good grief, the story. I blew through Divergent in less than 24 hours because I simply had to know what was going to happen. There is never a dull moment and everything that happens is important, whether it be to the story moving along or the development of the characters. Just insanely well-crafted. If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you know I am especially fond of books that explore ideas and make you think. Divergent goes there...from
group thinking, expectations from family and society, labeling, bullying, gang mentality, trying to fit in and ultimately to transcending it all and figuring out who you really are.

Trust me, you want to read this one.

11 comments:

Emily said...

Second glowing review of this book I've seen today - can't wait to get my hands on a copy!

Great review - thanks!

Mrs. DeRaps said...

Oh, yay! I am SO glad that you loved it as much as I did! I kinda read it so early and have been waiting and waiting to see if I was just crazy for loving it so completely. Guess not! I cannot wait to buy my very own copy so that I can read it again. And, I almost never re-read right away. This book is re-read worthy. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

Carrie said...

Sounds great! Thanks for the review.

Laura (All of Everything) said...

I'm so excited to read this! Maybe this'll be the one that can fill the hole The Hunger Games left :P

Leanna Elle said...

OK, I think I'm gonna have to read this! I've been seeing some really good reviews! I haven't read The Hunger Games, though. Can you believe it?!

Anonymous said...

I've got this one sitting on my desk and I'm really looking forward to it. Such a great review - thanks!

bibliophile brouhaha said...

Cannot wait to read this one!!

Tales of Whimsy said...

Sounds like a 24 hour whirlwind of good! Nice! FAB review.

Brodie said...

I LOVE your review! This book was FREAKING BRILLIANT!! I can't stop talking about it! I agree with everything you said. The only problem is we have to wait even longer for the sequel *torture*

Sara said...

I'm excited about this one. Great review!

Lola said...

I've heard such awesome things about this one! I will definitely be reading it in the future! :D