by Veronica Roth, 487 pages
This is the new "Hunger Games" for teens. It's another dystopian society, but instead of the country being divided into districts, people are segregated into factions. The factions represent human traits or values: Erudite, Harmony, Dauntless, Abnegation. As teens age they are given a choice: which faction do you belong to? If you choose a faction different than your birth family, you are supposed to sever all contact with them. There is a another category for those who don't fit in just one mold: Divergents. But this is never openly talked about, because if you are Divergent, you are a danger.
Beatrice is born into Abnegation, a faction which values selflessness. But she is restless and unhappy, and longs to be a different person. She casts her heritage aside and joins another faction. She changes her name and undergoes a metamorphosis. She's helped along by her relationship with her trainer, a handsome young man called Four. Soon she is leaping into space, jumping from trains, and battling other trainees. Others envy her success, and she makes dire enemies. Often her life is threatened.
While some plot elements are almost a given, Roth creates a future dystopian city where Chicago used to be. Her world building is different and interesting, and not all questions about it are answered. It is going to be a trilogy, after all. Most of her characters have flaws and aren't perfect. They remain mysterious, so we are compelled to read more, to find out what happens next.....
Insurgent is the second volume. We are guessing about the next title---I'm thinking Emergent. But maybe not...
This is the new "Hunger Games" for teens. It's another dystopian society, but instead of the country being divided into districts, people are segregated into factions. The factions represent human traits or values: Erudite, Harmony, Dauntless, Abnegation. As teens age they are given a choice: which faction do you belong to? If you choose a faction different than your birth family, you are supposed to sever all contact with them. There is a another category for those who don't fit in just one mold: Divergents. But this is never openly talked about, because if you are Divergent, you are a danger.
Beatrice is born into Abnegation, a faction which values selflessness. But she is restless and unhappy, and longs to be a different person. She casts her heritage aside and joins another faction. She changes her name and undergoes a metamorphosis. She's helped along by her relationship with her trainer, a handsome young man called Four. Soon she is leaping into space, jumping from trains, and battling other trainees. Others envy her success, and she makes dire enemies. Often her life is threatened.
While some plot elements are almost a given, Roth creates a future dystopian city where Chicago used to be. Her world building is different and interesting, and not all questions about it are answered. It is going to be a trilogy, after all. Most of her characters have flaws and aren't perfect. They remain mysterious, so we are compelled to read more, to find out what happens next.....
Insurgent is the second volume. We are guessing about the next title---I'm thinking Emergent. But maybe not...
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