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jessicaleahreads's review against another edition
5.0
if you like futuristic sci fi like hunger games, you should read this one! LOVED it!!
caseycarnage's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely love, love, loved this book! I just can't get enough! I'm hanging on the edge of my seat waiting for the next one. Veronica Roth is brilliant. It's no wonder that it got picked up to be a movie before the book even hit book shelves. I love the different factions. I was trying to decide which one i would belong to while i was reading this and when i came across this line i knew i would belong to Amity (the peaceful) "Those who seek peace above all else will always deceive to keep the water calm." unforunately that is so me... I would either be Amity or Divergent. I like to think I'm a little of everything.
mvasso's review against another edition
4.0
This book sucked me in and I couldn't put it down! The idea behind the factions is really interesting, and there's almost constant action throughout the story. The hints of sinister things going on kept me guessing, but the conclusion surprised me. I like that the characters are multi-dimensional instead of clearly "good" and "bad" (with some exceptions, of course). I love that the narrator is strong and smart instead of just good-looking (she describes herself as "not ugly, but definitely not pretty" and none of her friends disagree) and is acknowledged and valued for that. Her internal struggle to figure out who she is, what she values, and where she fits in her world is something that almost everyone can relate to, and the story as a whole creates a lot of thought about human nature. Great stuff. I can hardly wait to read the rest of the series!
ellie_bronte's review against another edition
4.0
I saw that the movie was in the works for this book so I decided to read it for myself. I keep hearing it being compared to the next Hunger Games, and since I absolutely adored the first book I had to give it a shot.
It is, but then it isn't.
Pace wise, hands down I can see the comparison. The moment the book starts I was sucked into the world and how it operates, learning about the five factions and how the system in place divides the population, which is interesting in itself that a test can really define the rest of an individual's life. And Beatrice/Tris, the narrator, chooses Dauntless, which immediately springs the book into high gear since they're the fearless sector. They're jumping off of roofs, out of trains, constantly keeping the adrenaline going and the book was so fast-paced as a result. That's something I enjoy, not realizing how many pages I've turned until I check the time.
I think the similarities stop there, at least theme wise. Again, I love the ideas brought up in this book, how someone can really define their entire self, their friends, their occupation, based off of what faction they choose. Because Tris chose Dauntless she is that, fearless. But what if she chose the other sectors she was just as eligible for? Or heck, chosen one she has no similarities to but chose because wanted to? It would have been a very different book, just not due to her surroundings but to watch how her mind is shaped, because she does change as the book progresses.
Which brings me to my next point: I love Tris. I love how honest she is with herself, that she doesn't manipulate emotions, that she admits that it's nice to have someone crush on her although she doesn't reciprocate, that she enjoys bad things happening to characters screwing her over, that she wrangles the tougher issues in her head. She's very human, and I love that she admits that despite being able to jump off of buildings, standing stock-still in the face of knives, she has her limitations. She's someone that I might not agree with but love to read about because of how real and complex she is, which further highlights how flawed the system is in trying to define an individual.
But there's a reason why I gave it four stars. And this area has so spoilers, so avert your eyes if you don't want them!
....
.
....
.
Alright, the reason for the missing star pertained to the execution, mainly around the ending. There was something jarring about how all of a sudden it converted into a war story. I'm not sure what exactly, because there were hints of an attack on Abnegation, but it still felt like it came out of nowhere. Like two stories crudely seen into one? It almost felt like a cheesy bad guy plot in a retro comic, what with the masses being controlled, and the one-dimensional bad guy.
I wished Jeannie was fleshed out more, because she felt very flat to me. Especially in Tris's point of view she felt just, stereotypically evil!! What, with the propaganda against Abnegation, banning their population from visiting, monitoring Tris... Her intentions were clear from the get go, so there wasn't any surprise to the attack but, it threw me out of the book to have her be that corrupted! Stereotypically corrupted at that.
And then the showdown between Tobias and Tris. I can buy experimenting on a Divergent, but I just couldn't take him conveniently being stationed at the place that Tris needed to reach to stop the simulation. And of course he would snap out of the simulation when she was there, having her life threatened by her lover. For how evil Jeannie is supposed to be, how intelligent, she threw that piece away too easily. Divergents are the only wrench in her system, why did she just throw him back into the fray like that?
Maybe it's just that this book is really great, and the first few hundred pages really made me go wow, this is great stuff! so the cliche trends were a real let down for me.
Why did Tris's mom have to die...? The story gave me the impression she was this badass, this bigger player in this unraveling of society and then she's out with a few gunshots. Was she a bigger snag in the system? Or just smart when it came to events happening around her? I guess that will be answered in book two, maybe.
But yeah, that's my overall opinion on the book. Great story, great characters for the most part, but the execution leaves a little to be desired toward the end.
It is, but then it isn't.
Pace wise, hands down I can see the comparison. The moment the book starts I was sucked into the world and how it operates, learning about the five factions and how the system in place divides the population, which is interesting in itself that a test can really define the rest of an individual's life. And Beatrice/Tris, the narrator, chooses Dauntless, which immediately springs the book into high gear since they're the fearless sector. They're jumping off of roofs, out of trains, constantly keeping the adrenaline going and the book was so fast-paced as a result. That's something I enjoy, not realizing how many pages I've turned until I check the time.
I think the similarities stop there, at least theme wise. Again, I love the ideas brought up in this book, how someone can really define their entire self, their friends, their occupation, based off of what faction they choose. Because Tris chose Dauntless she is that, fearless. But what if she chose the other sectors she was just as eligible for? Or heck, chosen one she has no similarities to but chose because wanted to? It would have been a very different book, just not due to her surroundings but to watch how her mind is shaped, because she does change as the book progresses.
Which brings me to my next point: I love Tris. I love how honest she is with herself, that she doesn't manipulate emotions, that she admits that it's nice to have someone crush on her although she doesn't reciprocate, that she enjoys bad things happening to characters screwing her over, that she wrangles the tougher issues in her head. She's very human, and I love that she admits that despite being able to jump off of buildings, standing stock-still in the face of knives, she has her limitations. She's someone that I might not agree with but love to read about because of how real and complex she is, which further highlights how flawed the system is in trying to define an individual.
But there's a reason why I gave it four stars. And this area has so spoilers, so avert your eyes if you don't want them!
....
.
....
.
Alright, the reason for the missing star pertained to the execution, mainly around the ending. There was something jarring about how all of a sudden it converted into a war story. I'm not sure what exactly, because there were hints of an attack on Abnegation, but it still felt like it came out of nowhere. Like two stories crudely seen into one? It almost felt like a cheesy bad guy plot in a retro comic, what with the masses being controlled, and the one-dimensional bad guy.
I wished Jeannie was fleshed out more, because she felt very flat to me. Especially in Tris's point of view she felt just, stereotypically evil!! What, with the propaganda against Abnegation, banning their population from visiting, monitoring Tris... Her intentions were clear from the get go, so there wasn't any surprise to the attack but, it threw me out of the book to have her be that corrupted! Stereotypically corrupted at that.
And then the showdown between Tobias and Tris. I can buy experimenting on a Divergent, but I just couldn't take him conveniently being stationed at the place that Tris needed to reach to stop the simulation. And of course he would snap out of the simulation when she was there, having her life threatened by her lover. For how evil Jeannie is supposed to be, how intelligent, she threw that piece away too easily. Divergents are the only wrench in her system, why did she just throw him back into the fray like that?
Maybe it's just that this book is really great, and the first few hundred pages really made me go wow, this is great stuff! so the cliche trends were a real let down for me.
Why did Tris's mom have to die...? The story gave me the impression she was this badass, this bigger player in this unraveling of society and then she's out with a few gunshots. Was she a bigger snag in the system? Or just smart when it came to events happening around her? I guess that will be answered in book two, maybe.
But yeah, that's my overall opinion on the book. Great story, great characters for the most part, but the execution leaves a little to be desired toward the end.
lulilatenightreader's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
muumimuki's review against another edition
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
wyvernfriend's review against another edition
4.0
In a future US the way the world works is different, different factions have built up and everyone chooses which faction they belong to at 16. There was a big conflict and the different factions decided that it was for different reasons the conflict built. The factions are Candor - who blame lies, Abnegation - who blame selfishness, Dauntless - who blame fear, Erudite - who blame ignorance and Amnity- who blame strife.
Tris is from Abnegation and at her 16th birthday she makes her choice and her choice will change her life and how her world runs.
I really liked this one, some of it was a bit ott but overall it was a great read that kept me hooked until I finished it. It was entertaining and I really felt like I was getting to know the characters. I could see hints of where it went but I liked the trip.
Tris is from Abnegation and at her 16th birthday she makes her choice and her choice will change her life and how her world runs.
I really liked this one, some of it was a bit ott but overall it was a great read that kept me hooked until I finished it. It was entertaining and I really felt like I was getting to know the characters. I could see hints of where it went but I liked the trip.
avgtf4's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75