She turns to face the future in a world that's falling apart. For sixteen-year-old Tris, the world changes in a heartbeat when she is forced to make a terrible choice. Turning her back on her family, Tris ventures out, alone, determined to find out where she truly belongs. Shocked by the brutality of her new life, Tris can trust no one. And yet she is drawn to a boy who seems to both threaten and protect her. The hardest choices may yet lie ahead..
Divergent is set in a futuristic Chicago where society is split into five factions, each of which uphold a particular virtue of humanity: Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave) and Erudite (the intelligent). At sixteen years old, Tris Prior is faced with a choice that will either transform her or lead her to feel trapped in a part of society she believe she doesn't belong. However Tris soon finds out that discovering where she belongs is the least of her problems. She's Divergent, which means she doesn't fit into one particular faction and is therefore considered dangerous. So Tris, along with the mysterious and gorgeous Tobias (Four) Eaton, must do all she can to hide her true self in a world that doesn't celebrate difference.
Overall, the pacing of this novel is brilliant, the suspense and action is never tedious, the chapters are of a great and enjoyable length and you find yourself sucked in from the get go as Veronica Roth's portrayal of this world is so realistic and thought provoking.
On a large scale, Divergent is very much a reflection of how difficult it is for any person to feel like they belong and fit in. The protagonist, Tris Prior, feels as if she doesn't quite live up to anyone's expectations, least of all her selfless family. She's a very conflicted character who struggles to decipher where she belongs when she doesn't even fit into an area of society that she has remained in for the last sixteen years. As a result of this she's a very likeable character, particularly to teenagers, as it's easy to connect with and understand her struggles and the expectations she faces. Saying that however, she is also a very focused and relentless character who will fight for everything she believes in when challenged to do so, making her yet another excellent YA heroin.
The story is an enormous eye opener to the world we live in and how easily capitalism can take anything and everything away from us in the blink of an eye. The political struggle present in this story is easy to read and understand and presents the idea that a uniform mass can be controlled if they aren't allowed the freedom to think outside the box in which they have been contained, theoretically and literally as Chicago has been separated from the rest of the world for an unknown reason, creating a lot of suspense throughout the story.
Unsurprisingly to this dystopian, there is a romance. However the story is not once defined by said romance, nor is it in any way whatsoever part of a love triangle, which is what makes it so enjoyable to read alongside the other and much darker themes present in the story. Tris and Four's relationship is based on equality, mutual admiration and respect for the other's strengths and weaknesses, which are so admirably heightened when in the presence of each other.
The only aspect of this story that I found a little bit disappointing was the last chapter of the book. Although the build up to the climax is exceptionally tense and action packed, I felt as if the last chapter was too 'lived happily ever after as they rode into the sunset' for my liking. Of course, it isn't at all like that and leaves a fantastic lead into the next book, Insurgent, it's just how I felt when reading it because of what was happening in the chapters before; the story seemed to halt so suddenly.
Ultimately, this is a debut novel that leaves you breathless and begging for more from a world so different from any before it.
I give Veronica Roth and Divergent ★★★★★
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