Book Review: Divergent

Hi girls!

This is going to be my first (hopefully first of many) book review blog post! I love to read, it's one of my favourite things to do to just relax, chill out and have some much needed 'me' time. I loved reading books when I was younger, but got distracted as I got older and I'm ashamed to admit I barely read at all (apart from for school/uni) from about age 15-20. I made a New Years resolution at the beginning of 2011 to read more often and have stuck to it ever since !


I'm a huge Hunger Games fan and have loved the recent hype about the film. I usually stick to the 'chick-lit' books you can pick up in Asda or Tesco, usually about a professional twenty-something in some kind of romantic dilemma. Reading the Hunger Games trilogy was a completely new direction for me and has introduced to whole new genre of books!

The Review

Divergent
by Veronica Roth

I picked up a copy of this book after reading numerous reccomendations and comparison to the Hunger Games online. The cover was a bit bleak but I ignored that and started reading it anyway. I began the first chapter in the bath one evening, and I'd finished reading the entire thing by the next night! And this is not a short book, it was just so good that I couldn't put it down. I think it's safe to say that it is the best book I've read this year so far.

The story is set in a dystopian futuristic society, where war has completely divided civilisation. Society exists in 5 seperate groups known as 'factions', each faction representative of a personality trait that those people think is the most important (the trait opposite to that which they blame for the downfall of society). They are abnegation, candor, dauntless, amity and euradite. The factions express the personality traits in a really extreme way and it basically dictates how they look, act and even think (sort of like 'brain washing'). The main character, 16 year old Beatrice was raised in abnegation, the faction which believes in selflessness. However, when the teenagers in each faction turn 16, they're given the opportunity to either stay in the faction they were raised in, or switch to a different faction. I don't want to give too much away but the main character ends up switching to a different faction and the majority of the story explains the initation process and the consequences of choosing a different faction.

The story is quite dark and violent in places, but it also has light, funny moments. I love the main character, she's a very determined and strong young girl and it's so interesting to watch her personality change and develop as the book progresses. There is also a love story, which is a lot more prominent than the romantic aspects of the Hunger Games - which was a huge bonus for me! There is also a really unexpected twist towards the end and I have to admit that I did shed a few tears in the final few chapters.

Overall, I would highly reccomend this book. If you enjoyed the Hunger Games or are interested in the dystopian-themed books that seem to be everywhere at the minute, I'd suggest go taking a look at this in your local bookshop. Dare I say it - I think I prefer Divergent to the Hunger Games so far? The book is part of a series and the 2nd book Insurgent is due to be released May 1st. I cannot wait!

What are you guys reading at the moment? Feel free to leave any reccomendations in the comments!

Lots of love,