Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Summary: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.

Before I start, I'll mention that Crystal and Rachel loved this one. I did not. It was very good, but I think it's getting too much hype. This is not as good as the Hunger Games.

Characters: Let's start with Four, my favorite character. I liked the elusiveness of Four. He's definitely got an interesting back story. He was always thinking of Tris' interests, even if it did not seem like it. He was truly caring for this girl, despite the cold shoulder he initially gives her. Tris was the underdog. She comes in as the weak little girl who eventually perseveres to the top. I like this about her, but I did think her character was a bit weak. Her inherent selflessness was described by Four as making her braver and stronger, but I think it's what really caused her trouble. It's her complex. Therefore, I don't think she can be the next Katniss. Nonetheless, these two characters have great chemistry, and the tension between them gets pretty juicy.

Plot: I didn't think there really was any until the end. Up until then, the book is about Tris's adjustment to the Dauntless faction and trying to see if she qualifies to belong there. The end got some excitement going, though.

Writing: I don't remember being super impressed by it, but the writing wasn't bad. It was typical ya fiction. Every once in a while, you find a ya book with truly impressive writing, but this wasn't one.

Overall feelings: Again, despite the negativity, I still read this one at a relatively fast pace and enjoyed it. It was a very good book. Had The Hunger Games not become a huge success and everybody started pumping out dystopians because of the craze, this might have been "the book" for me.
Would I recommend it to a friend? Yes

MOVIE CASTING!

Tris
Shailene Woodley's in talks of being cast as Tris. I like her and wouldn't mind if she was playing Tris, but I've loved AnnaSophia Robb since Bridge to Terabithia.

Shailene Woodley



AnnaSophia Robb

I wouldn't mind if a "totally random never hear of you" person played Tris. There hasn't been anyone that I've been like"That is Tris."



Four
I've watched a ton of fanmade videos on youtube, and the top two picks for Four seems to be Max Irons and Brant Daugherty. I think Max Irons is gorgeous, and I'd have no problem watching the movie if he starred in it. The only thing I've seen him in is Red Riding Hood, which I didn't like.


Max Irons


Brant Daugherty is good looking as well.

So, what do you think?

P.S. Don't forget to read Free Four: Tobias Tells the Story, Tobias' version of one of the chapters.  I actually liked it better than Divergent.



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