Book Review - Divergent

Divergent by Veronica Roth (HarperCollins, 2011)

HarperCollins

by Cameron, 13, Hong Kong



Divergent is set in a world where people are divided into 5 factions which perform different roles within the community. These factions were created to try to make a better world. The factions are:

Abnegation, where people are selfless and live a plain lifestyle;
Dauntless, whose members are protectors;
Erudite, whose members hold knowledge;
Candor, whose members always tell the truth; and
Amity, where the people are always happy.

At 16, young people are tested to determine which faction they will belong to. The main character, Beatrice, is born into Abnegation and likes the principles of this faction, but she struggles to live by these principles. At 16 she is found to be ‘Divergent’, which is dangerous, so the person testing her tries to protect her and gives her a choice of 3 factions, Abnegation, Dauntless and Erudite. She chooses Dauntless. The book then talks about her initiation into Dauntless, during which she falls in love and also discovers some dark secrets.

I liked the book because of the plot twists, which are constantly surprising. I also liked the fact that the world created in the book made sense. I did find parts of the book, especially the part about the Dauntless initiation process, a little boring.

The main characters, Beatrice and Four, are likeable and I was interested to find out more about them. They were believable and did things that normal teens would do.

The book was easy to read. Although there is some resemblance to The Hunger Games, the world created is more equal and Beatrice is more driven than Katniss, who only enters the Hunger Games reluctantly, because of her secret.

I would recommend the book to girls and boys aged 13 – 16.