Beatrice Prior faces arguably the
most important day of her life: Choosing Day, the day every sixteen year-old
must decide one of five factions to spend the rest of their lives in. Prior to Choosing Day, each
person takes the aptitude test: a series of simulations wherein the individual’s
reactions are recorded to determine their best-fitting faction.
When Beatrice’s test result returns
undetermined, it is revealed that she is Divergent – she does not belong in one
faction, but in fact, three: Abnegation, Dauntless, and Erudite. She is warned
that being Divergent is rare, and extremely dangerous, as it often resulted in
getting killed. For the safety of her life, Beatrice is forced to keep it
secret from everyone else, including her friends and family. With multiple test results, the choice is hers, and
soon she faces the difficulties of choosing between her family and her life.
Meanwhile, there’s increasing
tension between Erudite and Abnegation, as the former continues
to release propagandist reports attacking Abnegation’s leadership and role in
government. As Beatrice struggles to face her fears and prove her bravery, she
must also come to terms what her Divergence really means, why it’s relevant,
and how dangerous the situation really is before it’s too late.
The premise
sounded ridiculous to me at first – a society based on a personality test? –
however, Divergent proved to be a compelling story, following a strong heroine
that relearns what it means to be brave - all the while discovering more and
more about the society she once thought she knew. The book is well-written,
being very easy to understand and read. There is some lack of description
regarding physical settings, although imagination (if you have any) covers that
and events are executed wonderfully.
The story contains some clichéd,
predictable plot devices, which jarred me out of the book just to
think, “Really?”. Another thing I was particularly annoyed by was the
beginning of Beatrice and Four’s relationship, as it had no premise, and
Beatrice knew nothing of him other than the fact that he was hot neither of them had very meaningful connections beforehand. However, I
must admit, once their relationship was developed, it stood its ground
respectably well. I also had some trouble remembering and identifying all the
different characters, but that might have been a personal problem.
If you haven’t read this book
already, by all means, give it a try. It’s a very enjoyable read, and is followed
by its equally-as-entertaining sequel Insurgent, with the last book (unnamed) of the trilogy coming out on
October 22, 2013. There are striking similarities with The Hunger Games, so if you've enjoyed that book, definitely consider reading this one.
8/10 - Wonderful read. Had a few issues with some of the plot details (especially the love story). There are many great quotes from the book dealing with bravery, society, and power corruption [To be discussed in S4] that are only a little sappy.
