Thursday, October 20, 2011

Divergent

O. MY. BA-GA!  I think I've just found the next series to ruin me - but in a good way, of course.

What do you value most of all- honesty, knowledge, kindness, selflessness, or courage?  Are you Candor, Erudite, Amity, Abnegation, or Dauntless?  The separate factions keep Beatrice's society peaceful and functioning.   Every sixteen-year-old takes an aptitude test to confirm your faction status.  However, you may choose which direction your life will take - you can stay in the faction you were born into or you may transfer to another, dependent upon your test results.  Beatrice's results revealed a dangerous secret: she's Divergent, meaning she shows almost equally strong aptitude for two factions: Abnegation and Dauntless. 

When she chooses Dauntless over Abnegation, she must leave her family behind and learn to be stronger than she has ever had to be.  Training sessions for Dauntless initiates are brutal both physically and mentally, and Tris (and she renames herself) is the smallest of the entire group.  Shedding her old image as a "Stiff" requires more than exchanging her drab gray tunic and pants for tattoos and form-fitting black clothes.  As Tris battles her way through training to become one of the few to pass the final test and be fully accepted into Dauntless, the last things she expects to learn about is tenderness and who it comes from: Four, her training instructor who has his own secret.  Above all else, Tris has to keep the fact that she is Divergent from Eric, the ruthless leader of the Dauntless.  When Tris and Four uncover a plan to send the factions into war, they must show how courageous they really are.

Let me just say: Tris rocks.  She is my new favorite heroine.  I sorta feel disloyal to Katniss for saying that but she went a little too off the deep end for me.  Oh, and did I mention the swoon o'meter totally reached and 10 between Tris and Four?  I found myself rooting for them and whatever this crazy thing is that they have together from the very beginning.  And I could not be more happy that there's no "other guy" in this story!

My prediction: Veronica Roth - you have the next big thing in YA lit.  And congratulations, I am now languishing until the next book comes out!  Are ya happy?  Are ya?!?!

2 comments:

  1. Completely and totally agree with this entire post! Every time I go to the library I have to walk past and check on the book- has anyone else checked it out? should I check it out again? HOW much longer do we have to wait, again?? LOVED Four and Tris. It was my favorite book of last year, hands down.

    Thanks for commenting on my blog, I didn't realize there were other people from Pierre reading it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've pre-ordered Insurgent already! It'll be out May 1st!

      Delete