Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent (Divergent #1)
written by Veronica Roth
published by Katherine Tegen Books, HarperCollins

find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble, Amazon, iBooks, Book Depository, Goodreads

Why did I pick this book: My sister has been on my case to read this book.

Did I enjoy this book: Yep!

It’s not the next Mistborn series, but I’d wager Roth’s books will end up ranked among the likes of Twilight and The Hunger Games.  Her writing’s not spectacular but her story is.  Her plotlines aren’t quite original but her characters are.  Her dystopia’s not…um… well, actually it IS.  It’s awesome.  It’s Harry Potter’s Sorting Hat only without the cheering.  It’s dark, and grown-up, and exactly what I was hoping for.  The internet tells me I ought to have low expectations for the second and third installments of Roth’s series, but at this point I’m confident enough to hope for the best.

Would I recommend it: Yep!

Will I read it again: No, but I’m off to read book 2 just as soon as I get the chance.

About the book – from Goodreads: 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.