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.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her...
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Wow. Just, wow. This book had been recommended to me a couple of months ago, and I only got around to reading it now. My only regret is this: I should have read it ages ago!
This is another YA dystopian novel, set in a world where society is divided into five Factions based on personality traits: Abnegation (the selfless), Erudite (the geeks), Candor (the honest), Amity (the peaceful) and Dauntless (the brave). On your sixteenth birthday you have to choose your Faction, which decides where you spend the rest of your life.
Here is where Beatrice comes in. She has grown up in Abnegation, learning to be small, plain and unnoticeable. Abnegation is the type of Faction where selflessness is praised, vanity is scorned and you're not allowed to look in the mirror for more than a couple of seconds every three months - when you're getting your hair cut. Beatrice hates it there, so on the Choosing Day, she transfers to Dauntless.
Dauntless initiation is the hardest one around. Everyday life includes: jumping on/off buildings and moving trains, combat training, target practice, and mastering your fears. That's without taking the less...amicable members into account. Oh, and another thing? If you fail your initiation, you get kicked out and become Factionless, which roughly translates as homeless.
So Beatrice changes her name to Tris and gets her head in the game. She makes some friends (and enemies) along the way, and she just happens to snag the hottest instructor in the series. *sigh*
Tris is a well-rounded character. She is flawed enough to make her three-dimensional, but not so much that you hate her guts. She is relatable and tells a great story, and it's very easy to get caught up in her life. Also, she just happens to be Divergent. I will explain:
Most of the "state exam" thingies and the "official stuff" are done on Simulators. That means that you get injected with this serum and your transported to a dream-like world. Then the people in the control room make up these scenarios (great for the fear mastering!) and measure your reactions. The thing is that, like in most dreams, you don't know you're dreaming....unless you're Divergent. Being Divergent means that you know you're in a Simulation and you can manipulate the scenarios - meaning you can control the "dream".
For some top secret reason, the government are all about eradicating the Divergent, which is dangerous for Tris, and interesting for us readers.
Anyway, I loved this book. It was an effortless read, with just the right amounts of mystery, plot, comedy and romance. I connected with the characters and enjoyed the story - and I can't wait to read the sequel! I give it:
