April 28, 2011

Early Book Review: Divergent

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Length: 487 pages
On-Sale Date: May 3, 2011
Format: ARC paperback

Abnegation is for the selfless.
Dauntless is for the brave.
Candor is for the honest.
Amity is for the peaceful.
Erudite is for the intelligent.
Once you are sixteen you must choose a faction to live with and be a part of.  It will be your life.  Faction over blood.  To be factionless is to have no life and no purpose.
Beatrice (Tris) Prior chooses, and from that moment on everything changes.
Does it change because she stays in Abnegation?  Or does it change because she steps out of the faction she was born in?
Either way, nothing can prepare you ...

I am wowed.  I am stricken.  I'm in shock.

Divergent was overwhelming in the best way.
It was an emotional read.  (That is an understatement).
I was left wanting to tell anyone and everyone about this novel.  It was so good.  I wanted to shout it from the rooftops.
Tris was a character that reinvented herself.  She was a heroine that never knew her own strength.  She was marvelously heroic and vulnerable.  She always had the ability to accomplish anything and overcome her fears, but her ability was buried in the nation’s conformity.  Abnegation was selfless, and Tris was Abnegation.  Abnegation was not brave or outspoken, yet Tris was.  Tris couldn’t be defined by one thing, and it made her a character to remember.
Tris was nasty and brutal, but she was also young and terrified, not to mention selfless and kind.  She seemed human, because she was all of those things.  Tris was everything a person could be.  She was so filled with emotion.
The choices that Tris had to make were beyond me.  I could not have done any better.  She made a remarkably small number of mistakes.  Her instinct guided her well.
Tris flourished, and handled herself by controlling her emotions.  She knew her weaknesses, and used them to her advantage.  Tris had a better understanding of the world than most other characters, even though she believed that she knew nothing.
This novel had a pulse.  You could feel its’ soul through the writing.
During the final 100 pages or so you could say I was emotional, but it was nothing compared to the end.  Once finished, I was hysterical.  The final pages were filled with such a fast paced plot, that I couldn’t read quickly enough.  I needed to know what happened, and I needed to know right then and there.
The ending put me into a state of shock.  The phrase "Oh my God" was bouncing non-stop through my mind.
There were no words to describe the feeling.
Divergent was interesting and captivating.  It was raw and pierced the reader to the bone.  This story seized my heart.
Throughout the novel I compared Tris to Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games heroine), but I enjoyed reading Tris more.  She wasn't comparable.
I suspect that many people are going to compare Divergent to The Hunger Games.  The stories and characters are relatible, but only to an extent.  Tris was not Katniss, because she had a choice, while Katniss never did, but both heroines were part of something bigger than themselves.
This book was not about romance, so it was surprising that I felt that mushy, sweet feeling in the pit of my stomach at certain times.  There was just enough cuteness thrown in with the war.
It had been some time since a book had made me feel this much.  I was furious towards the end.  I was disgusted.  I was joyful.  I am in shock.  I am in awe.
This novel was very, very powerful.
I am unbelievably glad that I read Divergent.  I have thought about it every day since, and cannot wait to own my own copy.

A friend lent this book to me, and I was told to read Divergent immediately.  Now, I'm telling you to read Divergent immediately.

Premise: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Overall: 5/5

Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from a coworker. She, in turn, received the ARC from HarperCollins Canada. Receiving this book early did not influence my review in any way.

According to "The Faction Quiz" I'm Candor (the honest). Tell me which faction you belong in!
You can take the quiz by CLICKING HERE.

Song of the day: Glee's cover of Somewhere Only We Know sung by Blaine


  1. lovely review dear! can't wait to read it, you make it sound great!

  2. I could not agree more. This novel was incredible. I definitely compare it to THG because they're both made of so much AWESOME, and both Katniss and Tris kick butt and take names and are not annoying AT ALL which is basically a miracle in a YA heroine.

    "Divergent was interesting and captivating. It was raw and pierced the reader to the bone. This story seized my heart." YES YES YES!

    Lovely review.