Divergent (Divergent #1) by Veronica Roth

Summary
Beatrice Prior’s world is divided into five factions, Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent).  Each year every sixteen-year-old must take a test and then select the faction in which to spend the rest of his/her life.  When Beatrice takes her test, what she discovers could mean life or death no matter what faction she chooses.  Beatrice selects Dauntless, renaming herself Tris.  Here she must prove herself through tests of physical endurance and intense psychological simulations.  Through it all, will Tris be able to survive to protect those she loves, or will her secret tear her apart? 

Review
Although an intriguing idea for a dystopian society novel, this book was a bit disappointing.  This novel seems to be just another spin off of books similar to it, such as The Hunger Games or Maze Runner series.  Although, in general, this novel seems to be getting decent review ratings and appears popular in juvenile and teen fiction right now, I personally expected more from the author and the storyline.  In some places the story seems to drag, adding numbers of pages to the novel instead of getting to the point of the story.  Overall, the story has an intriguing idea, but was a disappointing derivative of other similar novels.

Genre: fantasy; science fiction; adventure; dystopian
Literary awards: Evergreen Teen Book Award (2014), Milwaukee County Teen Book Award Nominee (2012), Children's Choice Book Award Nominee for Teen Choice Book of the Year (2012), Sakura Medal, Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee (2014), DABWAHA Romance Tournament for Best Young Adult Romance (2012), Goodreads Choice for Favorite Book of 2011 and for Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction (2011), Green Mountain Book Award (2013)
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication date: February 28, 2012
Number of pages: 487
Age: 14+
Grade Level: 9-12

Other books in the Divergent series:
2-Insurgent
3-Allegiant

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