Know Your Faction • Divergent

Divergent by Veronica Roth
Series: Divergent #1
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: April 25, 2011
Source/Format: Bought || Hardcover

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. 

There are no words to describe how thoroughly I enjoyed Divergent.  I saw it on the shelves a while back, but was only able to finally get it when I went down to Washington DC/Maryland/Virginia/Philadelphia for an impromptu vacation.  And boy do I wish I had picked it up sooner!

The premise of Divergent is, in itself, fantastic - there are five factions and, when you come of age, you are to choose the faction that you wish to become a part of.  These factions are supposed to cultivate a particular value and they each play a different role in the society that Beatrice Prior is a part of.  Can you imagine how much pressure that puts on someone? To have to choose their permanent path/commitment in life at the age of sixteen - and never look back?  This part of Divergent intrigued me straightaway.

I actually enjoyed reading about Tris a lot, more than I thought I would. I think I could relate to her character quite a bit, especially when it came to her thought processes, logic and even just her personality in general. I admire her for the risk she took with her choice (and I'm not going to tell you what that was) and how, in the end, she really stood up for what she thought was right. Four - well, I had a soft spot for him from the moment he first appeared. I don't know, I guess he's just my (literary) type. And the more that was revealed about him as Divergent progressed, the easier it was to keep liking him.

My absolutely favorite bit of Divergent, however, was the unexpected twist at the end.  Well, to be honest, I kind of expected it a little, but it was still something that I was uncertain about until it actually happened. All in all, Divergent was a gripping, amazing, could-not-put-it-down dystopian novel for me. I thoroughly enjoyed my foray into the world created by Veronica Roth and I cannot wait to see what happens next.