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    Divergent
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    Divergent
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    Divergent
    Audiobook11 hours

    Divergent

    Written by Veronica Roth

    Narrated by Emma Galvin

    4.5/5

    ()

    Unavailable in your country

    Unavailable in your country

    About this audiobook

    She turns to the future in a world that’s falling apart.

    The No. 1 New York Times bestseller DIVERGENT – a major motion picture in 2014.

    For sixteen-year-old Tris, the world changes in a heartbeat when she is forced to make a terrible choice. Turning her back on her family, Tris ventures out, alone, determined to find out where she truly belongs.

    Shocked by the brutality of her new life, Tris can trust no one. And yet she is drawn to a boy who seems to both threaten and protect her. The hardest choices may yet lie ahead….

    The first book in the DIVERGENT series that has swept the globe – selling millions of copies world-wide.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins Publishers
    Release dateDec 6, 2012
    ISBN9780007510467
    Unavailable
    Divergent
    Author

    Veronica Roth

    VERONICA ROTH is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of the Divergent series (Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant, and Four: A Divergent Collection) and the Carve the Mark duology (Carve the Mark, The Fates Divide). Divergent received the 2011 Goodreads Choice Award for Favorite Book, Publishers Weekly’s Best Book of 2011, and was the winner of the YALSA 2012 Teens’ Top Ten. The trilogy has been adapted into a blockbuster movie series starring Shailene Woodley and Theo James. Carve the Mark published in January 2017, debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and remained on the list for eighteen weeks. The Fates Divide, the second installment of the Carve the Mark series, also debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. Though she was born in Mount Kisco, New York, Veronica’s family moved to Hong Kong and Germany before settling in Barrington, Illinois. In elementary school, Veronica read constantly, but it wasn’t until she got a “make your own book!” kit from her mother as a gift that she thought to write anything of her own. From that time on, she knew she would write for the rest of her life, whether she was published or not. She wrote the manuscript that would become Divergent in her free time while attending Northwestern University, where she graduated magna cum laude with a degree in English Literature with Creative Writing in 2010. She is a board member of YALLFest, the biggest YA book festival in the country, and YALLWEST, its sister festival. She currently lives in Chicago with her husband and their dog, Avi, whose adorable existence is well-documented on Instagram.  

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    Reviews for Divergent

    4.5/5

    625 ratings331 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Great storyline , Great narration, all round 5☆ performance! A must for ScFi lovers.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Good book kept me on the edge most of the time, there were merely no moments lacking my interest, though I don't recommend listening to it at a normal speed, to spice thing a little put up a faster speed whatever you feel comfortable with, have a nice time listening or reading to it!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      My rating: 5/5First off, I would like to say that this was probably one of my favorite reads of 2011, if not my favorite. That being said, lets get into the review. Divergent has everything I look for in a book: strong characters, well developed setting, a good plot, and nice pacing. There was plenty of action, mystery, and even some romance. The first thing the grabbed my attention about this book was the world, and how it was divided into five different factions. I thought that there was no way a government like that would work, and for that reason I decided to continue reading to see how Veronica Roth would play this out. And I am so glad I did. Once the world is introduced to the readers, the story is propelled forward and we are thrust into Beatrice's thoughts, worries, and life. Which leads me to the characters. Each character in the book was so well developed that they all had their own distinct personalities. I felt that each character mentioned was important to the story, even if they are only briefly mentioned. Now, if I love the minor characters this much, let me express how much I love the main characters. I thought that Tris and her love interest (not gonna mention who because that would be kind of spoilery) were PERFECT. Nothing was rushed and everything developed naturally between them. One thing I loved the most was that her love interest had flaws, just as a normal person would. He was not a fairy-tale prince. He had his own problems to deal with and a past that came along with them. He was real. Not something I come across very often in books lately. And Tris, the main character, was such a strong female lead. I felt as if her problems were my own, and I wanted her to succeed. I found myself caring about what happened to these fictional characters. I love it when an author can make the reader connect with the characters like that.Along with the characters, the plot was also very well-developed. I felt as if the book were a puzzle, and with every new twist, a piece fell into place as something new was discovered. The mystery of why Tris was in danger pushed the curious part of me to read on while the action pushed the anxious-to-know-what-will-happen part of me to do the same. I felt as if there was a balance between the mystery, action, and romance in this book that allowed it to fall together so nicely. It allowed for an amazing read, and I cannot wait until the sequel comes out.I also wanted to mention how this book has been compared to The Hunger Games a lot. However, I don't think that the two really can be compared. They're completely different stories. The one similarity between them, in my opinion, is that they are both set in a dystopian world. Other than that, the stories are two completely different works. Both books were amazing, but I don't see how they can be compared.
    • 5/5
      Set in a futuristic Chicago, society has been divided into 5 "factions" depending on a person's dominant personality trait. When Tris is "sorted" and must choose a faction to join, the test shows she is divergent, having traits of more than one faction . This free thinking trait is seen as dangerous to the continued balance of society and must be kept a secret. Tris leaves her old faction of selfless Abnegation to join the fearless, daredevil Dauntless faction. While going through the Dauntless initiation process, Tris falls in love with one of the Trainers named Four and they discover a plot to overthrow the Abnegation led government. Tris must fight for the survival of her old faction and to restore order to their society.Great read if you liked the Hunger Games. The story and characters took a little longer for me to get into than THG, but by the end I was craving book 2. Part dystopian story, part action, part romance. Can't wait to read more of Tris's story!
    • 4/5
      This YA dystopia comes as close as any to the nail-biting survival tests of The Hunger Games, with a little bit of the flavor of Ender’s Game thrown in as a bonus. I won’t say this book is as good as either of those, but it makes a good approximation.Beatrice Prior lives in Chicago of the future, where most of the skyscrapers are now empty husks, and where the populace is divided into five “factions” depending upon how they believe society should be run: Candor (those who value honesty above all else); Abnegation (the selfless); Dauntless (the brave); Amity (the peaceful); and Erudite (who believe in pursuit of knowledge as a panacea for the world’s evils). When children reach the age of 16, they undergo a “Choosing Ceremony” to select which faction they prefer, which need not be the same faction as that of their family, although it is thought of as somewhat of a disgrace if a child rejects his or her family’s faction. But the main important consideration is that they be committed to one faction or another, and not be "divergent." The selectees leave their families that very night to become initiated into, and trained by, whichever faction they choose.Beatrice and her brother Caleb (also 16 although they were born almost a year apart) were brought up in Abnegation, and they will attend the same Choosing Ceremony to determine their futures. In exploring the post-ceremonial lives of Beatrice and Caleb, the reader climbs with them onto a rip-roaring ride through terror, helplessness, and a considerable amount of violence. Beatrice in particular finds herself over and over again in a classic zugzwang situation, which is the essence of her particular dilemma as a "divergent." But life, now scary and unpredictable, is also rewarding and exhilarating for both siblings, as they discover the true meanings of fairness, sacrifice, courage, peace, and the power of the intellect to effect both good and evil. Evaluation: Summit (the studio behind "Twilight") picked up the rights to the film before the book was even released, which should alert you that this is one dystopia that actually lives up to its hype. The author, aged 22, wrote the book during her senior year in college. I don’t know how her other grades came out, but I’m hoping she got an A if she took creative writing.Rating: 4/5Note: This is only book one of an intended trilogy. [But I didn't need to say that, right? Because it's sort of become a sine qua non of "YA Dystopia"]
    • 4/5
      Interesting book. I thought it dragged just a bit in the middle giving background information and then rushed through the ending (the adrenaline pumping part), but other than that I couldn't put the book down. I had to find out what happened in the end. Of course, it is set up for a sequel which I am highly anticipating. Great read for those who like dystopian ya fiction. Enjoy!
    • 4/5
      I don't know what I expected when I read this, but it is a best selling YA, dystopian novel with an unassuming teenage girl as the heroine. (Fan of Hunger Games? Blood Red Road?) But the three of these stories - each which include kids fighting and killing other kids- are completely different. It was an easy read and the characters are likable, but some of the violence was pretty jarring. The author sure didn't hold back! Lots of blood and death in this. I would recommend it to older kids, at least 8th grade I think.
    • 5/5
      Divergent is a great novel about a girl who is in futuristic times with a world where when you turn sixteen you have to decide to leave your family or to stay with them. If you leave you have ti gi through a lot of training and will proably never see your family again. This book keeps you in suspense and has a lot of action. It is a great read for teens and adults.
    • 5/5
      I found the start a little slow and the initial world building felt a bit heavy handed. However, once the world building was out of the way, the story was gripping and ticked all the right boxes.The heroine is strong (but not so much physically) and intelligent. I also found the social interactions, particularly with her love interest, to be empowering rather than weakening as is often the case in books.The book is of a similar style to the Hunger Games series and I look forward to learning more about this particular dystopia as it (presumably) gets turned ever more on its head in the subsequent books.
    • 5/5
      Wow. Honestly, I think that’s the only thing I can say after finishing this book. And even now, after being done, I don’t think I can write a review simply because I am currently on overload. I feel like I have just been running through the streets of future Chicago fighting my way to safety… but here goes!Divergent is a story based in what will become Chicago in the future. In these dystopian times, everyone belongs to a faction, each one representing a virtue. There is one for selflessness, bravery, truth, knowledge and happiness. In this society, on your sixteenth birthday, you take a test that is something of a personality test to tell you which faction that you should choose in the ceremony the following day. Now, just because you are told that you belong in a certain faction, doesn’t mean that you must follow the results. Beatrice, our heroine, grew up in the faction for selflessness with her older brother and family. On her testing day, she is nervous just like everyone else and goes into the test unsure of herself and uncertain about her future. While there is quite obviously a lot more that happens in the book, that is all I want to reveal because this book is so original and so unique, I would hate to ruin it for anyone! For those who are little cheaters and read ahead to figure out what happens because you can’t wait a few more chapters, don’t… just don’t do it.**Semi spoilers below! So, if you haven’t read Divergent and want to keep everything under wraps, I suggest you stop reading now and skip to the bottom where I give the book a 9.5 out of 10! As you were…**I began reading Divergent, and I really liked it. It was interesting and different and I wanted to see what was coming next. Then I found out what was coming next and I got a little... unfocused I guess you could say. Maybe unfocused is the wrong word but there was just a tiny period towards the beginning where I wasn’t sure of my attitude towards the book. I felt somewhat detached from the story for the first 100 pages or so and I couldn't figure out why. That isn’t to say that I disliked the story during those moments, I did, I just wasn’t sure this book was going to be all that it was cracked up to be. Then, Roth’s plot hit me like a hurricane and I couldn’t devour the story fast enough. In fact, there was a part (I won’t tell you which) where I literally felt my heart beating out of my chest as if I had been sprinting through the streets! After finishing the book, I now see that the spots where I felt disconnected from the book were very necessary to the storyline. I still think that some parts could stand to be a bit shorter, but a lot of this was just me itching to get more information. I loved how Roth didn't give you a ton of information upfront. She left you, as a reader, to figure out who was to trust and who was plotting against Beatrice. I never felt like I was being treated like a toddler as I do reading other books. Actions spoke louder than words in Roth's story and there wasn't a need for Beatrice to have inner dialog to explain plot points. All in all, this was a well-written, very distinctive piece of fiction that I would recommend to everyone, especially those who are fans of dystopian fiction. I will now lapse into a mini depression, waiting for May to get here so I can begin Insurgent…ugh.9.5 out of 10
    • 5/5
      Divergent is compulsively readable, has extremely well-formed secondary characters, and the protagonist, Tris, is wonderfully complex (a rare find in YA lit). I loved every page of it. I can't wait for the next in the series. Set in futuristic Chicago with an intriguing faction-driven society. I'm ready to re-read it now!  
    • 5/5
      In a future world, there are five factions: Abnegation (selfless), Amity (peaceful), Erudite (scholarly), Candor (honest), and Dauntless (brave). Beatrice has grown up in Abnegation, but at 16 teens are tested to see which faction they have a proclivity for and can choose where to spend the rest of their lives. Beatrice's test is inconclusive, meaning she's a Divergent, but she's warned to keep this under wraps as the Divergent are seen as dangerous. She decides to join Dauntless and begins a rigorous initiation period, keeping her status a secret. But she begins to not react as a normal Dauntless would during some of the tests, so her trainer, who suspects she's Divergent and may be one himself, tries to warn her. A plot by the Erudite faction to gain control of the Abnegation-led government forces Beatice to face her Divergent status and decide how she wants to live her life.
    • 4/5
      This is a dystopian thriller that centers around a sixteen year old girl named Beatrice. In the city that she lives in, there are five different factions of people and at age 16, they must decide which faction they will belong to. The factions are "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)." Beatrice has been raised in Abnegation, the selfless group which is also the seat of government since they put the needs of others before their own. She has never felt selfless enough though, and when she is tested, she is found to be divergent, carrying traits from at least 3 groups, which is seen as dangerous. She joins the Dauntless group and we follow her through the dangerous initiation process in which she has to fight others, jump onto and off of moving trains and undergo psyhological training to overcome her fears. She learns about and helps to stop a plot by one faction to overthrow the others and has a romantic relationship with a boy named Four. The story is well told and interesting, but many parts of the plot are not well developed. Like, why are they locked into the city?, Why does no one care that they are locked in?, what is going on in the rest of the world?, Who is driving the trains that run through the city that the Dauntless jump onto and off of and why couldn't they just have stops for the train?, Where are the trains coming from and going to and why?, and What are the trains carrying?
    • 5/5
      I love everything about this book. Everything. The world is amazing and interesting. Tris is an epic heroine. Four is swoon-worthy and an interesting character in his own right which you don't often see in books with a romance element - the boy's job is often just to be eye candy.

      It's rare that I actually like a YA heroine. I often find them weak or unlikeable. Tris is anything but weak, and yet she still manages to make you like her. She makes mistakes, and you don't think she's stupid. She's very alive in the book and I wanted to know about her.

      I loved her romance with Four. I loved who Four was and that he had character and motivations and I loved how their romance developed - no instalove here. And they are both awkward and "Stiff" and so true to who they would be.

      The plot is intriguing and I didn't feel cheated at the end even though the book is part of an unfinished trilogy. I can't wait to see where this series goes and am looking forward to future work by this author.

      Format: Kindle
      Price Paid: $9.99
      Recommended: Yes
      Value: publisher's price
      Will I Buy the Next: Yes
    • 5/5
      Divergent was so incredibly fast-paced that I finished it within two days. Even though it has close to five hundred pages, it doesn't feel like so long a read. From the moment we meet Beatrix, later shortened to Tris, I was hooked.I like this book so much that I don't have enough words to write a full review. There is not one piece of Divergent that I didn't like. I loved the romance between Tris and Four. I was swooning after fifty pages, which is a record for me. I love the sense of community in the Dauntless. I loved Tris as a character, I loved that she wasn't a total goody-goody. I loved the simple and clean writing style. And I loved the holy-crap-the-world-is-going-down exciting ending.The most incredible thing about Divergent is that it's a debut novel. That means Ms Roth is only just getting started. There is going to be so much awesome in her future...
    • 2/5
      This was an entertaining read, I'll give it that. But to truly enjoy it you would have to ignore the glaring plot holes and all the nagging little things in the story that make absolutely no sense at all.I couldn't do it. Maybe I've been spoiled by all the great fantasy novels I've read in the past few years, but I expected a lot more world building. Sadly, I don't feel like Roth made much of an attempt. Dystopian fiction usually interests me, but details about the world and society in Divergent are disappointingly sparse.Let's look at the faction system, for example. Everyone in the novel belongs in one of five factions (Abnegation, Erudite, Dauntless, Candor, Amity) unless you fail initiation and become factionless. Anyway, we're given basic descriptions of each faction along with their ideologies and respective roles in society -- Abnegation values selflessness and runs the government, the Erudite values intelligence and are responsible for research, Dauntless values bravery and manages security, and so on and so forth.But other than that I have no clue how this world actually functions. The system is so simplistic to the point of being ridiculous, and I wonder how anyone manages to get anything done. Dauntless training, for example, doesn't seem to be anything more than a stunt school for hooligans and daredevils, and makes a mockery of any real military or security institution. There is hardly an adult presence, making it seem like teenagers are left to run everything. Not to mention there's so much conflict between the factions and also so much in-fighting within each. So, like, what's the point? There are also hints of a resource shortage, but no further exploration into this point. And how does the economy work? A point system is briefly mentioned, but again, the author doesn't elaborate.I'm left with more questions than answers. And I can't stress how distracting it is when I start questioning everything I'm reading. It just pulls me out of the experience and ruins the immersion. Good books don't do that.Everything about Divergent also felt very typical and uninspired. After the Hunger Games trilogy, it's understandable these days how a lot of authors and publishers will attempt to ride upon the coattails of its success. But does it really have to be so obvious? You've got the dystopian themes, the mindless violence, the cookie-cutter characters, etc. It feels like the same thing, just wrapped in a different package.Sure, Divergent is classified as YA fiction, but I don't think I should feel obligated to lower the bar just because a book is meant for a younger audience, especially if it's trying to address mature topics. Things should at least be logical, and too much about Divergent just...wasn't. This is only good for a casual, fun read.
    • 3/5
      An awesome itch-scratcher. I wanted something slick and fun to read this week, and was lucky to have borrowed this, because it was the perfect thing. I looked forward to picking it up all the time. It's a trendy read, like a popcorn movie for books. And let's be honest we could all of us also eat some popcorn while we read a book. We are awesome at this.Honestly, I think I have problems enjoying dystopias, or whatever you'd like to call them, like this one and The Hunger Games, and I'd also include Uglies in this generalization, for the same reason that some people like them. I have a hard time suspending disbelief about artificial divides in societies, that create extremely strict states based on some kind of external philosophy. Usually they're defined by just one element of one thing -- appearance, personality traits, work. And then you get derpy symbolism in my chocolate, and chocolate in my peanut butter. I mean, it's handy, if you're setting up a story about the glory of courage, and how to discover your own traits and self. It's just not elegant, and I wish it weren't faddish now, because young adults deserve better.However, I of course was like, yeahhh, sprinkle your blood on the coooooals, do iiiit!!So I am entirely complicit.Anyway, the real problem is just that setting up lots of rules makes it too easy for a petulant reader (
    • 5/5
      What can I say? I am sad that this book has come to an end. I don't think I've said that in a long while. This book surpassed my expectations. I went into it thinking good but not above par. It will take much for another to compete. The Audio was exceptional. Emma Galvin did an AWESOME job with all the characters, IMO. Did I feel that Divergent was written with only the YA reader in mind? NO.... and for that I gave it 5 stars. I will tell all and reccomend to everyone to read or listen to this gem. I am in GREAT anticipation for Insurgent on MAY 1ST.....CAN'T WAIT!!
    • 4/5
      "Divergent" is arguably one of the YA novels I was most curious about this past year. I kept holding off reading it like a gift I wanted to wait to unwrap until a special time; then I realized the year was coming to an end! I'm glad I picked it up last weekend and read it...devoured it, is more like it.In summary, the story centers around a teen aged protagonist, Beatrice, who is of the important age when she can choose which "faction" or lifestyle she will live and work within for the rest of her life. Of these factions, there are these: Abnegation, which values selflessness; Candor, which values frankness/honesty; Erudite, which values knowledge; Amity, which is a faction concerned with working for peace and compatibility; the "factionless" who have not qualified for any factions so are poor and perform the most menial of jobs, and Dauntless, the brave and bold--the fierce fighters. Beatrice was born into an Abnegation family but never felt at home within the confines of that restrictive environment, and looks forward to her time of reassignment, albeit with a heavy heart with concerns about hurting her parents and brother. When the test administrators come to her school and give her a "stimulation" inoculation to determine her most appropriate faction placement, Beatrice is pulled aside and told she is something called "Divergent" ~ one who could fit in to several factions ~ and something which is never to be shared with anyone at anytime, ever. It is a dangerous thing to be. She is told that to protect her, her test will be made unclear to those it's reported to, and that she should simply choose a faction she feels most inclined to...Abnegation and Daunting, and Erudite being where she scores.What follows is the story about Beatrice's choice to join the Daunting faction, her initiation within that faction, her love interest, and her wisdom gained that will conclude with a surprise that will bring all the factions into play.As a dystopian novel, I felt that "Divergent" was fairly successful. Its creation of a futuristic society that had been partitioned into different "factions" to carry on a world which had an apparent catastrophic ending, was believable. Although the setting played at being in a destroyed, futurist Chicago, we have only a few hints to discern that; and, we are not given any knowledge as to what caused the destruction of the "world" or the United States. I felt at a loss for that information.The initiation section of the book was excellent in concept, but it seemed to take up too much of the story content, in my opinion. It could have been compressed to lend as much impact; possibly more impact. It began to belabor the story, but was pulled out just in time to move on to a conclusion, thankfully. The conclusion, however, seemed rushed in contrast. Possibly the author was cut short by editors, but the ending of her book failed to tie things together well enough to answer questions that seemed pertinent to this particular story. It seemed abrupt, to me.There is no doubt that Veronica Roth can write a story that is intriguing and full-bodied. She writes one with interest and good character building. I felt as if her characters were realistic and captivating, personal and probable within her world-setting. They engender a caring response, and an understandable connectedness to each other within the novel. I think these are her strong points, and very immediate ones, ultimately making "Divergent" a good book to read. Nothing better than an author who can create great characters we can attach ourselves to!I would recommend this book to YA readers, and to many adult readers who enjoy dystopian novels. With the small exceptions I've mentioned that do not in any way take from her overall presentation of a worthy novel, this is quite the entertaining book!While the story is left unresolved, I expect a second book to conclude it, making this a series. Personally, I'll be looking forward to reading it.4 stars and a choice of Erudite for my faction
    • 1/5
      please make this available in the U.S. that would be awesome
    • 5/5
      Probably one of my favorite books this year, Divergent introduces us to a completely original and secular society. The main character (Beatrice) lives in a world where a single choice you make can decide your character and values for the rest of your life. Instead of being grouped by race, sexuality, gender, etc, Divergent explores a new type of segregation. People are grouped based on what character trait they value most (kindness, intelligence, honesty, bravery, selflessness) and are then cut off from the other factions.It sounds weird, I know. But this book was an amazing read, I couldn't put it down and re-read it 3 times now. If you liked the Hunger Games, odds are, you'll LOVE Divergent.(Also: Beatrice is a total badass, if you're looking for a new Bella Swan, look somewhere else! Beatrice is a lot closer to Katniss than Bella)
    • 5/5
      Divergent has been on my books to buy list for a while and I finally picked up a copy last week. I am so happy I did!! Beatrice's raw emotions about decisions she has to make sucked me right in to this dystopian Chicago land. Because I have recently made some big decisions in my own life I quickly identified with Tris starting over in Dauntless, but being pulled back to the life she once knew just about ripped my heart out. Veronica Roth, thank you so much for this wonderful work of art and thank you for Tris! Looking forward to the next steps in Tris' life.
    • 2/5
      This book was lame and I'm very glad I didn't pay for it. In short, it's a very poorly planned book, with terrible world-building, and the plot and characters are not interesting enough to compensate. I absolutely will not be continuing with the sequel.
    • 5/5
      I'll be the first to point out the similarities between the themes and characters in this book verses a lot of other popular YA titles right now. However, this book was written well, intriguing and hopeful, and it grabbed my attention and kept it easily - the exact reasons I LOVE reading YA titles.I purchased this as an audiobook and I felt that really added to the story since the narrator had a unique blend of strength, vulnerability, and youth to drive the character development.
    • 1/5
      Dystopian, sure. Believable? Not so much.

      I've been looking forward to this book for some time, and finally snagged a copy through my library's inspired "Lucky Day" program, wherein it makes a few copies of much-requested books available outside of the hold system, scattered around the branches. This rewards the consistent, frequent library-goer in a disproportionate fashion.

      There are plot holes in this book big enough to float the Queen Mary through. There are magical realities like the part where getting shot through the shoulder causes our hero to wince slightly while doing heroic things for several hours.

      The evil people are pure and unadulterated evil, not a redeeming characteristic in sight. The competent heroine learns everything with ease. The factions don't make any sense to me, there's not enough back-story provided. I understand that it's a futuristic Chicago, but WHY? What happened? Why does electricity work some places but not others? What's the point of Dauntless Faction besides getting drunk, jumping on and off moving trains (come to think of it, where are all these empty trains going, and why?), and doing other, more pointless stunts? Most of this book doesn't stand up to any sort of rational analysis.

      This book is one I really wanted to like but did not, though I was able to suspend my disbelief for whole paragraphs. I think Roth shows a great deal of promise. I'd like to read her 4th book.

      ETA: After brooding about this all day, I'm changing the stars. The more I think about it, the flimsier it gets.
    • 5/5
      So OK, I’m probably the last YA book blogger on the Internet to read this book. To be honest, I thought I wouldn’t like it. Everyone hailed Divergent as another Hunger Games, and I don’t like cheap copy cats. But after about 20 pages, Divergent had me by the throat and wouldn’t let go until I finished it. Beatrice is an awesome lead character, a totally bad ass, gutsy heroine. Her flaws tend to revolve on being too bold.Somethings annoyed me such as a pretty unbelievable premise. Why in the world would everyone divide off by their main characteristics after a huge war? Also, the way Roth named the factions with all 50-cent words felt kind of false, but I’m sure a lot of teenagers will get the words erudite and amity right on their SATs this year.Sure, Divergent is a little like the Hunger Games: both are dystopian, deal with war and have tough heroines, but most importantly, the two books are similar in that they have something to say. While Hunger Games is very much about war,Divergent is about how we define ourselves and what we value above all else. What, if anything, is worth killing or dying for?I’m curious to see where Roth takes the series in Insurgent. I hope she follows Suzanne Collins lead there too and makes the next book even better than the first.
    • 5/5
      A page turner, this book is not for a young teen or a sensitive one. Very adult themes with references to abusive homes, suicide, and life and death choices. The author makes you ask yourself, "Given the choice, what would I do?" Fans of the Hunger Games will enjoy this book.
    • 5/5
      Loved this. LOVED it. Action packed YA dystopian, with great character development and a heroine that you don't want to bitch slap. And that's saying something in the YA genre lately. People are comparing it to The Hunger Games, but the stories are nothing alike. However, they are both awesome, fast-paced YA dystopian books with great characters you can root for. So I won't compare it to The Hunger Games, but I will say that if you liked The Hunger Games (and didn't everyone?), then pick this baby up.
    • 3/5
      I liked this better than Hunger Games. Beatrice (Tris) has to make many decisions throughout the book. Stay with her family or join another faction. Act like everyone else or let it be known that she is Divergent. etc. As always, there is a love story, but it doesn't go too far. I was very sad when several important characters die or get killed.As I was reading this book, I kept wondering where I would fit. I think that any of the factions would be too constricting given how we are brought up to be brave, self-sacrificing, knowledgeable, peaceful, and honest. I can see how each of these characteristics can be stronger in some people, but I don't think I would enjoy living in a society where you must choose one to the exclusion of the others.
    • 3/5
      Fun. Looking forward to the next one. Still very much YA, but tighter than The Hunger Games (plot & writing).