Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth ☆☆☆☆☆

I have to say that this by far is the best book I have ever read hands down. Yes, it was that good. If I could I'd give it an 11 of 5 stars.

From my creative writing background, Veronica Roth is a genius. The book was amazingly well planned out. No information seemed unnecessary. Halfway through the book I had that great moment I love as a reader where something clicks and immediately flip back to the beginning of the book to check my suspicions. (My suspicion was right!) The clues she left in the text were spot on and didn't seem out of place or like foreshadowing, well disguised. Honestly, I'm jealous...especially since she's a lot younger than I am too.

The characters in this book are above and beyond well developed. It is told from the point-of-view of Tris, a 16 year old girl who is incredibly strong and determined. While I see her determination in myself often, I could never have the bravery she has. And then there is Four.... I am in love with a boy named Four! From the moment he was first introduced in the book I couldn't stop focusing on every aspect of him. There is one quote that seems to sum him up perfectly: "He is not sweet or gentle or particularly kind. But he is smart and brave, and even though he saved me, he treated me like I was strong. That is all I need to know." It was in that moment that I realized why I was drawn to him and will always been drawn to him. The five factions of society were so interesting and exciting too (and almost reminded me of Harry Potter houses at first).

I'd never really read dystopian society stories before, but they seem prevalent now. I was hesitant to read it because they can get science-fictiony if not done right, but this didn't go there. Besides having strong, identifiable characters and an amazingly well written structure and plot, my favorite part of this book was that no part of it was slow. A lot of the books I have been picking up are slow in the first half, attempting to introduce and set up everything to not leave the reader hanging, but this story was fluid. Everything in this world was explained without leading me away, it left me no lingering questions about how things developed, and definitely didn't leave me bored. In fact I dreaded having to put this book down. And yet....this book had my heart racing with excitement, desire, and intrigue so often that I had to set it down regularly for a few minutes just to slow my heart rate down and think about what I was reading. It was fun!

I can't wait until the sequel. To me this one was left too open and I want to see so much more. Even better, the film rights have already been sold to Summit Entertainment. Oh the upcoming years look great :D