YA/Teen Book

 

*****

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Dystopian Chicago Society is divided into five factions.  Each faction excels at something for the betterment of the whole.  Beatrice’s family, part of the Abnegation Faction, has always led a selfless life, feeding the poor factionless and helping others in need.  But all this may change soon.  Beatrice and her brother, Caleb, are in the class of 16-year olds, the year they must choose a faction in which they will spend the rest of their lives.  For many, the choice is easy, but for Beatrice she feels torn between her family and her hidden feelings about their selfless albeit safe and happy life.  At the testing center, her score comes up inconclusive and she is told never to reveal her scores or she will face certain death.  Beatrice makes a choice that surprises everyone.  In her new faction the initiation is brutal and always flirts with danger.  With her diminutive size, she quickly realizes she will have to outwit and out-strategize her opponents and reach for a part of herself she has never been permitted to acknowledge.  But they’re watching.  Do they know, have they guessed?  With the growing unrest among the factions, Tris (Beatrice) may need to use her secret to save the lives of others, but it is likely to end hers.

5 stars!  I instantly fell in love with the tiny, yet scrappy character of Beatrice (Tris).  She is intelligent, caring, but above all, courageous (a trait she has never been allowed to exercise before).  Mix in a little romance and this book became a page-turner.  I instantly wanted the sequel, Insurgent.  Stay tuned!  I’m reading that next.