Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth
"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—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. 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."- summary from Amazon

I am so happy that my VA blogging buddy Susan sent me her extra copy of Divergent (plus yummy cookies!) because I LOVED this book. It is so hard to put down and the world-building is absolutely fantastic. I was sucked into this world and finished the book much faster than I thought I would (I feel overwhelmed when it comes to books longer than 400 pages, unless it's an Ellen Hopkins book).

Tris is a wonderful main character and I really enjoyed reading about her journey through the Dauntless world and all the obstacles and trials she had to overcome. I loved her voice too- Roth did a great job making it sound realistic. The other characters were equally entertaining too (or frustration-causing in the case of a couple characters) and fleshed out well.

There is of course the romance too, though it is not the main focus of the book so people who are only wanting a thrilling dystopian, you'll enjoy this book too. But the romance was done very well and took its time; I enjoyed the scenes Tris and Four had together. They're a great combo.

The whole book is thrilling, but the last 100 pages are action-packed and suspenseful so the pages will fly by. The ending was also very satisfying- the adventure in this book is complete, but there's still an overlying arc in the trilogy. I really like it when series writers do that; some questions are answered to satisfy you, but you're also left with some questions to make you eager for the next book.

Overall, a fantastic, thrilling debut and I cannot wait for the next two books in the trilogy and, honestly, anything else Roth writes in the future.

FTC: Received ARC from my friend Susan of Wastepaper Prose (THANKS!). Link above is an Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.