Summary and Review of Divergent

     On September 9, 2013 I finished my book Divergent. In a future dystopian Chicago is turned into a city with factions that help run the neccassary things for Chicago to survive. The five factions and there roles are; Abnegation (Government Body a.k.a Congress), Erudite (Advance science and knowledge, technology too), Dauntless (Provide security), Amity (Grows crops), and Candor (the curious and honest). Beatrice is the main character and is like Katniss in many ways, well rounded but thought of as a threat to the government. Beatrice grows up in Abnegation where you are suppose to be selfless and always care for others which is why they were chosen to make up the government. Beatrice is nice but doesn't feel like she belongs in the faction, and the first day they place the story in is a big one for Beatrice. The day is the apptitude test day for the 16 year olds; they take a simulation that will show their personality, this will help them decide which faction they belong in. On Beatrice test she scores a rare personality Divergent, this personality is dangerous to the leaders because of the way they reign the people and society. The next day after the evaluation they must chose a faction, Beatrice is under lots of pressure and will likely decide the rest of her life, which faction can she chose, which one is safe? Can Beatrice find out why she is considered dangerous, can she stop them?

     My review of Divergent is a very mixed opinion. I do like the plot and the characters in the book, however I don't like the romance between the characters. That being said my biggest complaint about the book from a guy's point of view is the overflowing romance in the book with those cheesy rom com scenes. Everytime I got to one of those parts in the book I shivered a little inside. I am not a fan of tons of romance and this book contained lots of it. This did effect the plot in some ways though and helped Beatrice make decisions. One thing I did like about the book the new spin on the Hunger Games idea and the female protagionist. Right now people are liking the female protagionist and like the idea of the Hunger Games. The author, Roth used lots of description to help show you how Beatrice saw this old rundown Chicago that's divided into factions and parts. Another great thing about how Roth wrote was the her ability to show Beatrice's feelings and character through her actions with other characters. I learned a lot about Beatrice's misunderstandings and flaws with her reactions to characters, one thing i learned was her disability to understand when someone likes you and how to be affectionate.

     Last but not least, I recommend this book to readers who liked the Hunger Games and are ready for a lot more romance, the book is also a little more violent, I wouldn't say 8 year olds should be reading this book either. I would say that this book is a good read, I don't like to read books but this one kept me reading everyday.

Review and Summary from New York Times