Regis Reads

Check it out on Amazon

Judge the Cover:

Dark, ominous cityscape! Fiery symbol! Foreboding tagline! These are all promising signs.
Also, the book sells well...but then, so did Twilight. And they're making a movie about it...which means nothing about the quality of the story because, well...Twilight.

Chances of reading the synposis: Very Good.

Read the Back:

"In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue- Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is- she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, even herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are- and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it might can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves...or it might destroy her."

Dystopian? Love it. Teens being gathered for a ceremony after which they will be divided into competitive groups? This is sounding good. Tough decisions? A plus. Secrets, Romance, and Betrayal? Sign me up!

Chances of reading this book: Practically guaranteed.

Optimal Reading Scenario:

In-flight Entertainment: This is the book you should pick up in that over-priced airport convenience store. Its fast-paced enough to keep you turning pages for the duration of that excruciatingly long flight or layover, and it won't require a lot of brainpower. Bonus: its a series, so you can pick up the other two and read them on the flight home.

Crack It Open:

Overall, Divergent was a easy, mostly satisfying read. I felt like it landed somewhere between The Hunger Games and The City of Ember, so if you like both/either of those, you'll probably like this.

The book is written from 16 year old Tris's POV, and the story moves along at a pretty consistent rate. It was easy to get sucked into her world, which was very visual and imaginative. I loved the different cultures that Veronica Roth created within the factions, which played with various real-world stereotypes in a way that was entertaining, and am excited to (hopefully) delve into more of them later on in the series.

Tris is a pretty solid protagonist: she makes the difficult choices, she's got her weaknesses, but she mostly tries to do the right thing, even if its the hard thing. Mostly. After all, she is human.
Occasionally I would be mild to moderately annoyed at her complete lack of self-awareness (Seriously, Tris, your crush couldn't be more obvious if it punched you in the face, so smiling and being weird "for some reason" every time he is around is just frustrating. Get with the program.) and bemoaning her size and shape (small, blonde, and slight...ya, that's gotta be rough), but overall she is smart, tough, and brave. Her development throughout the novel felt pretty realistic, at least as far as growing up and finding where she belongs (or doesn't) in the futuristic factions of Chicago. I always feel a bit distant from characters with a special destiny or gift that sets them apart from everyone else, because let's face it...I can't relate, and most likely neither can you (if this is not true, please...do tell).
Also, she seems a bit volatile and liable to punch anyone/everyone, so that kind of makes me not want to be her friend. But if we were friends, I would be well-protected, so there is that.

Four is the hunky, strong, silent type that is meant to make your knees go weak and your heart go pitter-pat, which he accomplishes pretty well, as long as you don't think too hard about how unoriginal he is...or his philosophy on teacher/student romances (as long as no one knows about them they're ok...right?). When his tough-guy exterior cracks and you see his wee heart of gold and his weaknesses and vulnerability, just let out a little "awwww" and let your love heal him. Or something mushy like that.

The good guys and the bad guys are fairly easy to identify from the get-go, with a couple wild cards thrown in. I never felt terribly attached to any of the characters, but that is not to say they are unlikable. I just felt like there wasn't time or a good enough reason to flesh them out in book one, which was primarily focused on Tris, her initiation into her faction, and her love interest (take one guess who that would be).

The plot was interesting, and deals with fairly obvious themes of bravery and selflessness as Tris tries to figure out what they each mean and where she fits into them. There are plenty of questions like "What is Four's real name?" to "Why is it dangerous to be Divergent?" to keep the reader turning pages.
If you keep your thinking cap on, there won't be a whole lot of surprises that actually take you by surprise since there is plenty of foreshadowing and it unfolds just the way future Hollywood blockbuster should, ie: very dramatically. Can you think of the most shocking, dramatic thing that could happen right at this moment? Bingo- you got it. That's what's gonna happen.
While the plot didn't feel highly original at it's core, it had enough cool sci-fi trappings to keep it fresh and enjoyable. It ended leaving some loose ends and nagging questions that are bound to be addressed in the next book, so I will definitely be checking out the rest of the trilogy, Insurgent and Allegiant.

Mischievous Monkey Rating: 1.5

Ok, try not to imagine me speaking in a really cantankerous old lady voice, because seriously...young adult books now are not what young adult books were when I was teen! So, if you haven't been reading young adult fiction for the last ten+ years you might be surprised by what you find here.

Basically, this book has a lot of violence, including vicious fistfights, blood, guts, broken bones, scary scenarios involving guns and knives, and character death & suicide! And there is mention of physical child abuse.
While it isn't always terribly graphic, there are a few cringe-worthy moments (If you plan on joining Dauntless, I would suggest investing in some good protective eyewear). The violence accounts for one whole Mischievous Monkey point.

The half point is given for some medium to mild saucy times involving (underage! student!) Tris and a certain mystery man, as well as some definitely inappropriate actions on the part of Tris's (clearly evil) nemesis, for which he does receive some (but not enough) punishment.

Overall Rating For Divergent: * * *

So there we have it! Does this sound like a book you would enjoy? Have you already read Divergent? What did you think? 

Disclaimer: These are my own opinions, I am not getting compensation of any kind for reviewing this book. Dangit.