Divergent

Divergent
by Veronica Roth

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, 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 to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating 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 a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her. (description from Amazon.com)

Veronica Roth's debut is amazing. Absolutely compelling.

Tris is...brutal, selfish, kind, selfless, brave, loving, and totally bad*ss! Her blend of diminutive physicality and sheer bravado called to me like no other heroine has in years. When she meets Four and the sparks begin to fly...I was hooked.

This dystopian Chicago was utterly fascinating. I could not get enough, gleaning the tiniest tidbits about the factions wherever Veronica Roth was willing to drop them into the text. I gobbled them up like the sweetest candies. I cannot wait to delve into this world again, as soon as possible - *hint, hint Publishers...this one's worth pushing through FAST!*

I should also mention that I actually listened to this as an audio book. It was fantastic! The narrator, Emma Galvin, sounded exactly how I imagined Tris would sound. It was a perfect match. I highly recommend the audio version, even if it was SO GOOD that I was too impatient to just listen to the book in the car and made excuses to listen to more and more and MORE...

Such a fantastic read definitely deserves a GOLD STAR!!



Full disclosure: Audio book received to review for AudioFile
2011 Debut Author Challenge title