Hey there readers! Today's book review is on a series I love (and it's also a NYT best selling series that's getting made into a movie!)
I first started this series back in 2011 when book 1, DIVERGENT, was released. I can't remember if my sister suggested I read it or if I saw an early review of it on EW's Shelf Life but for whatever reason I decided to give it a go. I was hooked from the first sentence. Veronica Roth immediately takes readers into this dystopian world with her opening scene of our MC Beatrice looking into a mirror and getting her hair cut (something she's only allowed to do once a year). Right away I was interested. Why does Beatrice never get to look in a mirror? Why does she only get to do it once a year when she gets a hair cut? Those questions led me to keep reading and now, two years later, here I am having just finished ALLEGIANT and having SO MANY EMOTIONS! There's an indescribable feeling you get when you stick with a series and read each book as it's released. Two years is a long time to invest and when the payoff is as great as it is with the DIVERGENT series, it's well worth it.
Beatrice is a remarkably relatable character whose arc over the three books is tremendous. She starts out as a regular girl who wants to please her parents but recognizes something in herself that wants more. In a very brave move for such a restricting world, she goes against what's expected of her and makes a decision that shapes the rest of her life. The world of DIVERGENT is expertly written and described with vivid imagery and realistic dialogue and relationships. Secondary character leave a lasting impact as well as drive the plot forward. The romantic relationship between Beatrice (Tris) and Tobias (Four) is one that feels real and sweet. It never tries to be more than it should and it always stays true to the type of romance that fits the world the characters live in as well as the situations they are put in.
Let me tell you a little bit about that world and those situations...
Where Tris lives is in a city that is divided into five factions: dauntless, candor, abnegation, amity, and erudite. Each faction represents a specific virtue--bravery, honesty, selflessness, peacefulness, and intelligence. Each child is raised in their parent's faction (you marry within a faction) but on their sixteenth birthday, the child takes a test that determines which faction best suites them. The child can either choose that faction or stick with the one they were raised in. Tris and her brother both leave their parent's faction with Tris choosing dauntless and Caleb choosing erudite. But Tris quickly learns a secret about herself--she's divergent, meaning she actually falls into more than one faction. The system considers divergents dangerous and has been killing them for years. Tris's discovery of this sets the stage for everything that follows in each book. Since divergents are somewhat easy to spot, Tris has to try extra hard to not only survive being a dauntless but also to hide her secret. Meanwhile, the leaders of the society are doing all they can to keep the faction system running smoothly while flushing out the divergents, something that causes tension and fear in a world where so many people won't stand up to authority. Tris and Four get caught up rebellion after rebellion where they loose people they love, are betrayed by people they thought they could trust, and are tested by those they are supposed to follow. In the end, Tris and Four learn why their society is the way it is and how it came to exist. And just when they think they are finally free of all the things and people that have tried to destroy them, one final decision made by Tris will change everything.
**I can't recommend this series enough! Add these books to you to-read list immediately and get prepared for the first movie to arrive in theaters next year. I, for one, can't wait!1
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