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theokaygatsby19 's review for:
Divergent
by Veronica Roth
I guess I'll start this review by saying that this was a worthwhile read as it held my interest the entire way through. Part of that was due to my curiosity as to what was going to happen and partly because it was making me angry and I needed to know if it was going to redeem itself at all. First off, the dystopian world was very interesting. The idea of having people be placed in different factions based on values reminded me of Hogwarts sorting. However, the author never really explains the world our hero Tris lives in. Maybe we'll get more background in the later books, but for this book it got a little frustrating at times. Another thing that is not well explained is what being divergent really means. But, who knows, maybe the author will explain that more in the sequel.
Another thing I had a problem with were the dauntless. The dauntless are suppose to be brave and how they show this is by dying their hair funky colors, getting tattoos, jumping out of moving trains and beating the living daylights out of each other. Maybe it's just me, but I don't think any of those count as a brave act. What was interesting about this though was that I could not tell if the author had intended for the dauntless to be stupid daredevil showoffs or if they were truly meant to be considered brave. Either way, it kept me interested enough to keep reading to find out, and although we never get a clear answer it is an interesting topic to discuss.
Now for the characters! I'm still deciding whether I liked Tris or not. For one thing, she definitely is not a mary sue. She has weaknesses and she even acknowledges them. However, that does not stop her from being unlikable. The things she thought about her friend Al were really maddening. She also acted like she was really tough and brave having only been with the dauntless for about a day. As the book progressed I found myself getting more annoyed with her.
Another main character was Four. Again I don't know if I like this guy or not. He was an okay character though, a little too perfect but what can you do.
The character I really liked though was Al. He was really interesting and probably the most connectable. He reacted the way most people would if they were told they had to beat each other in order to become a dauntless. His growing crush on Tris was handled well. And to be honest I wasn't sure if he was going to be the love interest or not. I thought his character was done well except
My biggest issue with this book is the ending. It felt very rushed and out of the blue. We go from a lot of training and slow paced action. It felt like an entirely different book.
Although this book has its faults, it is worth a read because it brings up a lot of interesting topics. As far as dystopian futures go, it is not the best but it isn't the worst either.
Spoiler
We find out the main character is divergent which I guess means she could be in any faction instead of just one. This is for some reason really dangerous to be but we never really find out why. We also find out that divergent people can outsmart the computer system but again, we never find out why. What do those two things have in common anyway?Another thing I had a problem with were the dauntless. The dauntless are suppose to be brave and how they show this is by dying their hair funky colors, getting tattoos, jumping out of moving trains and beating the living daylights out of each other. Maybe it's just me, but I don't think any of those count as a brave act. What was interesting about this though was that I could not tell if the author had intended for the dauntless to be stupid daredevil showoffs or if they were truly meant to be considered brave. Either way, it kept me interested enough to keep reading to find out, and although we never get a clear answer it is an interesting topic to discuss.
Now for the characters! I'm still deciding whether I liked Tris or not. For one thing, she definitely is not a mary sue. She has weaknesses and she even acknowledges them. However, that does not stop her from being unlikable. The things she thought about her friend Al were really maddening. She also acted like she was really tough and brave having only been with the dauntless for about a day. As the book progressed I found myself getting more annoyed with her.
Another main character was Four. Again I don't know if I like this guy or not.
Spoiler
He eventually becomes Tris' love interest but the romance between the two seemed really forced and out of no where. He was really mean to her and yet she still somehow liked him. I'm still unsure of why he liked her.The character I really liked though was Al. He was really interesting and probably the most connectable. He reacted the way most people would if they were told they had to beat each other in order to become a dauntless. His growing crush on Tris was handled well. And to be honest I wasn't sure if he was going to be the love interest or not. I thought his character was done well except
Spoiler
for when he attacked Tris with some other guys and it is never fully explained whyMy biggest issue with this book is the ending. It felt very rushed and out of the blue. We go from a lot of training and slow paced action
Spoiler
to a full blown war! and it literally happened over nightAlthough this book has its faults, it is worth a read because it brings up a lot of interesting topics. As far as dystopian futures go, it is not the best but it isn't the worst either.