Book Review - Divergent by Veronica Roth

Abnegation - Selfless

Dauntless - Courageous

Amity - Peaceful

Erudite - Intelligent

Candor - Honest

These are the five factions of society that make up Veronica Roth's futuristic dystopian society in Divergent.  Beatrice Prior is the sixteen year old protagonist of the story.  She has grown up in an Abnegation home and surprises her family at the cultural choosing ceremony by becoming Dauntless.  All of the new members of each faction must undergo an initiation period.  beatrice becomes Tris and gets quite a bit more than she bargained for in the often times violent initiation process.  This is the courageous and brave faction of their society, though.

In addition to combat training and being forced to face her fears, Tris makes human connections in a way she never had in her selfless community.  She has real, multi-layered friendships that she comes to trust and rely upon.  There is also Four, one of the leaders of her initiation process.  She is confused by his protectiveness of her and her developing feelings for him.

Divergent is the first book in a trilogy and I will say that I am greatly looking forward to the second book, Insurgent.  Veronica Roth has created a world where the factions, while trying to evenly distribute their strengths, has actually become a very fractured and imbalanced society.  There are political, social and basic societal elements all through the book.  It is full of bravery, self discovery and even has a very sweet love story.