Divergent

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, 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 alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating 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 unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, Tris also learns that her secret might help her save the ones she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Veronica Roth takes readers to a futuristic world where separation of people, based on character traits, keeps the population safe in her book, Divergent. But things are about to change. An unexpected war is coming, as a certain group plans to betray the others. Within this main plot, a young girl is planning her future: which includes leaving her home behind and finding out what her true character is. 

Beatrice was raised to be selfless but has always struggled. She's a courageous and brave girl with a dynamic personality. She was raised to be quiet and to serve, to put others before herself, but she wants to speak, to act, and to be free. Readers will connect with Beatrice based on her desire to find herself and stand strong as an independent person. She craves the chance to live without strict rules and regulations. When she chooses to switch to a group that she believes will give her that chance, Beatrice has no idea that she's going to play a key role in the war that's coming. The war that begins in this first book of Roth's series. 

The plot of Divergent follows Beatrice through her choice to switch from Abnegation to Dauntless and through the initiation process to become a true member. It's a terrifying and thrilling experience that readers share with Beatrice as she jumps off of buildings, leaps from trains, learns to shoot and kill, all while competing with the other initiates. Because when it comes to the Dauntless not everyone becomes a member. And the ones who don't either die or become an outcast of society. Divergent is an intense novel that traps readers in a brewing war and a deadly competition making it an unsettling read that is nearly impossible to put down. 

Rating: 4.5/5 Cups