Okay, in my headlong dive back into
the world of sifi/fantasy/dystopia and YA, I found Divergent. It is one of the
first book series I have read in my….mature years. Hunger Games got me started
on this dystopia kick. I mean, who doesn’t love a world that is more
politically effed up than ours? Tales of survival, baddassery, love…
I am very picky when it comes to
reading. I don’t have a lot of time, and I am not made of money (Can you
imagine actually being made of money? Want a coffee? Let me just peel this bill
off my abs. Now THERE is a concept for a future novel!). So I look at reviews
on goodreads.com and see what people are GENERALLY saying about books. You have
to skip the 5 star and 1 star reviews that are written with a LOT OF CAPS
though, because they are largely hyper spacey fankids or emo disgruntled youths,
and both live in some weird alternate reality that you really can’t trust. So,
after weeding through those, I decided to try my hand at Divergent by Veronica
Roth.
It was honestly one of those books
I could not put down. Just ask my husband (sorry Dave, there will be a lot of
apologizing in this blog). It was engaging, had plenty of action, without being
all hack and slash. I love books written from the first person POV because I
really can get into the characters head and see their decision making
processes. I love to see what makes people tick, how their actions are
dictated, and be at one with them, if you will. It’s why I always like the book
version of movies better, because books in first person are so much more in
depth. Side note: when authors write how the character thinks, i.e. not in
proper English, but in slang and made up terminology, it adds an element of
realism and comedy. It keeps me further engaged. Now, Divergent is bit more on
the serious side, so Beatrice doesn’t have too many Immature Comedic Moments,
but that was me just throwing in my own opinion.
Short synopsis: This is a must
read. Takes place in a future Chicago, in which there are no longer political
parties, but rather factions that are based on futuristic aptitude tests. You
are born into a faction, but when you turn 16, you take this virtual reality aptitude
test to discover where your true faction is. You can chose to stay where you
are, with your family, or to go to the faction that your aptitude reveals. Once you have chosen, you live, eat, sleep
and train with your appointed faction. There are 5 factions, Abnegation
(selfless), Candor (truth), Erudite (knowledge), Amity (kindness), and
Dauntless (fearless). Each faction has a role in society, and therefore certain
jobs and tasks. The main character Beatrice is born into Abnegation, but must
chose if she wants to stay with her family, or go where her heart tells her.
Once she chooses, she has to struggle to fit in, because she is different than
most people. She is Divergent. I’ll let you read the rest of the story to
figure out what all that means.
I love Beatrice as a female lead.
She is not without character flaws, but she is smart. She was not described as
beautiful, as many YA female leads are, but rather interesting and endearing.
She draws attention to herself not by her looks, but by her actions and
intentions. The male protagonist, Four, is probably one of my favorite male
leads of all time. Trust me, you will LOVE Four. Wise beyond his years, good,
but fearless, and yes, badass, but with a sensitive side that is later
revealed.
In my opinion, the characters make
the book. If I cannot relate to the protagonists in SOME way, there is no hope.
I hate drama queens, weak (fainting, screaming, crying) females, and females
that rely heavily on their male counterparts to save them, as in most YA books. Beatrice is none of these. She holds her own
and fights to prove her worth. Four, does not coddle her, but rather trusts her
to hold her ground and makes her into a stronger character. I hate dominating,
masculine, “I must protect my woman,” overly jealous males….Welcome to the
2000’s, where women don’t have to be weak!
The other thing that this series
REALLY has going for it, there is a touch of romance, but it does not dominate
the story. When I read dystopia, I am into the politics, character development,
and the story of survival. NOT sappy love stories. There are plenty of other
books out there for that. Don’t get me wrong, I do love that now and again, but
Divergent really had a good ratio for me. This series, so far, does NOT have a love
triangle! HUGE BONUS POINTS. I hate falling in love with the male lead, and
then in Book 2, another male leads walks into the picture and now said chick
has to toy with Male 1’s heart, lead Male 2 on, etc. etc. all because her own wishy washy weaknesses
(That isn’t a reference to Bella, Edward, and Jacob AT ALL…cough cough). In fact, Veronica Roth is not releasing the
third installment to this trilogy until November 2013 (GASP, FAINT), so I
really hope that she doesn’t decide to go the generic route and add a love
triangle. The story is so good, it doesn’t need it. It is a distraction. It
would suck…(talking to you psychically Ms. Roth).
Check out Veronica Roth's Goodreads page HERE
Check out the Goodreads Divergent page HERE
Anyway, I have prattled on far to
long. Read the Book. Divergent – Veronica Roth….Then read Insurgent, the
sequel. READ IT.
