What was I thinking ... I've only been and gone and started another trilogy when I still haven't finished a whole host of series that I'm already in the throes of. I was just having a mooch within the ebook section of my local library, and Divergent, by Veronica Roth popped up. I had heard good things about this and I just couldn't resist ... and for once, I am really pleased that I was so weak-willed! I was gripped from pretty much the first few paragraphs. This story has parallels with The Hunger Games in that we are in a dystopian world, and our central character is a young girl. In Divergent, the population is divided into factions which display particular human leanings - Erudite (clever), Amity (peaceful), Candor (honest), Abnegation (selflessness) and Dauntless (brave). The factions don't really mix and each have their place in society. However, what was originally set up to prevent catastrophic wars has slowly fermented into discord and resentment. Enter Beatrice Prior, raised within the Abnegation faction, she has now reached a critical point in her life ... aged 16, she must chose the faction she will spend the rest of her life in. To her own surprise, she chooses Dauntless and begins her life as "Tris". She begins her training and soon displays an amazing aptitude for many of the tasks laid out before her. She is obviously so much more than either "Dauntless" or "Abnegation" ... she has skills across many factions and we discover that she is, in fact, Divergent! This is a dangerous thing to be as you can think and act for yourself ... and in doing so, you might just disrupt the status quo. Her trainer, Four, recognises her for what she is, but tries to help her duck under the radar ... otherwise, the powers that be will find some way to make her disappear. Together, they discover a plot to use the Dauntless faction to batter the ruling faction into submission. Can Tris and Four work together to find a way to stop the bloodshed ...? This book is really enjoyable and is so action-packed that you hardly dare put it down in case it throws itself off the bedside table and carries on the story without you. It may not be literature in its highest form, but boy oh boy, this author really knows how to keep you turning those pages. There are so many themes to keep you engaged ... politics, jealousy, danger, romance, family, loyalty, and the pains of growing up too. Highly recommended for anyone who likes their books to race along at 100 miles an hour with barely time to take in the view. Looking forward to part two ...
My STAR rating: FOUR.
Length: 496 print pages.
Price I paid: free, borrowed as an ebook from my local library.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook.
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