Okay, I’m late for the dance, I had not heard of Divergent until the movie came out. I have finally had the chance to read the first book in this series. The pitfalls of living in a small rural community is the lack of access to books. While I like my Kindle, I’m old fashioned and still prefer a book. I also believe in supporting our local library. For our town of 500 citizens and only about 2000 in the surrounding area, the library is the hub of our social and educational opportunities. That said, perhaps that explains my delay in reviewing this amazing book.
I started reading YA a few years ago when I got bored with adult fiction. While I see some similarities to the Hunger Games, both have young, female heroines who must face their fears and save themselves and those they love with valiant acts of bravery and physical stamina. But the differences in the two books are what make both worth reading.
I was surprised by the religious overtones of this novel. While it doesn’t preach, it does offer a moral story. I sympathized with the character Beatrice/Tris and her feelings of not being good enough to be Abnegation. Perhaps it is her legacy to be Dauntless but I think it is more. She is Divergent, a blend of intelligence, kindness and bravery. She struggles with her honor and convictions, she wants to do the right thing but she also wants to survive.
The budding love story between her and Four is well done. It is complex and believable. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. The last arrived before the first but the second, Insurgent, still has not arrived at our local library. I may have to download it to my Kindle.
Thankfully, my best friend is also my local librarian and she hooked me up with some interesting reads in the mean time. Has anyone read Shelly Laurenton? Now that is another story all together.
