Divergent

Divergent, by Veronica Roth, is about a girl named Beatrice who lives in a futuristic world that is split up into five communities, or factions.  There's Abnegation, which Beatrice was born into, the faction that values selflessness above all else, Amity, which values total kindness and peace, Candor, which values honesty, Dauntless, which values bravery, and Erudite, which values knowledge.  The factions are very separate, and everyone has a place.

  When a person turns sixteen, there is a ceremony where that kid gets to choose what faction they will be in for the rest of their lives.  If that person chooses a different faction than the one they grew up in, it is sometimes considered a disgrace to their family, and they might never see their family again.  An important saying in this book is "Faction before blood."

When Beatrice takes the aptitude test that tells her which faction she is best suited for (The results don't mean that you have to choose that faction, it just gives you an idea of what to pick), the official giving her test is surprised.  According to the choices she made, she is not suited for one faction, but three.  The perplexed official, named Tori, tells Beatrice that the factions best suited for her are Abnegation (the faction she knows so well), Erudite, and Dauntless.  Tori also says that her inconclusive results mean she is Divergent.  This, apparently, is a very dangerous thing that must be kept secret.

Finally, the day of Beatrice's Choosing Ceremony arrives.  She makes her choice, and a lot of very interesting things happen. Sorry, I would tell more, but that would spoil the whole book and give away what faction Beatrice chooses! 

This book has action, romance, battle, and a few sad deaths.  I would recommend it to fans of The Hunger Games, and even people who think that The Hunger Games is sick and too violent (I'm in between those two categories, by the way.) I also think that readers of Divergent should be at least eleven years old.  I rate this exciting novel four out of five stars.

➡ Rosalind ⬅

P.S. Divergent has a sequel called Insurgent.  I haven't read it yet, but it looks good.

P.P.S. Divergent is available on the Kindle as an ebook.