Divergent - Afvigeren (2011)

Why 5 stars?
Because I've just loved it and this is a book I can reread!
It was a page-turner and a great entertainment for me. ;) ( )

This book was awesome! It's about a town where you get put into groups when you turn 16, Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), or Eurodite (the intelligent). It's about when a girl named Beatrice is put into her group its really really good. ( )

While I won't say this book belongs on my all-time favorites list, I will say that once I started reading it, I had difficulty stopping. The writing isn't all that great, but the story sucked me in, and even though I noticed the many awkward sentences and word choices, I kept turning pages until I had read over half of the book in one sitting. The pacing and chapter lengths are perfect to keep telling yourself "just one more chapter" or "just a few more pages."

I enjoyed Divergent so much that I've already got myself a copy of Insurgent. I could have left the story at the last page of this book; it's not a cliffhanger. However, I don't want to leave it there. I want to know what happens next, and I want to continue getting sucked into Tris's story. I don't think there's anything better than that when it comes to books, no matter the level of writing. ( )

Twilight, Hunger Games, this dystopian story about Chicago reminds me of other books for sure, but it holds its own. It is its own story and lives on its own merits. ( )

Wow, this was so much better than I expected! It fits right into the current YA dystopian trend, but looks at it in a slightly new way. Instead of trying to take down a whole way of life, the protagonist is really just trying to find herself and figure out how she fits into the current social and political structure. There isn't the nostalgia for earlier times nor the overwhelming sense that the world has moved in entirely the wrong direction, which is the case for most YA dystopian novels right now. It was just a nice change and interesting spin on the genre.

I also loved that the romance didn't take over the plot and there wasn't the usual stupid love triangle. Refreshing! Beatrice/Tris is a great character and I appreciated that she had plenty of faults and doubts about her choices. The details of the new world and futuristic Chicago were fun as well. This will definitely continue with at least one sequel but still wrapped up without a big cliffhanger. I always appreciate that. ( )