Sunday, March 31, 2013

Review: Divergent- Veronica Roth


“Human beings as a whole cannot be good for long before the bad creeps back in and poisons us again.”

In the dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice Prior, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself...

Hmm...another YA distopian novel, there's an overflow of them these days. And another of the flat-chested, chaste, never-engaged-in-any-fun-business heroine who is thrown into a world quite opposite to the one she's been brought up in. The idea gets a little stale after 10 or so books. Nevertheless, the whole divison of the society into factions was an interesting concept to say the least. After making a startling decision of switching factions, Beatrice has to undergo a highly competitive initiation which includes extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations. The initiation brings about some devastating consequences and transforms all initiates, changing some preheld notions about the existing factions.

Ofcourse having a perfectly hot kickass instructor and a bunch of helpful friends brings a little respite to the situation. Four(yes, it's a name!) is the (initially) distant instructor who helps Beatrice a.k.a Tris to navigate her way through the various difficulties presented by the initiation, backstabbing mates and Tris' inner demons. She also has to hide a secret, which if exposed can prove to be her doom.

The book feels as if it has been hastily written and the the characters have not been given a chance to develop properly. Beatrice's character has potential but somehow she seems confused most of the time. Sometimes she is rational and decisive and other times she risks her life without a second thought. The romantic timing of the book also seemed a little off. All in all, not a very satisfying read. But the people interested in post apocalyptic dystopian world might want to give it a try.

2/5 stars for this one!



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