Divergent (divergent #1) by Veronica Roth

In sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior's world society is divided into five factions - Abnegation, Candor, Dauntless, Amity and Erudite- each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue in an ever growing attempt to form a "perfect society". Now Beatrice and all 16 year olds of all factions have to make a life changing decision. Stay with their family. Or lose them. On Beatrice's choosing day she rejects her family's faction and chooses another faction in an attempt to reinvent herself as 'Tris'. In this new and dangerous faction, unrest and growing conflict appears, challenging this idea of forming a "perfect society". This decision to change factions may have just put Tris's life on the line. And maybe the ones she loves too. In an attempt to save those she loves but to survive herself she must  use strengths that have forever been feared and learn truths about the order of society...and the truths laying within her own family

MY REVIEW
5 of 5 stars

I have to admit when I first started reading Divergent I did feel that it was going slow and that it wasn't getting anywhere. When I think about it now the purpose was so we could be introduced to this complicated world slowly rather than having a quick introduction and end up in an explosion of confusion. However as the book progresses the better it gets with the storyline developing and the development of characters increasing my love for the book.

At the start I didn't think I would end up liking Tris since I couldn't connect with her but similar to the storyline I came to love her character. Even though she consistently claims she isn't selfless and shouldn't be part of Abnegation, her heroic actions say otherwise. She doesn't want to define herself as a certain thing but it is her actions that do so for her, shining with values of selflessness and bravery. Even though I couldn't imagine society becoming like this, I think it helps the reader, such as myself, to step back and from another perspective analyse our own personalities and traits such as the 5 factions. I definitely think this book helps people to think about themselves in a perspective quite similar to Tris's. I can relate as I myself find it hard to define myself as one certain thing. When someone says 'describe yourself in one word' I can't. I feel like it is impossible. Such as it is impossible for Tris to define herself as simply selfless or simply brave.

I have to applaud Veronica Roth on her character development of Four/Tobias. At the start she describes Four as being a closed, independent person. I love the idea that even though with Tris he opens up, he can still be independent and that their relationship isn't the entire focus of the story. I mean, come on obviously the romance flourishing between them causes 'awww' moments but I do love how both characters are mature enough to be independent. In my opinion  Four is one of the main characters that make this book even more enjoyable for me because I just can't hate his character. That's a good skill in Roth's writing,

By the end of the book I felt entirely compelled to go to the book shop and buy Insurgent. Hopefully now you will be too.