I have become so completely obsessed with this book/series. I must admit that I watched the movie before reading it (I know, I know, I can’t believe I broke such a huge reading law). After watching the movie I wasn’t crazy about it. It wasn’t horrible, but nothing to write home about either. Then I watched Insurgent at the theatre, and I was blown away! It really urged me to read the books. I am so glad that I did because this book was much better than the movie. The whole time, I thought, “Oh they should have put that in the movie!” or “This makes so much more sense, now!”
Beatrice is at the age where she will take a test that will help her decide which faction to join in her community. She was born into the Abnegation faction which mainly focuses on acts of selflessness. She has always struggled with their ways and doesn’t know if it is where she belongs. It’s a huge decision in this dystopian society since if they choose a faction different than the one they’re born into, they must leave their families. Or if they choose wrong and fail, they could become factionless (which is shown to be poor and awful).
To make everything more confusing, Beatrice’s test results come back inconclusive. The test won’t be able to help with her choice, and the test proctor explains that her results indicate that she is Divergent which is dangerous in this world. Beatrice ends up choosing Dauntless which is the faction for Bravery and Courage. This decision only contributes to unrest between the Abnegation faction and the Erudite faction over which is the optimal faction to govern their city.
Beatrice goes through some serious changes when becoming a Dauntless. Her lifestyle is very different and she struggles a bit through training. Throughout it all she makes some friends, and an attraction forms between her and her teacher, Four. It wasn’t weird though if your nervous about a huge age difference. She is 16 and Four is 18. There are some very sweet romantic scenes, and a lot of kick butt action scenes as well. I really enjoyed learning about the politics of this book which was a very bizarre experience for me.
Tris (Beatrice) is the sole point of view in this book. It is also written in the first person. Normally I shy away from this, but because of all the hype I thought I should still go for it. First person narratives tend to come across whinny to me. I got that vibe when reading The Hunger Games. Tris didn’t give me that impression at all. She never complained through her struggles, inside her head or verbally. She is very smart. I liked her a lot, and I loved this book. I’ve already bought the next one.
You can be rest assured I sometimes see the movie first before reading the book but its a good thing that watching Insurgent urged you read the books. Hopefully you'll enjoy the next book too.
ReplyDeleteAparajita @Le' Grande Codex