From the Bookshelf of The Reading Challenge Group…

Divergent (Divergent, #1)

Veronica Roth

Start date: July 1, 2014

Finish date: July 31, 2014

Discussion: Group Read Archive 2014-16

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Group Read Archive 2014-16

Genre Group Read (Humour) - December 2016 - You Are Not So Smart
By Allison , Quest Hound · 11 posts · 30 views

last updated Dec 28, 2016 04:05PM

Alternate Group Read (Classics) - December 2016 - Mansfield Park
By Allison , Quest Hound · 5 posts · 18 views

last updated Dec 04, 2016 09:34AM

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What Members Thought

Apr 17, 2014 Judy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

I just want to say that I'm a little pissed off that I couldn't put this book down. I stayed up until 4 in the morning, and, of course, had to get up early to watch my little boy when he saw his Easter basket, so I'm mega tired today.

That being said, I love this book. Of course, it reminds me a little of Hunger Games in that it's a dystopian society where people are split into five different factions based on what they value the most (Candor: honesty, Abnegation: selflessness, Amity: kindness, E I just want to say that I'm a little pissed off that I couldn't put this book down. I stayed up until 4 in the morning, and, of course, had to get up early to watch my little boy when he saw his Easter basket, so I'm mega tired today.

That being said, I love this book. Of course, it reminds me a little of Hunger Games in that it's a dystopian society where people are split into five different factions based on what they value the most (Candor: honesty, Abnegation: selflessness, Amity: kindness, Erudite: knowledge and intelligence, and Dauntless: bravery). When kids are 16, they undergo a test that tells them which faction they most belong in, but they do have some free will, and can choose a different faction. A small portion of the population is called "Divergent," in that they show characteristics of multiple factions, but this is seen as dangerous, and something they should hide.

The book follows Beatrice "Tris" Prior as she goes through the test, finds out she is Divergent, and chooses to leave her original faction in Abnegation, to become one of the Dauntless. She is rare in that after the test she is shown as showing aptitude for 3 different factions, and it appears that most Divergents usually show aptitude for only 2, so this makes her a little more dangerous.

She gets to Dauntless, goes through their entire initiation process, learning how brutal those in Dauntless can really be, and after the last simulation discovers that there has been a plot by the Erudite faction to completely eliminate Abnegation, though we still are not sure why by the end of the book.

I will say that I REALLY appreciated that there wasn't a painful love triangle that seems to be so common in young adult books now. I'm by no means a young adult anymore (I'm 33), but the love triangle plot point is just getting old to me. Tris falls for one of her instructors, Four, and learns that he is also Divergent, also originally from Abnegation, and that his real name is Tobias, and she knows his father very well because his father is one of the Abnegation faction leaders.

The writing is sound, and there weren't any repeated phrases that started to annoy me. I like that Ms. Roth really has us delve into Tris' inner struggles. I also really like the world she has created.

I will say that many parts were really predictable. Tris notices that the outer fence is locked from the outside, as if to keep everyone in the city, and that is obviously going to be a major plot point as time goes on. I knew who Four was pretty early on. I figured out that Eric was working with Erudite early on, so the plot twists probably could have been hidden a little better, without the very obvious foreshadowing, but I still liked them.

Overall, if you liked The Hunger Games, definitely read this. I read it mostly because I like to read the book before I watch the movie, so I'm really looking forward to seeing the movie now, and I'm sure I'll finish the other two books in this series in a couple of days! ...more

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Feb 02, 2014 Elle rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya-fiction, dystopian, 5-star-reads

I loved this book. It's a good book if it's 2 am and you have an alarm set for 6:30 am, but you consider just staying up to keep reading...twice. It reminded me quite early on of both the Matched and Delirium series. I enjoyed both of those, so why wouldn't I like this? YA dystopian fiction just seems to be my thing. ...more

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Apr 21, 2014 Linda Bakker-Zwakhals rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Love these kind of stories. A twisted world, with some very twisted people, but still love can be found

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Dec 17, 2013 Bouchra Rebiai rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2014, 101-in-1001-days-2

Normally, I don't fangirl over anything - except maybe Star Wars or Doctor Who (yup, I'm that kind of weird person) - but Divergent is really awesome!

I just finished reading it a couple of hours ago, and can't wait to read the rest of the series. Unlike The Hunger Games, which has similar themes - dystopian society where people are divided into sections that don't interact for the most part of their lives - and shares the fact that the narrator of the story is the female main character, Divergen ...more

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