15/40: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

From Goodreads:
In a future Chicago, 16-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.

I feel like I need to catch my breath. I held my breath through the entire ending of this book.

Tris is amazing.
Four is amazing.
This book... is AMAZING. I devoured it and picked up the second installment almost immediately.

Veronica Roth did such a great job explaining the world. I had a clear vision of what it looked like and didn't question it. She pulls you into this world, tears you apart and builds you back up again repeatedly.  The idea of factions is a new one. Based on your personality you are grouped with like minded people. You follow their rules, whatever they may be. It was a new take on putting people in boxes and what happens to those that don't fit into a box.

The depth of the characters was great. Each one made me feel for where they were coming from. You either liked them, hated them or felt sympathy for them. Beatrice is very complex and while some things annoyed me about her, she was a reluctant hero. She acted when she had to and thought things through. Four was complex in a different way. He had something to hide and something to prove. He wears emotional armor that we get to peak through.

I appreciated that the love story is a subplot. (THANK YOU VERONICA ROTH!!) There was no love triangle (HOORAY!!!) I loved how she weaved in a relationship while making it believable and not overly obsessive on either side of the equation. There are bigger things happening in this book than love between a boy and a girl and Roth does a great job making sure it stays that way.

I have to give huge kudos to Veronica Roth for writing such an amazing book (and it's sequel) at the age of 23. You are truly gifted.

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