Synopsis: "In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, 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 alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating 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 unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves... or it might destroy her."
My Review: It has been a long time since I have picked up a book (an e-book in this instance) and been hooked by the story line so quickly. In fact, I was so engrossed by the characters and the story that I finished the book in 2 days.
Although the story is based in Chicago, it is cleverly written so that the reader need no previous knowledge of the city and is therefore able to place the story into a city or time they believe in, making the story and characters all the more believable.
The story focuses on Beatrice and the faction she belongs too, her family and the Abnegation's traditions. Once children reach 16 years old they have to decide which of the five factions they want to belong to for the rest of their life. This decision is then followed by weeks of initiation. I found the initiation with their chosen faction, fascinating and well thought out. The author had clearly researched the human aspects relating to each of the five virtues:- Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity and Erudite. How these personality traits effect the way the different factions interacted, including their prejudices. The book even had me thinking how I would fit into the world? Which of the factions would I choose? Would I even survive!
I did not find any of the storyline difficult or hard to follow, I thought the author described the city and initiation process clearly and thoroughly. The relationships that Beatrice/Tris develops with her fellow initiates is interesting. Are they friends or enemies, are they there to help or hinder. Does Four the initiations instructor see something special about Tris, does he know her secret, can he be trusted.
I enjoyed following Tris in her efforts to discover more about her secret and others like her, it is clear there is more to uncover about this part of her in the additional books in the series.
I used to regularly read science fiction books, and absolutely loved being transported to another time and place. I think this gap in reading this genre could be one of the reasons why I really enjoyed Divergent, along with it being the first dystopian style book I have read. Which is probably why I scored it so high. I have already reserved the follow up novel Insurgent from my local library.
I gave this book 5 stars out of 5 on Goodreads where it currently has an average of 4.3 stars.
The story focuses on Beatrice and the faction she belongs too, her family and the Abnegation's traditions. Once children reach 16 years old they have to decide which of the five factions they want to belong to for the rest of their life. This decision is then followed by weeks of initiation. I found the initiation with their chosen faction, fascinating and well thought out. The author had clearly researched the human aspects relating to each of the five virtues:- Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity and Erudite. How these personality traits effect the way the different factions interacted, including their prejudices. The book even had me thinking how I would fit into the world? Which of the factions would I choose? Would I even survive!
I did not find any of the storyline difficult or hard to follow, I thought the author described the city and initiation process clearly and thoroughly. The relationships that Beatrice/Tris develops with her fellow initiates is interesting. Are they friends or enemies, are they there to help or hinder. Does Four the initiations instructor see something special about Tris, does he know her secret, can he be trusted.
I enjoyed following Tris in her efforts to discover more about her secret and others like her, it is clear there is more to uncover about this part of her in the additional books in the series.
I used to regularly read science fiction books, and absolutely loved being transported to another time and place. I think this gap in reading this genre could be one of the reasons why I really enjoyed Divergent, along with it being the first dystopian style book I have read. Which is probably why I scored it so high. I have already reserved the follow up novel Insurgent from my local library.
I gave this book 5 stars out of 5 on Goodreads where it currently has an average of 4.3 stars.
To find out more about the book or the author visit the following links.
Goodreads ~
Amazon
Angela
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