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blurrypetals's review against another edition
5.0
I got this book for Christmas the same year I read The Hunger Games books. Dystopia is hot on the shelves these days. It's what vampires were five or six years ago and what angels/nephilim were two or three years ago: the stuff money is made of, the stuff Hollywood is racing to keep up with, and the stuff (and sometimes shit) the YA fans are eating straight the fuck up.
Dystopian fiction, like vampire and angel fiction, has been around for a long time, but these hot genres were all shoved into the spotlight (as well as those featured tables in book shops and theaters near you). We all know what I'm talking about. Twilight for the vampires. The Mortal Instruments and Hush Hush for angels. And The Hunger Games for dystopia.
So here we have Divergent and its sequels. What makes it special compared to the rest of the dystopian stuff we see each and every time we've gone to the book store since The Hunger Games movie had a cast? Comparing it to The Hunger Games, they both have tough, ruthless heroines, totalitarian situations causing what's left of humanity to have to be split up into different sections that each live by different values, young people being forced to fight in battles they don't want to fight.
One thing I liked about this book over the other is that there is no cliche love triangle. Katniss, Gale, and Peeta weren't in THAT cliche of a love triangle, but they were definitely in one and, while it wasn't the focus of the series, it felt a little tired. So, the fact that Tobias and Tris love one another and no one else (yet; I hope this doesn't change) is nice and fresh for a YA story. It shifts the focus from "I'm team This Guy" to "What's going to happen in this war?" which I like. A lot. Like, a LOT.
That isn't the only thing I like. I like the strong bond that Tris has with her family, with her brother. I like that they aren't the kind of siblings that bicker and fight like the cliche sort of brothers and sisters do in many stories. I know my brother and I don't bicker like the media seems to think brothers and sisters should, so it's nice to see a little representation for the kind of good, strong relationship my own brother and I have. I like that Tris is unsure of herself but just does things. She acts, she jumps, she fights. I love that, even though she is soft and insecure, she is strong despite these things.
There are many things I love about this whole story. I'm excited to find out what happens next and I eagerly await the delicious character development and story-unfolding that's in store.
Dystopian fiction, like vampire and angel fiction, has been around for a long time, but these hot genres were all shoved into the spotlight (as well as those featured tables in book shops and theaters near you). We all know what I'm talking about. Twilight for the vampires. The Mortal Instruments and Hush Hush for angels. And The Hunger Games for dystopia.
So here we have Divergent and its sequels. What makes it special compared to the rest of the dystopian stuff we see each and every time we've gone to the book store since The Hunger Games movie had a cast? Comparing it to The Hunger Games, they both have tough, ruthless heroines, totalitarian situations causing what's left of humanity to have to be split up into different sections that each live by different values, young people being forced to fight in battles they don't want to fight.
One thing I liked about this book over the other is that there is no cliche love triangle. Katniss, Gale, and Peeta weren't in THAT cliche of a love triangle, but they were definitely in one and, while it wasn't the focus of the series, it felt a little tired. So, the fact that Tobias and Tris love one another and no one else (yet; I hope this doesn't change) is nice and fresh for a YA story. It shifts the focus from "I'm team This Guy" to "What's going to happen in this war?" which I like. A lot. Like, a LOT.
That isn't the only thing I like. I like the strong bond that Tris has with her family, with her brother. I like that they aren't the kind of siblings that bicker and fight like the cliche sort of brothers and sisters do in many stories. I know my brother and I don't bicker like the media seems to think brothers and sisters should, so it's nice to see a little representation for the kind of good, strong relationship my own brother and I have. I like that Tris is unsure of herself but just does things. She acts, she jumps, she fights. I love that, even though she is soft and insecure, she is strong despite these things.
There are many things I love about this whole story. I'm excited to find out what happens next and I eagerly await the delicious character development and story-unfolding that's in store.
kate4ez's review against another edition
3.0
This was a quick read for all its flaws. I love how the other factions have no problem with the Dauntless being the only armed faction, despite the fact that they are a bunch of raging sociopaths. Their initiation is a painfully inept and flawed system, particularly for dealing with a bunch of 16-year-olds. At the rate they kick out potential members, there have to be at least as many ex-dauntless factionless as there are dauntless. I think a better name for them would be brainless or conscienceless. Add on the fact that their leadership has no problem betraying the entire faction, and there is nothing at all to admire in this group.
theag7's review against another edition
4.0
This was soooo fun to read after having previously been reading lots of nonfiction!! I'd already watched the movie (which is also awesome :), so it was interesting to observe the differences of film vs. book. All-in-all, really enjoyed this!!
autogeek's review against another edition
4.0
On the plus side, this is quite well written. It has an interesting plot, the character development is quite good and pacing is good as well. I don't have any big gripes with it, mostly everything about it is quite good, but not excellent.
The only negatives for me are that the level of detail is not that high and as a result, I had to repeatedly readjust my mental picture of the scene (which is initially largely based on my own imagination since detail is lacking) as and when new conflicting details emerged. This detail issue also extends in some cases to the backstory and the motivations of characters which are sometimes not as well explained as I would have liked.
But apart from these minor niggling issues, overall the book is quite a fast and interesting read.
The only negatives for me are that the level of detail is not that high and as a result, I had to repeatedly readjust my mental picture of the scene (which is initially largely based on my own imagination since detail is lacking) as and when new conflicting details emerged. This detail issue also extends in some cases to the backstory and the motivations of characters which are sometimes not as well explained as I would have liked.
But apart from these minor niggling issues, overall the book is quite a fast and interesting read.
ellipsiscool's review against another edition
1.0
I was very disappointed in this book. I don't even really have anything to say about it. It was "meh." The story was so predictable. I had pretty much the whole thing pegged about 20% in. I have no desire to read the rest of the series.
karel_r_thorne's review against another edition
3.0
There are two things that I would ask Tris... (I hate it. Call her Beatrice) if I get the chance. One is: how the heck could you be so relaxed, calm and romantic and happy with your current boyfriend when your mum and dad died protecting you just a few hours back??? Just tell me how.
And the next one is: How can you run at 100 m/s and at the same time do all wonders like shooting your enemies, giving very cheesy dialogues and so and so when you're bleeding for hours and very so fainting. You've just now woken up from your very long hours of drowsiness from being shot and you find yourself sitting in a pool of blood and almost dying. And how the hell can you do that??? Please do teach me too!
And the next one is: How can you run at 100 m/s and at the same time do all wonders like shooting your enemies, giving very cheesy dialogues and so and so when you're bleeding for hours and very so fainting. You've just now woken up from your very long hours of drowsiness from being shot and you find yourself sitting in a pool of blood and almost dying. And how the hell can you do that??? Please do teach me too!
ishaapril's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
auniverseinside's review against another edition
adventurous
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Really enjoyed this book when I was 16/17 but revisiting it was a mistake. The relationship between Four and Triss is so deeply unsettling and generally not okay, I was weirded out and almost didn't finish.