Customer Reviews

Divergent

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dystopia is one of my favourite genres, and Divergent does not disappoint. It totally knocked my socks off, and I am kicking myself for waiting so long to read it!

This dystopian society contains five factions, which developed as a result of people’s blame of different personality flaws for the world’s downfall: Amity (who are kind and loving towards others and blame aggression), Erudite (who seek to educate themselves because they blame ignorance), Candor (who are brutally honest because they blame schemers), Abnegation (who are completely selfless because they blame selfishness), and Dauntless (who are fearless because they blame cowards). The factions all have their own rules of dress, behaviour, food, and shelter.

When a person reaches 16 years of age, she will undergo an aptitude test which involves a simulation to determine which faction she will belong to. The subject is presented with different scenarios and options. How the subject chooses to respond to each scenario will eventually eliminate a faction. The test continues until just one is left. The person then needs to make a choice to either remain in the faction that she was raised in or transfer into another faction. The person does not necessarily have to choose the faction that was the outcome of the aptitude test. Rather, it reveals to the subject their propensity towards one faction over another. Faction transfers are often frowned upon by both the faction they have deserted and the one that they have joined. They often have to prove themselves that they are worthy of the new faction, since they have been raised in a completely different manner with different ideals. Each faction transfer must endure an initiation.

The protagonist of the story is Beatrice “Tris” Pryor, who is a 16 year-old teenager. She was raised in the Abnegation faction and is facing her upcoming aptitude test. Putting all others before herself has never come easily to her. Her older brother, Caleb, makes it seem so easy. Tris struggles with it, and she has always felt like she never really fit in. Her natural instinct is her curious nature, which has been stifled by Abnegation’s rules.

The results of Tris’ aptitude test are inconclusive. The tester reveals to her that she has equal aptitude for Abnegation, Erudite, and Dauntless. These results are rare, and she is warned not to discuss the results with anyone because it would be dangerous for her. Tris is faced with a monumental decision to either stay with her family in Abnegation or join another faction.

Roth’s world-building had me utterly engrossed. I loved the segregation of the society into different factions and how different each one was from the others. I loved Tris, and I could relate to her. Her strength and courage makes her such a great role model. I loved how she evolved and came into her own. I also really enjoyed the budding romance with her love interest, Four!

This is a fantastic YA dystopian with non-stop action, and it was difficult to put it down! I cannot wait to read the next book in the series, Insurgent, which was released last year.

I have really enjoyed the last few books narrated by Emma Galvin (including Kresley Cole's Poison Princess and Jamie McGuire's Beautiful Disaster), and this one is no exception. She was believable as teenage Tris, and she didn’t overdo the characterizations. She has a clear voice, which is easy to listen to, and her pace is bang-on. A great narrator draws you into the story and makes it even more intense, and Galvin certainly achieved this!

I really like reading dystopia books, so that was the first turn on for me about this book. I found the 100 page excerpt about a month before it came out and just powered through it. When I got to the end, I couldn't believe I had to wait a month to read the rest!

I really loved this book. There was a good amount of mystery with the plot and characters that kept me reading and I got excited when I figured something out, whether it was before Beatrice did, or with her. There was suspense and surprises to keep me on my toes, and there's also some romance, which i like, but not enough to overload the book and feel like it's taking over from the main plot. When I first found out that it's another trilogy, I was honestly a little let down, because there are so many trilogies coming out, but the ending was so exciting, and I loved the book so much, that I can't wait to see what happens next.

Everyone who read this book told me it was "the next Hunger Games," so it had a lot to live up to. The plot sounded like a great concept and I couldn't wait to read it. But throughout the entire novel, I kept thinking "when is this going to get good?" I'm not saying Veronica Roth is a bad writer. I'm just saying she could have executed this book sooo much better. It had so much potential, and it really fell flat.

I cannot believe this is so popular. A true testament to the power of marketing.

Let's see...what I liked is that at least there was a plot and it moved ahead. For that, 2 stars. Everything else I think needs work.

The writing starts out with little flow - very jilted - static - no rhythm. It gradually improves, perhaps 1/4 of the way through, so got to be not quite so annoying that I wanted to put the book down after every page, but still a noticeable slog. Then there was the plot - unbelievable. Literally. 5 factions? Everyone goes along with this ridiculous idea? How simple minded is this future population? And in this future people only fit into 1 faction? The premise is flimsy. Everybody's personality is complex, a mixture of traits. How can people cling to one personality trait and call that a faction? Tris exhibits more than 1 trait and so is considered 'divergent' - and that's unique? Totally ridiculous. The characters too. They were either cardboard caricatures or inconsistent in their motives. Again, unbelievable. Also, the plot was too obvious - very few surprises. And throughout the book, instead of showing, the author tells. It makes for a more boring read. I could go on here, but I think what I've presented is warning enough.

The world & the government as we know it now is a faraway past for the characters of Divergent. They live in a futuristic community, divided in five factions, each believing one specific value is the best of all. Abnegation, the selfless. Amity, the peaceful. Candor, the honest. Dauntless, the fearless. Erudite, the knowledgeable. Each faction plays a role in society and every year, the 16 years old kid of each factions, after a simulation test, choose which faction they want to belong to. Beatrice, aka Tris, is a girl from abnegation and even though she believes in the principles of her faction, she feels like she doesn't belong. Her simulation test were also inconclusive, something she should keep a secret according to the Dauntless woman who ran her test. Her life depends on it. Trys will make a very hard choice on Choosing Day, but nothing could prepare her for what she will face in her new faction'

I finished reading Divergent a few weeks back and it took me a long time to write this review because I loved it so much I had a hard time finding the right words. Hopefully, my love of Veronica's debut novel will stand out!

I LOVED the world Veronica created and its uniqueness was refreshing. It's hard to create a world so different from ours while making sure the readers understand the dilemmas and convictions of the characters, but Roth succeeded hands down. Trys' situation is very tricky in her new faction, and her small physique makes the transition even harder on her and even though I've never faced anything remotely close to her situation, I could relate to her. Veronica's writing made it very easy to empathize with the lovable underdog girl.

All the characters are truly amazing actually and my favorite aspect was that every single one of them was in shades of gray. Nothing is easy as black & white and characters will make mistakes. Some terrible and unforgivable, other actions that seemed cruel from one character's perspective were merciful from another's. Trys & Four are definitely my favorite characters in this book and I rejoiced in their complicated relation. Zeke holds a small role, but definitely stood out for me. I also liked Al, Will & Christina even though some of their actions broke my heart.

The whole book is full of action and tension. It's a battle for survival and only the strongest will prevail. But strength isn't always obvious, and can take multiple forms. Veronica truly challenged her characters in multiple ways, and it was a delight to follow their struggles. And even if the world dark and harsh, there are some really funny moment to, here's an example:

The characters are talking about their fears:

" 'How were your moths?'
"You promised you would never tell!' cries Christina, smacking my arm.
'Moths,' repeats Will. 'You're afraid of moths?'
'Not just a cloud of moths,' she says, 'like' a swarm of them. Everywhere. All those wings and legs and'' She shudders and shakes her head.
'Terrifying,' Will says with mock seriousness. 'That's my girl. Though as cotton balls.' "

The end was a killer. The tension, the loss, the betrayal. A lot of strong emotions colliding to bring an epic ending to a fabulous book. The end isn't really a cliff-hanger, more like a chapter ending, and I CAN'T WAIT to get my hands on the second book. When I finished reading Divergent, all I wanted to do was start reading it all over again. That's just how good this book is.

Thrilling and fascinating, Divergent will grab you by the throat and drag you in a world where you must stand up for yourself or die trying. The characters will have to fight in this ruthless and cruel world, hoping to create a better future for themselves and you can't help but cheer for them.

Divergent is for me the best read of 2011. High five to Veronica Roth!

I believe this book was meant for 12 to 14 year-olds. It was very simple and easy to read. Character development and depth was simple, and the plot was predictable. I was bored up until chapter 24 of 39. That being said, I am a fan of strong female protagonists and it was interesting to see Beatrice grow and change. I will not be reading the second or third book in this series because the ending of the first book was sufficient.

I know, I know... Dsytopia is getting a bit old, right?

True, but this is so far superior to the run of the mill group of knock-offs that you really need to do yourself a favour and read this.

I dare you to read the first few sentences and not become hooked. You really do become part of a different world for a while in these books. But it's a believable world with interesting action, and fully formed characters.

Fantastic, real characters of various ages (featuring strong, clever, and interesting girls AND boys, men and women)

Was adored in my house by a 14 year old girl, 16 year old boy, 34 year old mum, and 50 something grandmum. We all devoured it and the same goes for it's sequel: Insurgent.

Let's go Veronica, and get that third book finished!

Wow, so I definitely understand what all the fuss what about. Divergent was awesome! This is the kind of book I want to push on all my friends! I've already told my boyfriend he needs to read it and strategically placed it on his nightstand. I'm dying to read Insurgent now!

Fangirl gushing aside, this book really was awesome. I was sucked right into Tris's world and I feel like Tris is a friend. I rooted for her throughout and stood in awe of her when she did things I'm not sure I could have done.

Four was also amazing. I thought his character was well done and believable. No sickenly perfect boys here! Four was real and believable and all-around awesome! The secondary characters were well done as well. I liked Christina and Caleb and Tris's parents.

My absolutely favourite part of this book was the world. I love dystopians, but I thought Divergent was especially well done. The structure of the factions, the lack of a cohesive society between the factions, the factionless as second-class citizens; I loved it all.

I also loved the non-stop action. From the Choosing Ceremony to the finale, I was always dying to know what happened next! Speaking from experience, this is not a good book to start reading right before final exams!

This was a really good novel, it was very similar to the hunger games, but I found it to be a better/smarter read. It was very thrilling and I found it impossible to put down. Things are foreshadowed really well so nothing is ever such a shock that it blows your mind but altogether it is stimulating and insightful. I would highly reccommend it and will definately be reading it again.

Pros: interesting dystopian world, sympathetic protagonist/

Cons: gaps in the worldbuilding that experienced readers will pick up on but others probably won't care about, ending doesn't hold up to the book's internal logic/

In a city where kids are raised in one of 5 factions (Abnegation, Candor, Amity, Erudite and Dauntless) nothing is more scary than being factionless. Beatrice and her brother are both at the age when youths get to choose their factions. They can either stay in Abnegation, or move to one of the other factions. Whatever they choose, there's no going back. Beatrice wants to be in Dauntless, the faction of the brave, but is she brave enough to turn her back on her family and try something different?

The novel has a unique divisionary structure. After a war the people decided to separate into the group best suited to their personality, which is opposite the trait that group felt caused the war. The warning being that anything taken to extremes is bad.

The dystopian world is fairly well fleshed out, but more discerning readers will find strange gaps in the worldbuilding. For example, the Erudite want more cars and luxury items and Beatrice is surprisingly wasteful when it comes to clothing (throwing out pants because of blood stains). Yet, when Ms. Roth described what jobs each faction performs, no one's said to be in manufacture. Amity grows food, Dauntless police, Abnegation does road repairs and charity word, Erudite are all teachers and researchers and Candor's full of lawyers. It also seems strange that they would need so many lawyers when there appears to be no justice system. When one of Beatrice's fellow initiates seriously injures another, no one steps in to find out what happened.

Beatrice is an interesting protagonist who has to make difficult decisions and learns that the world isn't a very nice place. The author does a great job of letting the reader experience everything Beatrice goes through.

Readers who like romance will enjoy Beatrice and her beau's attempts at coming to terms with who and where they are in life.

I found the ending very problematic, with events not holding up to the book's internal logic.