Review: #512
Title: Divergent
Series: Divergent Trilogy - 1st book
Author: Veronica Roth
Read Before: no
Comments: Divergent doesn’t jump out and grab you but by the time you’re halfway into the book, you realize it has subtly sucked you into its story. The way Divergent’s world is structured doesn’t scream originality or uniqueness; it is a world of five factions, each focusing on an attribute like braveness or selflessness. Certain factions are already have their relationships strained and throughout the course of the book, treachery and betrayal happens. It just doesn’t feel believable enough, especially the fact that all people within a faction must follow the single attribute. The story tells of Tris, who is doesn’t fit into a singular attribute and thus called Divergent. Tris meets characters who say she must keep it a secret and that it was dangerous to be a Divergent but it’s only until the very end until we finally find out what it was. The plot mainly tells the journey Tris goes through as she is put into Dauntless, the faction emphasizing courage and how she copes with it. It involves a series of initiation tests which was brutal, intense and makes you question the pureness of the Dauntless’ intentions. As the grand scheme of things is unraveled near the end of the book, it becomes gripping and fantastic. A love story is sprinkled in there for good measure but it doesn’t take up a lot of focus. The ending was lacking though in that it was deliberately set up for a sequel. A good read overall.
Rating: 7/10