Review: Divergent - Veronica Roth

This review was originally written by me as a guest post for Carolyn at Book Chick City as part of her Women of Science Fiction Week and the original post can be found here.

One choice decides your friends, defines your beliefs and determines your loyalties . . . forever.

When sixteen-year-old Tris makes her choice, she cannot foresee how drastically her life will change.  Or that the perfect society in which she lives is about to unfold into a dystopian world of electrifying decisions, stunning consequences, heartbreaking betrayals and unexpected romance.

One choice can transform you.

Divergent Trilogy:
Divergent (Read my 2nd Read Review here)
Insurgent
The third title and release date is currently unavailable

Visit Veronica Roth's blog for more information

Review:
In a world divided into different factions Tris must make a difficult decision - she must select one of the factions and this will have a major impact on her future.  Born to Abnegation, a faction that believes in selflessness above everything else, Tris must decide if she will stay with her family or move to another faction and probably never see them again.  Will she pick Candor who believe in complete honesty, Dauntless who value courage, Erudite who long for knowledge or Amity who most value peace?  She must make her choice carefully because if she doesn't pass the initiation test she will end up one of the factionless dregs of society, living on scraps and forced to do the worst kinds of jobs to survive.

I'll admit I was a bit wary about picking up Divergent but I'm not really sure why, I think it was partly because it is such a long book but mainly because I've seen so much hype surrounding the story.  I know that probably sounds silly but I have a bad track record when it comes to hyped up stories and find they often don't live up to my expectations.  I'm happy to say that Divergent proved me wrong and was the best book I've read so far this year!  It is hard to believe that Veronica Roth is a debut author and I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next, my only disappointment is that I have to wait until next year to find out.

The author has created a complex and believable world where nothing is quite as it seems and I was hooked from the first page.  Tris is a character it is easy to route for, she goes on a journey of self discovery that is a joy to watch unfold.  One of the things I liked most about her is that she isn't the strongest new recruit in her chosen faction physically and is often underestimated by her peers but deep down she has great inner strength and the courage to go after what she wants, no matter how difficult it might be to achieve.  She has a lot of tough decisions to make but remains true to herself and refuses to just sit back and do what others expect of her and in that way she makes for a great role model.  Tris lives in a brutal world that can make you cringe at the violence but her story makes for unforgettable and addictive reading, I could easily have finished this book in one sitting had time allowed.

I don't want to go into the plot because the story should be savoured and I would hate to spoil your journey so I'll just say that Divergent is a must read and one I would highly recommend.  The story twists and turns like a rollercoaster making it impossible to know what is coming next but I guarantee you'll be breathless with anticipation.  I haven't even touched on the romance but trust me Veronica Roth has given us a boy well worth swooning over, their relationship develops slowly and as much as I loved it I was glad that it didn't take over the storyline.  If you're a dystopian fan Divergent is one you won't want to miss and if you've never tried a dystopian then this would be a great place to start. 

Source: Received from HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review

Other reviews of this book:

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