Summary: In a futuristic Chicago, society exists in five factions. When teens turn 16, they choose the faction they will join, based on their interests and beliefs. Beatrice shocks everyone when she decides to leave the selfless faction of Abnegation where she grew up and joins the bold, brave faction of Dauntless. But, that is just the beginning.
Thoughts: I had heard so much about Divergent and couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I flew to the library when it finally came in! And, I was not disappointed. I was hooked from page 1 and completely absorbed until the end. I was so intrigued with this idea of the factions … their strengths & weaknesses … which would I choose? It’s a brilliant, thought-provoking premise. And, debut author Veronica Roth skillfully develops it into a fascinating dystopian world full of strong, realistic characters and taut action. The training that Beatrice (“Tris”) and the other initiates must go through is intense and not for the faint of heart. I am very interested to know what initiation is like for the other factions and hope Ms. Roth will explore this in upcoming novels. But, whatever she chooses to explore, I will definitely be reading it! I can’t wait for the sequel Insurgent and for the movie that is already in the works.