Divergent Review

In a dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions that represent a particular virtue- Abnegation for the Selfless, Amity for the peaceful, Candor for the honest, Dauntless for the Brave, and Erudite for the Intelligent. When Beatrice is sixteen, she must choose the faction that she lives in for the rest of her life, just as every other sixteen year old does. Many choose to stay in the faction in which they are born. But there are several surprises at the Choosing Ceremony. In the very competitive initiation program that follows, Beatrice renames herself  Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are and where romance will fit into the life she's chosen. But Tris is has a secret, a secret she must keep from everyone because it means death. Conflict among the factions threaten to destroy the only life she's ever known.

So when I look at this plot summary now, it looks like your normal dystopian novel. Female character is special, society is crumbling. But I promise you, my dear readers, that this book is a phenomenal dystopian novel. I don't like to use the phrase "the-next-Hunger Games" (because the only thing these books but if there was a gun to my head and I had to name a phenomenal book that I could see gaining a lot of popularity in the next year or two, this would be  that novel because it is just that good.

This is very much a plot-centered book, and it has a strong plot to back it up. If you are very knowledgeable about dystopian as a genre, you may be able to guess what will happen, but I can almost guarantee you will not get every detail right. I can somewhat guess how the whole series will progress (Yes, it's a series and the second one comes out in May.) However, after the end of this book, I am excited to see how the series will progress.

I also really like the characters. Beatrice is probably my favorite though, not only because she is the protagonist and we are supposed to like her. It's because she is A STRONG FEMALE CHARACTER. I like books with strong, empowered females. She makes all her own decisions and doesn't play the whole "woe-is-me" game. Like, "Woe is me! I have to leave my faction and my family." No, she chooses to leave her faction and family and lives with the consequences of her choices. Yes, there is a romantic side plot of sorts, but I wouldn't say it influences any of her choices throughout the book, except at the very end. And not to give away any spoilers, but if she had done what she was probably supposed
 to do, I would've considered her a heartless monster.

Overall, an excellent book and I would definitely recommend it to people who liked The Hunger Games. And even if you loathed The Hunger Games, you may like this.