Divergent by Veronica Roth [Review]

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Source: Bought
ISBN:  978-0-06-202403-9


About: 
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.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating 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 unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.
Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the YA scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

Review: 
In anticipation of the upcoming Divergent movie which comes out tomorrow, here is my review for the book half of this knife throwing, ass kicking franchise!

I actually was told to read this for a class. I know, I know, that is crazy, and yes, my college is just that awesome.

Tris as a character I felt was really well formed, she was torn between her two selves in an almost beautiful way, one self was her Abnegation past and her Dauntless future was her other self, somehow becoming one as she develops into the person she wants to be.

Four is a great hunk of a man who does nothing but make you want to stare at him forever, he has a past possibly even more in depth than Tris herself which makes them a wonderful pair that plays off of each other throughout the tale.

This book was definitely worth the hype. It pulls you in from the beginning and will not let you go until you're saying, "Wow... What just happened?!" over and over again, but that doesn't mean it is perfect.

I loved the idea of this government system and the control issues that sprouted from that. It was interesting to see how developed of a government system it was and I could see the underlying issues sprouting and growing as I moved farther in the book.

I loved Divergent, I really did... for the first 400 pages. For the first 400 pages I was completely drawn in and in love with everything, but then an event happens (if you have read the book, you know) that I just felt was rushed. It makes sense, and it doesn't take away from the story it does add to the overall -- I just felt like it needed more build up.

This event is HUGE. What the book is leading up to, but doesn't really tell you about, and then BAM you're in the middle of it when you didn't even know it started. 

That is my one complaint from an otherwise fantastic and madly addictive book. It has a strong female protagonist who kicks some major ass and deals with serious and sometimes heartbreaking problems along the way.

I recommend this to any fan of dystopian or anyone longing for a great character driven story and I am super excited to read the next two in the series!

Rating: