"Divergent"

by Veronica Roth, YA, 2011, 487p, rating=4.5

"In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, 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. (book cover, 1st paragraph)

I enjoyed this dystopian book.  It's been awhile since one has captivated me as that of Collin's The Hunger Games.  In this case, the angle was formulating a division by human traits .. interesting!  So that got the ball rolling for me.  I found myself invested in following through Beatrice's (aka Tris) path to getting established in a faction (society) and finding out the true make up of this intriguing dystopian city.  I wasn't completely disappointed.

Due to the writing style and the storyline, this was remarkably a smooth read ... as if the pages moved like movie reels.  In general the pacing was just right.  The amount of foreshadowing and mystery kept me on my toes.  I loved that entrancing element of this book because I certainly didn't want to read a 500-page book and discover it to be flat.  Well done Ms Roth!

This was often action packed and provided a heroine worthy to be in the middle of it all.  Tris would certainly give Katnis (The Hunger Games heroine) a run for her money!  Also, the steamy romance was a pleasantly appealing incorporation though somewhat disturbing (hmm, seems like a lot of YA book teens get a lot more action than I did at that age ... kind of a scary thought knowing I have a daughter who will one day be that age).  Anyway, the romance worked for me because I'm for all things of the heart and I like how that closeness would be tested when it most counted.

My attraction to dystopian stories is that they deal with human diversity.  Humanity is often explored and makes for a very fascinating read.  This book is no exception and found it to be a fun read.  My only big qualm was that the ending was wrapped up rather too quickly.  I expected more action at that point.  However, it didn't leave with a cliffhanger that I wanted to hunt the author down and yell at her.  I'll patiently wait for the sequel.