Divergent by Veronica Roth

#1 in the Divergent Series

Published in 2011 by Katherine Tegen Books
5 Stars
DAC 2011

Goodreads Review
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.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

Review:  Divergent is an action packed adventure about a young girl who learns to follow her heart and be true to herself.  Divergent is the first of a trilogy, and I think it does a wonderful job of setting up the world and the overall setting of the trilogy while still being a complete story within itself. 

The strongest part of Divergent is the action sequences.  The writing is excellent.  The trials Tris goes through are adrenaline fueled and make you keep turning the page.  I also thought that the development of Tris's character as she learns to adapt to her surroundings and listen to her intuition was very well done.  Tris is a very well rounded character who constantly surprised me with her choices and reasons behind them.

There were a few stylistic choices that Roth made in her writing that didn't sit well with me, but also did not detract from the story.  I also thought there could have been more development of Tris's past and her family, but I also suspect that there will be more revealed in the coming books. 

Overall Divergent is an exciting debut dystopian novel that brilliantly introduces the story of Tris.  Divergent intrigues from the start and will stay in the readers head long after they have turned the last page.