divergent {book review}

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Favorite Quote (I couldn't pick just one, so I chose three): 

• "One choice can transform you." 
• “Becoming fearless isn't the point. That's impossible. It's learning how to control your fear, and how to be free from it.” 
• “I have a theory that selflessness and bravery aren't all that different.” 

Favorite Character: Four
Book Summary from Veronica Roth's Blog 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 threatens to unravel her seemingly-perfect society, she also learns that her secret might be what helps her save those she loves . . . or it might be what destroys her.
My Thoughts Randomly I heard a bunch of people talking about this book, but I just didn't think I would be interested in it because the cover didn't appeal to me. I know they say "don't judge a book by its cover," but I always do. Can't help it. When I went to the midnight premiere of Catching Fire, I saw a preview for the Divergent movie, and I became fascinated. It looked SO GOOD, so I jumped on the bandwagon. I listened to the audio book version in about two days. I did a lot of painting and made an ugly sweater for a Christmas party while I listened. In the midst of doing all of that, I was talking back to the audio book like the characters would hear me. I found myself gasping, laughing, and sitting at attention when things started to get a little crazy. The book is super fast paced, and I just didn't want to stop listening!
From the get-go, I was amazed by the concept of this book. A future world divided into factions, and you have to make the biggest decision of your life when you're just sixteen-years-old, and your decision will determine whether or not you're able to see your family and friends ever again...no pressure. When they described what the five factions were, I was shocked at what Tris chose and also shocked at what her brother, Caleb chose as well, considering they both came from Abnegation.
I found myself getting super attached to Tris during her initiation. When bad things happened to her, I just wanted to protect her (not that I could because I'm 100% sure that's she's much stronger than me, putting the fact that she's a fictional character aside). I cheered her on when she showed up the people who viewed her as weak and when she achieved anything worthy of hatred from her opponents. I got goosebumps when things started heating up with her and a new love interest. I just wanted to jump in the book and be her friend. A part of me also wished that I could be in the book just so I could see what fears I would face in the simulations and fear landscape (which is also dumb because I'd probably just sit there crying the whole time).
I think most people, not just teens, can relate the struggles that Tris and Four and several of the other characters faced throughout the novel. When Tris finds out that she's different than most people, that she's divergent, she has to choose whether to be selfish or selfless, and that's a common theme throughout the novel. Everyone can relate to that battle in some way.

I give this book a 5 out of 5. It was so much more than I was expecting - more interesting, more exciting, more action packed, and the story line was just not what I was expecting even after seeing the movie trailer and reading what it was about beforehand. It was just more. I'm really looking forward to seeing the movie adaptation in March.
For more information about Veronica Mars and the Divergent series, check out her blog. For more information about the movie adaptation, click here.