Katherine Tegen Books Divergent (new edition)

Divergent is an enjoyable YA thriller. It's uncomplicated, unsophisticated, but chock full of enthusiasm and energy. It lacks the relative complexity of the Hunger Games (which it is obviously modelled upon) but even given the simplicity of the morality within it's a lot of fun to read. In many ways it makes me think of it as 'Uglies done right' - I really didn't like Uglies, which I thought had a lazy premise and a paper thin premise. But it had some interesting bones that a more competent execution could have built upon - Divergent really seems like it fills that niche. The factional system of Divergent is at least moderately believable, even if it lacks the geopolitical nuance of the Hunger Games. The characters are like-able, even though the villains don't get much in the way of characterisation beyond 'look how mean they are'. The story is - well, it's okay. It's much like Full Metal Jacket in that it's very much a book of two halves, and the second half doesn't come remotely close to the quality of the first. But I didn't resent a second I spent reading it, and I'll happily move on to the next one before too much time has passed.

Yes I am very late to the Divergent party and having now finished this book last night I really wish I had been punctual and read it when it originally came out! I am absolutely hooked to the Divergent world and the book was literally unputdownable. I am already halfway through the second book  Insurgent (Divergent, Book 2)  which I only started last night after finishing Divergent and wow the series impossibly is getting better the more I read. If you are a fan of YA and dystopian and are one of the rare few like me who haven't yet read Divergent then I highly recommend the series and urge you to read it. One other thing is that I normally always read the book before I watch the film but in this instance I ended up watching the film first and I have to say well done to the producers who have (unlike many films of highly popular books) actually stuck to the book with only a few minor theatrical changes/add ins.The book is set in a post apocalyptic Chicago where the survivors have split into five groups or factions as they call them:-Abnegation for the selflessDauntless for the braveErudite for the intellectualCandor for the honestAmity for the peacefulBeatrice Prior is a member of abnegation but had never felt that she belonged there as she doesn't feel she is selfless enough especially when compared to her parents and brother Caleb. Each year all 16 year old's take an aptitude test by way of a simulation scenario which determines which faction they belong to and then they can either choose to stay with their current faction or choose to join another. If they choose to join another faction they leave their family behind and have no contact with them as the city's motto is "Faction before Blood". When Beatrice takes her test it shows that she has an aptitude for three factions; Abnegation, Dauntless and Erudite and the woman administering the test advises Beatrice that this is very dangerous and she must not tell anyone her results. On the choosing day Caleb shocks Beatrice and her family by choosing Erudite but Beatrice still makes the choice that she wants to make and chooses Dauntless. Beatrice later finds out that she is Divergent which is a very dangerous thing to be as Divergent's don't tend to live long in Dauntless and so she has to work to hide this through the initiation process. Beatrice changes her name to Tris on entry to Dauntless and it is her that she meets her instructor Four and they seem to have some sort of link to each other. Only the top ten initiates make it into Dauntless and their initiation process is the hardest of all of the factions so can Tris make it into Dauntless and hide that she is Divergent and is there something between her and Four and what is he hiding himself?An absolutely amazing read and I have been drawn into the world of Divergent and don't want to come back out. I absolutely love the character's Tris and Four and love the world that Veronica Roth has built. I have read some amazing books this year and this one is right up there with the best ones. I am already halfway through Insurgent which has a few shock turns in it to say the least and I am dreading reading Allegiant as know that this will mean the end of the Divergent roller-coaster. A must read book for fans of YA and Dystopian. Insurgent (Divergent, Book 2)

I've been meaning to read this series for ages, but I kept putting it off. Until I sat and watched the film. As soon as the end credits rolled, i bought the first book on Kindle and began reading. I like a well written YA Dystopia. I devoured The Hunger Games in a few days. Since then, I haven't really found a dystopian series to grab me in the same way - The Maze Runner was ok, but not brilliant, in my mind.Then I started Divergent.I won't go into all the factions and what they represent in society, that's explained better than I ever could in the book, but throughout, I kept thinking that it was entirely plausible. A good dystopian makes the reader think "what if?" or "What would I do in that situation?", and like The Hunger Games, Divergent did just that. Although, as much as I loved The Hunger Games, I think I preferred Divergent because the characters are limited into one city rather than spread across an entire country. The fence and their education encourages them not to leave. Fear is instilled into every person in all factions.I think the main draw of this book is Tris. She's meek, mild, and unsure of who she is. Thanks to the 1st person POV, we as readers, alongside Tris, learn about the world she lives in. We grow with her as she moves through her Dauntless training, gets stronger, finds loves, and realises there's more to the city she calls home, than anyone ever realised.That's not to say she is the prefect character. Far from it. She makes stupid choices, sometimes for the right reasons, but most of the time her emotions lead her.Then there is Four. A Dauntless instructor.He keeps himself to himself, yet is drawn to Tris. He helps her when she becomes that little bit too cocky or reckless. He is not your typical swoonworthy book boyfriend, but there is something about him that draw us, the reader, and Tris to him.A solid start, with excellent world building, Roth has created believeable characters such as Will, Christina, Al, Peter, and the others who we relate to, love, hate, and laugh with. They live in a world that could quite possibly be in our future, one we hope would never come to pass. The serums and the simulations that the Dauntless initiates face are absolutely fascinating.The moment I finished the last page, I picked up the second book.

Roth’s series has hit the mainstream at precisely the right time commercially. With the latest Hunger Games film fresh out in cinemas, the masses are primed for stories featuring strong futuristic females that topple authoritarian extremes. I had heard of the series before the film was released, and seeing a reduced box set of the books in a discount retailer, I decided to give it a try. Having thoroughly enjoyed The Hunger Games novels, I was prepared to find this trilogy entertaining also; and my hunch proved correct. There are definite similarities that seem to jump out at you, but I do not wish to use Suzanne Collins’ vision as the yardstick for all dystopian novels. The dystopian genre existed long before Katniss strung her bow; and as a theme that will always resonate strongly with society’s youth, there will be future books written with dystopian themes until the end of days. Divergent introduces us to a society in which you are born into a faction, or categorization of people, but you are free to choose a different way of life once you come of age. The faction you belong to determines your role within society, and once you have chosen the decision is binding. The factions adhere to a very one-dimensional set of rules. You wear your chosen trait like a badge and must never deviate from that prescribed way of thinking. To do so would result in you becoming “factionless”; dwelling on the outskirts of society, an unfortunate beggar for the rest of your life. Some, however, break with this unyielding categorization. Some have thoughts and emotions that do not represent a clear casting in which to be molded. These “divergent” members of society are viewed as dangerous. They could shatter the order of things with their deviant minds and overthrow the system that has otherwise functioned so seamlessly. While preparing for her ritualistic “choosing” ceremony, Beatrice is told that she is among the “divergent”. Her mind does not prescribe to an easy categorization. Beatrice is told to guard this secret upon fear of death. She must act in accordance with the rules. She must align herself with a faction. At this point in the novel, I began to question why there were not a great many more people like Beatrice. It is one thing to hide your inklings that something is very wrong with a certain way of life; either through cowardice or self-preservation. It is another to find that the indisguisable readings of hundreds of people’s minds are never non-conformant. Surely this futuristic society has not quelled the human spirit completely. There must be more than just one mind which does not just blindly accept. As the story develops, that question and more is addressed. The book ends in such a way that you simply cannot wish to not read on. I did very much enjoy it, even at its most predictable. Young Adult books are enjoying a huge success at the moment, and that comes with surpassing the boundaries of the genre. When adults choose to read these novels previously dismissed as “teenage fluff”, then the author knows they have honed in upon success. I wonder how the movie compares, but I am not holding my breath. I shall read the next volume regardless of the taste left in my mouth from the cinematic experience. We must remember to judge books upon their own merit, and not the quality of franchise that they duly inspire.

Unusually I broke my general rule of not reading books that I've seen the movie of first. I saw Divergent on DVD over the Christmas break, and while I sort of enjoyed it I also picked some holes in it. The person that had brought the DVD told me that the book was better, and when I saw it advertised cheaper in paperback than on kindle I thought I'd give it a try.I wasn't disappointed. Almost all of the things that had jarred with the movie were addressed properly in the book. The world built for the story makes more sense in the book than it does in the movie, largely because the movie needs to edit out some of the parts. That said there are still holes, like for example the Dauntless faction only taking ten new members annually, they'd need way more than that for the jobs they cover and the wastage rates they must have given their recklessness.However, none of this gets in the way of a good story. I could empathise with both Tris and Four, and arithmetic aside I could get a society that worked on these lines. The flaws you can see when it is first described are the very things that the plot hangs on. The people are more than the stereotypes projected by the factions, helped by the primary group being transferees between factions, so they all have aspects of more than one. Also our divergent main character doesn't fit the pigeonhole.Even if you hadnt seen the movie before reading it there are clues scattered through the story about what happens next and how it happens. For the most part they aren't obvious, although where they are it helps to build tension as you can't be sure exactly how it is going to work. The style is good too, the words are an easy read and they explain background in a way that drives the plot forward without indulging in data dumps.Well worth reading.