Divergent

by Veronica Roth
published: Katherine Tegen Books/Harper Collins
pages: 487

In Dystopian Chicago, there are five factions of people that help to make the city thrive.  When Beatrice Prior turns 16 she has to make the most important decision of her life. Will she stay with her family or choose to be herself and join a different faction?  What follows her decision is an initiation that tests not only her abilities but who she is as well.  She also carries a secret with her that, if found out, could mean her death and suffering of those she loves.

I was a bit weary going into this book, not because I wasn't excited to read it, but because I've had books in the past that were built up like crazy and they weren't as good as I anticipated.  Even so, I was looking forward to reading this for a long time.

By page 50 I was hooked.  The story is quite complex and unexpected.  I really enjoyed reading, anticipating what was going to happen next.  The pacing of this story is excellent.  The isn't a lag anywhere in this story, but to the same degree it isn't too full of movement either.  The balance between action and development seems to be perfect in this book.

The characters were interesting and the way that people in this society are divided up by personalities is strangely inviting.  They are born into one faction and are able to choose which faction they want to spend the rest of their lives.  I imagine this would be an overwhelming decision.

The setting of this story is vivid.  It takes place in Chicago, but it is contrasting to the Chicago I know and love. Veronica Roth cleverly describes places that many people reading this book would been to or at least heard of making it, at least for me, easier to picture.

5/5 Stars

Praise:

"You'll be up all night with Divergent.  A brainy thrill-ride of a novel."
     --BookPage

"A memorable, unpredictable journey from which it is nearly impossible to turn away."
     --Publishers Weekly (starred review)