I had just finished reading The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins (which, if you haven’t read it, please do. Just. Go. Read it.) and tweeted such on The Twitter. Immediately, I received a reply from a friend saying if I liked that trilogy (or books of that ilk) I should check out this new book, Divergent by this new author, Veronica Roth.
She’s 23. Don’t mind me – I’ll just be over there being 31 and jealous for a moment.
Anyway.
Wow.
To be fair, one should not necessarily compare this to The Hunger Games trilogy because, beyond the similarity of a female heroine struggling to overcome X while falling in love with That Guy and is told in first-person present, it is a COMPLETELY different story. It’s just a pet peeve I have. Like comparing all fantasy to Lord of Rings or Harry Potter. Just doesn’t need to be done, in my opinion. Let the lady tell her story!
Sorry.
Anyhow, this book sucked me in from page one and did not let go until the end. The world Veronica creates is one of darkness, confusion, craziness, sexiness, fun and, at some odd times, enviable. The main character, Tris, is a fun little heroine with quite the defiant streak. Watching her evolve and morph into who she is by the end of Book One (yes, this is a trilogy) is a fantastic ride. Her love interest, Four, is, well, hot. I will just leave it at that.
From Amazon: 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.
This book is fun. That’s the best word I can use to describe it. It’s one I will read again very soon.
Buy it!
