5 out 5 Stars

What is it about a book that makes you say WOW? Did it make you cry? Give you that warm and fuzzy feeling when you were done? Did you think about it every moment you’re mind is let free to wonder and all you cold think about was the book you just read? These are all things I think are signs of a great book.  For me, DIVERGENT is all I can think about. I thought the concept was brilliant to me. I think the synopsis best describes it:

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. 2344

Beatrice comes from Abnegation- the selfless but she’s not so selfless compared to those in her faction. When she joins Dauntless, Beatrice gets a new start and a new name–Tris. It’s not long before Tris learns she’s different and what she is could mean death. The Dauntless are the brave ones. They thrive on being strong and learn to control their fears, if they have any. They jump on and off moving trains, jump off high buildings, extreme fighters, embellish in tattoos and body piercings, and wear black. This is the faction Beatrice chooses to join for the rest of her life– if she can get through the extremely tough initiation process. If she fails, she will be factionless and it is better to be dead than to be factionless, so the stakes are high.

Veronica Roth’s writing style is superb. She completely blew my mind with this book. I haven’t stopped thinking about the society and the characters within it; their weaknesses, and the amazing growth they went through. I cannot wait to get my hands on Insurgent (Divergent, #2). If you have not read this book, GO NOW! It’s a must read! Absolutely one of the best books I’ve read this year.

You can read the first 100 pages of DIVERGENT here.