Divergent by Veronica Roth

Within the first few pages, I was thinking, "Oh crap, this is going to be EXACTLY like The Hunger Games. Dangit." Which I loved The Hunger Games, I just didn't want to read a copy-cat version of it.  But you guys - IT'S SO NOT!  This was our first pick in the new book club I've joined and I was so pumped to read it!  This book clocks in at 487 pages which freaked me out a bit - but it's YA, so I was able to crruuuiise right through it within a matter of days. 

I thought the concept of factions that were divided up by personality traits was so intriguing and genius of the author to come up with.  I DID NOT see that ending coming and devoured the last 150 pages within a couple of hours.  I know some folks are predicting this trilogy to become as popular as The Hunger Games, but I'm not sure if I necessarily agree.  I do think it's going to be big - but maybe not that big.  Still, I'm jumping on the bandwagon and getting my hands on Book 2 Insurgent! 

Our book club meets at the end of June to discuss their thoughts and I already know quite a few folks have already finished their copy and really enjoyed it!  Maybe we'll all have read Insurgent before we even get together ;-) Get your copy of Divergent here.

Description: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, 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, 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.



During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.


Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

Rating: ****

Recommend: Absolutely!  Clean, exciting and seriously intriguing! Loved it!