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betanine's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I am torn when it comes to the characters. While I say I didn’t love the characters, I didn’t dislike them, either. The teenage drama is something that does not appeal to me, though I do like when characters have internal struggles and grow from them. There is some of this here. I imagine that Tris’ growth will happen across the trilogy and not solely in one book.
I liked the story, but I haven’t decided yet whether to read the next book. I think what goes cross grain for me in this book is that everyone is a threat to the main character throughout most of the book. I find this kind of fear uncomfortable.
Moderate: Torture, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, and Violence
skylar_jo_3's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Minor: Torture, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Bullying, Child abuse, Suicide, Self harm, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, War, Violence, and Physical abuse
alisonfaith426's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.5
Graphic: Confinement, Violence, War, Physical abuse, Blood, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual assault, and Torture
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, and Suicide
christygsp's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting premise, characters and development.
Moderate: Murder, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Kidnapping, Suicide, and Torture
ghostisalive's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
as for the book it's self, i liked it more than i thought i would. there's so many parts where i couldn't put it down and i really like seeing the inner turmoil in characters during choosing day and the aptitude test and then following along to see the consequences of their choices. some of the things that were revealed were so unexpected which was crazy. i also enjoyed that the love story isn't a focal point but at some parts it was to the point where i almost forgot it was even a thing. but overall these are very minor flaws that did not change my mind. 5/5 from me
<3
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Violence, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, and Gun violence
Moderate: Suicide, Bullying, and Sexual harassment
mermaidmommy19's review
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Classism, Death, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Gun violence, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Murder, Torture, Violence, and War
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Alcohol, Body shaming, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Suicide
readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
That being said, I think this is one of the few examples where the movie is better than the book. The plot in the movie is much more cohesive, covering important details without repetition and dragging them out, and characters that are much more consistent in personality. I also wasn’t a big fan of the plot bouncing around.
By cohesiveness I mean that there were just so many moments that could have been combined, altered, or switched around for a more compact story. I think each moment added something but it could have been done differently, like in the movie. There is so much more focus on the goals because of how everything is put together.
The book also has tons of repetition and drawn out arcs without fully delving into them. That applies to the characters as well as plot. I felt like we constantly were hearing how strong Tris is and how much she doesn’t want people to see her as weak, and there were moments that displayed that better in her actions. It could have been left at that, like in moments where she thought about comforting Al or Caleb, and decided not to. If anything it bothered her to see that “weakness” displayed. I like that Tris is a flawed character who feels she has to prove herself, especially given her age, but it became overkill at times. We see that Tris is strong, and that she’s worried about people not seeing her as strong, so it didn’t need to be states so much. There was also just so much of Tris getting through all the challenges and sims to become dauntless, which in retrospect is a subplot to the major plot. I think the movie was better at showing how she was navigating the world as Divergent and finding out what that meant in the midst of her training.
I also liked the personalities for the characters more in the movie, because we see moments of that in books, but it can be a bit inconsistent or less favorable. I think Four and Tori are better portrayed in the movies.
Ultimately I think what is happening here is a big plot that is so dependent on who they are and where they fit in and other aspects that movie or shape the plot get overlooked. It also is not as creative as I remembered. Once more, with the movie outshining in terms of world building.
However, despite all the criticisms, I can still see why it got adapted because there is a lot of potential and you still end up invested in the characters.
Graphic: Bullying, Classism, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Confinement, Gore, Sexual assault, Suicide, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Torture, Violence, War, Blood, Domestic abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Vomit, Alcohol, Grief, and Mental illness
Minor: Child death
Homelessness, comment about scalping, near-drowning.midnacine's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Death, Murder, Violence, Bullying, Blood, Child death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Medical content, Kidnapping, Body horror, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Child abuse, and Genocide
Minor: Vomit, Alcohol, War, Grief, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
duchess16's review
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Suicide, and War
Moderate: Child abuse, Grief, Sexual harassment, Death, Confinement, Sexual content, Torture, and Vomit
Minor: Alcohol
ran_sophia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Death, Bullying, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Misogyny
Moderate: Gun violence, Toxic friendship, Torture, and Police brutality
Minor: Sexual assault and Cursing