Divergent by Veronica Roth

Yes, I finally got around to reading what was one of the most popular books of last year. You know, only after borrowing it from the library ebook website about three separate times. Finally, I am victorious!

Divergent tells the story of a world where everyone is divided into factions to create order among chaos. Beatrice was born into Abnegation, a faction of modest and selfless people. She never felt as though she completely fit in her faction. All of the 16-year-olds take an aptitude test to determine what faction would be the best fit. Beatrice doesn't completely fit with only one faction, therefore she is divergent. She doesn't quite understand what this means for her, but she is told that she must not tell anyone her results. It could put her in danger, though she doesn't know how.

At her choosing ceremony, Beatrice joins the Dauntless faction. They are the brave and daring ones, the ones she admires as they jump off trains at school. It is the first time she has been away from her family, the first time she spends time with people not from Abnegation. She renames herself as Tris. Dauntless is a very challenging faction, especially for someone not born into the faction, for someone small and so used to selfless and kind people.

The majority of the book details Tris' struggles with her new faction and her fellow inductees. She makes some slightly two-faced friends and clashes with some horrible human beings, and she becomes a romantic interest for her slightly older trainer. Soon enough, the big plot change occurs that sets up the sequel and gets everything in motion for what will inevitably be a war, as you do when you're in a dystopian universe.

So there it is, I finally read it. I actually feel incomplete because now I have to read the recently-released sequel, Insurgent. Sigh, a young adult loving reader's work is never done. Was the book everything I had hoped? Honestly, the summary on the book jacket doesn't really tell me what to expect, which is probably a positive. A lot of what happened made me angry or uncomfortable or sad, but there were some great moments as well. Overall, I'm willing to continue with the series. I'm always up for a fight.