Divergent by Veronica Roth

This is my second time reading Divergent. The first time was over a year ago, and to celebrate the recent release of Roth's second book, Insurgent, I decided to give it another go. My reaction: it was as fantastic as the first time I read it. A year ago, I thought that this was the best book in the world. 150 books and a year later, I still think that this is the best book in the world. I know that I may praise a lot books, but none of them compare with Divergent.

In the world of Divergent, a 16-year-old may pick one of five factions: Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, Candor, and Erudite. Tris, the heroine, is originally from Abnegation, the faction of selflessness, but she never thought that she was good enough or selfless enough, not like her brother, Caleb. She is sure that Caleb will choose Abnegation on Choosing Day, so she is reluctant to leave her family, but when Caleb ends up choosing Erudite, the faction of knowledge, she decides to choose Dauntless, the faction of bravery; there was never even a choice, really. However, some of the Dauntless leaders appear to be corrupt and in cahoots with the Erudite, the faction battling Abnegation for power in the government. Not only are the leaders horrible, but the initiation is damn hard. If she doesn’t pass, she becomes one of the factionless (basically a hobo.). And then there’s Four, the boy overseeing her training. He’s handsome and tough and he believes in her, unlike everyone else. There’s also something else about Tris that makes her life extremely difficult: she is Divergent. What does this mean? How will she overcome it? READ AND FIND OUT!! SERIOUSLY, DO IT RIGHT NOW! RIGHT. NOW. DO IT.

Okay, anyway, let’s talk about Tris. Tris is small and fragile-looking, but she can kick anyone’s butt. She never let’s anyone conquer her or affect her and she knows how to let go of bad memories. She also says things how they are. She is not disillusioned and she knows the truth about people, despite her sheltered upbringing. She is similar to me in this way, so I connected with her immediately. She is a realist; she doesn’t have some unreachable dream that she could never reach; she knows that nothing is perfect, yet she is content with what she has. Tris is definitely my favorite heroine of all time because, among other things, I can connect with her the most. However, she is also strong, she knows how to act in the presence of fear, and she never ignores the negative things to force herself to be happy. She also doesn’t ignore the negative aspects of herself. She knows who and what she is and she doesn’t try to change it. She is confident and strong and amazing.

I also have a lot to say about Four, although not as much because I didn’t hear this story from his point of view. If I had, this part of the review would be at least a page long. At least. Four is amazing and awesome and everything that anyone could ever want in a guy. Well, that I want, anyway. He is strong. He is tough without being cruel. He is stern without being mean. He is hard without being sharp. But then, when he is with Tris, all of his hardness and toughness and sternness melt away to leave the man that he actually is. He is actually soft, kind, and supportive; what any girl wants, really. Well, before I swoon or I faint or something, I think I’ll move on to a different topic.

By the way, all of the characters in this book are spectacular, especially Will. I love you, Will! Not as much as Four, but you’re a close second =)

Now: the plot. What I have to say about the plot is pretty much what I’ve said for everything else: miraculous. I cant believe that Divergent is Roth’s first book. One would think that she was a veteran of the writing career, not a newbie. She shows the world that writing is not something you learn; it’s something you’re born with. And, man, was this girl born with it. I think she stole the talent from several hundred people and hoarded it all for herself when she was born, because she is the most talented writer that I have ever seen. She’s so young, too! Anyway, I loved the plot because it was fast-paced and interesting, with just the right amounts of action and romance. I have to say that the first time I read this, I cried at all of the sad parts. I think that Tris rubbed off on me some because this time I didn’t cry at all! It was still terribly sad, but I kept it in. A testament to its greatness is that I read this book in two days. I read this nearly 500-page book in two days even though I had school and I had to do a lot of other stuff, but I stayed up late to read this. There is nothing more important to me than my sleep, but I jeopardized it for this book.

So, the moral of the story is this: be like me; read it, love it, stay up until 3 a.m. reading it. You will not experience anything more glorious. I would give it a gazillion Smileys if I could, but the most I can give it is 5, so... 5 SMILEYS!!