Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

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.

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Series: Divergent #1
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: February 28th 2012

Rating: 3.5 stars

Thoughts: 

"I am selfish. I am brave."

Everybody is fangirling because Allegiant is almost out, so I decided to finally read Divergent. And in some ways, it didn't disappoint. In others, it did.

Let's start with the disappointing stuff, or rather the stuff I can't believe in. Namely the factions. It's impossible to put a living person in a faction that represents their most important character treat. People have such complex personalities: I have never before met someone that was just brave, or just honest. Besides, persons change constantly. I am not the same person I was three years ago. In three years, I won't be the same person I am now. So I simply do not understand how you are able to put people in factions and say "Here, that's what you are." Yes, there are the Divergent, people who belong in more factions than one, but let's be honest: there should be more Divergent than 'one-faction-people' in such a community. And Divergence sure as hell shouldn't be rare.

The other thing that disappointed me was the romance. To be honest, I just didn't feel any chemistry. It was obvious from the start that Tris and Four were going to be a couple, but I honestly think they were better off just friends. I never felt that spark or that 'now kiss'-feeling I love to have. It mostly felt 'meh'. Only when they were being fiercely protective I felt a tiny bit of their feelings for each other, but otherwise, I didn't really care.

This all doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the novel, because I did. Above all, it was a very fun and fast read. I read it in one day and was constantly entertained. This book doesn't move at a slow pace at all, but it also isn't rushed. I'm glad Roth managed to keep that balance, as the line between the two can be very thin.

The characters were part of the fun: although I would've liked a bit more fleshing out, they were very entertaining and I liked reading about them. Especially Christina, with her fear of moths, stole my heart. She was fierce and sweet, and I had some serious respect for her. Though the other characters didn't catch my attention like Christina did, they were a fun group of good guys, bad guys, and the somewhere in between.

I'm also glad there was an actual plot as there are too many plotless blubbery books these days. Divergent knows where it's going and keeps a steady pace until the end, which was pretty crazy. Roth doesn't shy away from killing off her characters. Unfortunately, I felt the deaths of certain characters were a bit too rushed, leaving me with no time to process what happened. Because we were moving everywhere so quick, I didn't really feel sad about the deaths of these characters: I simply had no time for it. It did save me from that heartbreaking feeling, but honestly, when I read a book, I WANT those feels. I WANT to bawl my eyes out. But apart from the swift pace, I thought this book was well plotted.

In all, an entertainging and fast read! I was a bit disappointed with the romance and the world-building, but the fun-ness and the characters really had me enjoying this!