When it comes to books, my sister is even more obsessed than me.
And although she's 29, (sorry Carla) the girl can pick out a cracking young
adult novel with particular excellence. So when she suggested a new series by
Veronica Roth, I knew I wouldn't be let down.
Divergent is set in a post-apocalyptic version of Chicago, where
the citizens are defined by their social and personality-related affiliations
with 5 different factions. Abnegation for the selfless, Amity for the peaceful,
Candor for the honest, Dauntless for the brave and Erudite for the
intellectual. At 16, citizens must undergo an aptitude test to see what faction
they are most suited to, and then make the decision to either stay with the
faction they were born into, or transfer to another. But Tris is different, her
decision isn't that easy. Divergent follows her as she has to make this
decision and deal with the consequences, as well as coping with new and
changing relationships.
I read this book in 26 hours. I literally could not put it down. I mean sure,
the fact my laptop was broken meant I couldn't blog and so had more free time than
usual, but still. This book is amazing! The story did not let up for one single
sentence and I was addicted to turning the page. I can see where the
comparisons with the Hunger Games come from, but for me it was a completely
different book.
There are many different aspects to this story such as identity
and fear. But for me the main draw of the story was Tris' relationship
development with individual characters. Not only romantically, but with her
family and friends also. It was refreshing to read her interactions with all
supporting characters as opposed to just one, which is something I think is easily
done with authors making one relationship (eg. romance) a priority over others.
Tris has secrets to hide and skills to learn and I absolutely
loved journeying through it all with her. It is an engaging, thought provoking
story that always left me wanting more. I know it won't be too long before I'm
glued to the sequel 'Insurgent' so I'm trying to get a few others read before I
order it! I cannot fault this book at all so it is definitely getting 5/5 from
me! Amazing. (Seriously 26 hours?) Have you read Divergent? Or seen the film?
xo
- Apologies for the Waterstones snap.. Someone forgot her copy of the book when she moved. Oops.