Title: Divergent - book number one
Author: Veronica Roth
Blurb: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, 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.
Through her transition, she changes her name to Tris and tries to become more like the faction she chose, this leads to her discovering a series of events that all lead to the world that she knows falling apart due to some government issues. She has to try and stop it before it goes too far and her world as she knows it is gone.
Genre: mystery, dystopian, futuristic, suspense, sci-fi
Age range: 14+
Main characters and their strengths and weaknesses:
Beatrice (Tris) - Loyal - Tris proves her loyalty to her new faction and to her new family through many situations, while she is also disloyal to her original family she does not abandon them completely. Daring - Tris always gives everything a go and does not hesitate to do the unthinkable, when her fears are revealed later in the book, they are of a result to her original faction once again proving her loyalty to them. However in all other cases she is daring, including when she jumps from the roof of a moving train. Inquisitive - Tris has an open mind and is always investigating things. She never lets anything to chance and is constantly questioning the world around her. This leads to her figuring out the secrets of the government and the problem that the world she lives in is facing. Rushes into things - one of Tris’ weaknesses or flaws is that she often rushes into things without thinking them through or giving them a second thought. Sometimes this coincidentally leads to good things, other times though they lead to severe consequences which result in harsh endings.
Four - Stubborn - Four is stubborn in a good way, he doesn’t let any of his emotions show, and when he does he doesn’t open up easily, in the dauntless faction, this is a good tribute to have as he doesn’t get picked on by other members of the same faction which leads to him becoming one of their leaders. Leadership - Four is a born leader. He takes charge of most situations and doesn’t like it when he isn’t in charge. If he gives someone else charge he often already has a plan in mind but wants to see what others will do to determine whether it is the right course of action. Fearless - Four is fearless, or as you find out later in the book, he has only a few fears. This leads to him being daring like Tris and it adds to his stubbornness as it means he is almost always willing to go all the way with what he says and he will not often back down from a challenge due to his fearlessness. Short temper - Four has a very short temper, which, while it can prove useful in times of need, it also can cause a lot of problems as is portrayed through the books. This leads to conflict and mixed signals between the characters as they are unsure of what Four means by his actions when he is angry and not thinking straight.
Review:
The Divergent trilogy is a thrilling book series and the first book is perhaps the best one. As the reader, we are plunged into a world that may not make sense at first however it soon becomes apparent what is happening around the main character (Tris) and what is going on. Shortly after this action and chaos ensue as Tris picks the faction she will be in for the rest of her life, while this is daunting to her she is determined to make the right choice, despite having to upset and leave her family. This alone proves that she is daring and inquisitive as she questions the world around her and isn't afraid to try new things.
The book is futuristic and has potential in it for a future we might be in ourselves when the world has given up normal governing systems and the like. This book demonstrates courage, love, loyalty, pleasure, and fears. It is a combination of many different emotions and you might find yourself laughing and crying at the book. This only increases our view on it and our opinion of this book which can help shape people’s opinions about different people and it teaches that friends can be found anywhere, and family is often found not filled in. Tris finds family and romance when she least expects it and this gives her courage to continue onward in the story, creating drama for us to read.
Very thorough and analytical review - well done 👍🤓!!