Dystopian
fiction has become quite the popular genre. Everyone wants to hop on the Hunger Games bandwagon and reap the
benefits. Divergent isn’t a copy of The Hunger Games, but it did pull me in
with the dystopian setting. (The fourth word in the description was ‘dystopian’
after all.)
The basics
of this particular dystopian society are actually pretty interesting. Five
factions live together in what use to be the city of Chicago. Each faction
promotes a certain virtue – bravery, honesty, peacefulness, intelligence, and
selflessness. When someone turns sixteen, they get to decide which faction they
will live in; they decide which ideal they believe the most in.
The title
comes in at this point. The main character, Beatrice (later Tris), doesn’t fit
into just one faction. Her mind doesn’t work in just one way and so she is
labeled divergent. This turns out to be a dangerous quality and gets her in and
out of trouble throughout the book.
This book
was definitely a page-turner for me. The writing was a little “jumpy” at some
points, but the plot made up for it. I would recommend this book to anyone who
liked The Hunger Games, who likes
lead female characters, or who likes fight sequences.
Review by Mary Alsobrooks