BY DEVON HAYES
If you are a fan of The Hunger Games or The Maze Runner, Divergent should be right up your alley.
The biggest hype right now in fiction is Veronica Roth’s Divergent series. With the upcoming March release of the first book’s film adaptation, it seemed fitting to give the first of the young adult novels a shot.
Roth was just in her early 20s when she wrote the first novel in 2011, and quickly followed with the sequel, Insurgent, in 2012, and finished off the trilogy this past October with Allegient.
The novel focuses on 16-year-old Beatrice, who lives in somewhat of a futuristic Chicago. Life is much different; people are divided by five factions – Abegnation for selflessness, Erudite forknowledge, Candor for honesty, Dauntless for bravery and Amity for peace – which determine their social and political differences.
The reader meets Beatrice as a member of the Abegnation. At her age, teenagers have the choice of choosing another faction to live in, or stay in their own. The teens take a test beforehand which determines which two factions they best fit into.
The twist: Beatrice doesn’t fit into any, which makes her Divergent. Does she stick with her Abegnation faction or leave the humbled lifestyle for something more exciting?
The novel is a quick and easy read, and the description of society and characters is easily imaginable. I could have lived without the romance aspect, but young adult novels thrive on romantic interests.
The book did move slowly at times, and it was difficult to foresee the climax. When the climax did pop out of nowhere, it wasn’t long before the book ended. I was slightly disappointed at this, since I don’t have the next book in the series.
You will probably find me at the movie theatre on March 21, 2014 for the movie release, which stars Shailene Woodley as Beatrice, Theo James as Four, and Kate Winslet as Jeanine Matthews. It is being directed by Neil Burger.
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