Everyone knows about Divergent by Veronica Roth. For years, since it first came out in 2011, it has been known as one of the most famous dystopian books. After I looked through dozens of reviews on this book, the most common one is that the reviewer is undecided. A lot of people call it cliche and cringy, to the point where they had to put it away for a bit. And the same people will say that it kept their attention and they had trouble stopping for too long.
This world has five factions. Amity, the peaceful. Abnegation, the selfless. Erudite, the intelligent. Candor, the honest. And Dauntless, the brave. You’re born into a faction, but when you’re 16, you decide which you will stay for the rest of your life.
The story starts with Beatrice Prior, the main character, looking into a mirror. Their faction, Abnegation, doesn’t allow them the chance of vanity. In writing, this is one of the things you’re taught not to do— starting your book with a mirror scene. When you start your book info dumping, it gets boring. But the way that Veronica Roth does it, gives a different feel. We’re all so used to being able to do whatever we want whenever we want. The fact that the main character doesn’t have that option, shows how different their world is in the first couple paragraphs. It draws us in.Overall, it is used to tell a person what faction they would naturally be drawn to… which one they themselves most fit into. But no matter what they get, they get their choice
The action really starts whenever Beatrice takes an aptitude test. This explains even more how different and more advanced this fictional world is. The aptitude test makes the main character into unbelievable circumstances, making her choose between difficult options. In the end, she gets an odd answer. Well, she didn’t really get a final answer.
Abnegation. Dauntless. Erudite.
She had no place. She was Divergent.
Immediately, this raises the stakes. Beatrice was no longer safe. If the government heard of this the chance she would be allowed to live was low.
The next day was the Choosing Ceremony. She was torn. Would she stay with her family? Would she leave them forever just to be free?
For the few that haven’t read it, I’ll keep you in suspense. You’ll have to read it to find out 😉
Overall, I enjoyed this book. I agree with some of the lesser rated reviews, where they say it is cringe worthy at some points. Over the years I have read a lot of books that I simply had to look away from. This one was… pretty bad. The story was very enjoyable and even after cringey moments, it’s hard to put down. I would say, that even if you just have to do it for the plot, Divergent is a BUY.
