Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

On her 16th birthday, Beatrice has to choose the faction she wants to be aligned with for the rest of her life. There is Abnegation (the faction she grew up in), Dauntless (the one she wants to join), Amity, Candor and Erudite. But when she takes her aptitude test, Beatrice finds out that she’s a divergent – someone with the strengths of multiple factions. And that divergents are in grave danger.


I heard so much great buzz about this one that I traded someone on Twitter a box full of German chocolate for it. Was it worth it? Oh yes! I do have to admit, though, that at first, a city divided by such seemingly arbitrary factions felt a bit too artificially constructed to me. But soon enough, I was completely sucked in by Beatrice (aka Tris), her struggle to survive life as a dauntless initiate, her search for answers about what it means to be divergent, and her complex relationship with her trainer Four.

DIVERGENT may remind you a bit of THE HUNGER GAMES or CHAOS WALKING trilogies because it is unapologetically bleak in places. It’s a high-stakes, clever, compelling novel and I can’t wait to continue Tris’ journey in book two.

DIVERGENT comes out on May 3, 2011. Find out more about at the author’s blog. Also, check out the starred review in PW!  And remember, you could WIN a copy of DIVERGENT (and other fab books and swag) by posting a review of a dystopian novel this month and linking it up here.

See index of all dystopian reviews on Presenting Lenore