Divergent

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Veronica Roth (born August 19, 1988) is an American author, known for her Divergent series

BOOK SUMMARY:

• Divergent is written by Veronica Roth. This book is from Beatrice(Tris) Prior’s point of view. This book has a lot of action and humor. But there are a few brutal scenes. This takes place in Chicago. It revolves around the main character, Tris, on the eve of her sixteenth birthday in a dystopian wasteland future, their civilization of survivors (of a catastrophe we’re not told about) has divided into five factions, each of which focuses on a different virtue. Tris and her whole family are in Abnegation, which represents selflessness. The four others are Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful) and Erudite (the intelligent).  But there are a few downsides for each faction. Being selfless in Abnegation can lead to self-harm, from only caring about others and not putting yourself first. Being an honest Candor can lead to hurting others in situations where lying could turn out better. Bravery in Dauntless can lead to aggression, and often unreasonable conflicts with others. An Amity’s love for peace could lead to being naive, and intelligence in Erudite can lead you to be manipulative and careless.  On your sixteenth birthday you must choose which faction you will be part of – and if it is one your family is not a part of, you will probably never see them again. That choice will decide who your friends and enemies are. That choice will define your beliefs. And that choice will completely change you. But there is a secret to this perfect system: many people don’t fit perfectly into just one faction or another. These individuals are known as Divergent. Tris learns this as she is titled as Divergent instead of one of the five factions. Tris, having admired Dauntless, joins their faction and begins her training in the Dauntless guild.  Using her virtues from each part, she learns to overcome her challenges.

MY THOUGHTS: 

I really like this book because every event builds up to the climax of the story. Unexpected events surprised me and kept me really interested throughout the entire story. Another unique aspect of this book is its focus on the importance of friendship and community (or faction) with family. The novel efficiently teaches teens about these five important virtues, and which ones are more valuable in different situations.  Beatrice is put in plenty of situations where she has to make choices between her family and her faction. Sometimes, she also has to make choices for herself instead of for her parents, such as choosing a different faction and a completely different way of living that’s better for her. The author, Veronica Roth, uses plenty of character personalities to make the characters unforgettable. Many of the characters are interesting and have a detailed personality that the author inputs in order to keep the story going. Tris is curious and selfish at the beginning, but later on she is brave, smart, and just misunderstood by her friends. Her tendency to not follow rules makes the story more interesting. Four is strong, clever, and fearless, but later, it turns out he has many fears to deal with. After a few events that happen, a few of the characters feel a need to change themselves in order to survive in their environment. It is a simple story about a young Abnegation girl turning into a fierce warrior. It proved to me that I should be Divergent. Not Abnegation. Not Candor, Not Erudite. Not Amity. Not Dauntless. But all five. They all need to work together to survive. 

WARNING! Do NOT read if you don’t want spoilers!

I was very surprised when I found out that Caleb (Tris’s brother) chose to be in Erudite. Tris is Divergent. She is all the factions….Combined. She is DANGEROUS, POWERFUL, and WANTED! She has to hide it, she has become a rare person. There is too much for her out there. That’s what I love about the book!  I have never read anything so deadly! I pictured it so easily. I got scared at the time she jumped off the building. I THOUGHT SHE WOULD DIE! I was terrified when Four (Not the number. The guy’s nickname. His real name is Tobias) had to throw knives at Tris because she was trying to save Al.  But I think, after Al, Peter, and Drew attacked Tris, Tris should have forgiven Al. Because then, Al wouldn’t have pitched himself into the chasm. We get to see her turn into a fierce, stubborn, and incredibly strong woman. It felt like a knife in the heart when her mom died for Tris, but that’s just the type of person her mom is, willing to die for a good cause, especially for her daughter. It hurt because I know, Tris was close with her mother and loved her endlessly, her losing her father was hard to read too because that means she watched both parents die, but it doesn’t hurt as bad since I didn’t really like him. I liked him at the very end, but he is still not my favorite. I mean, he didn’t even visit Tris and that was kind of harsh. I recommend it to everyone who likes sci-fi, fantasy, action or just reading in general

IS THERE A SEQUEL?: 

Yes, there is a sequel. I listed them below. I even put their summaries.  I hope you enjoy these books! 

• Insurgent

Tris is running with Four and Caleb from the enemy, while unleashing new secrets about her family’s past and her mysterious Divergence.

• Allegiant

Tris, Four, and their small group of friends escaping over the wall that enclosed the city. Once outside, however, they discover new truths that will shift their alliances and introduce new threats.

Hope you checked my previous review about “Aru Shah and the end of time ” . If not, please check it out here .

PS: There’s a movie. So you can watch it. People say the movie is bad if you read the book before. But it’s really not that bad. I hope you like it. If you don’t like this book/movie comment below why you don’t like it.