Wednesday 2 April 2014

Book Review: The Divergent Trilogy

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Today I’m having a go at doing something a little different in the form of a book review. I adore reading. I can easily get through 5 books a week and can always be found glued to my kindle or with a paper book in my hands. A few months ago i came across the Divergent trilogy, and seeing as the film will be out soon I thought I would re-read it and do my first book review. I’m going to try and not reveal any major spoilers and instead focus on the general feeling of the trilogy, how it was written and how the characters developed.

The story is set in a dystopian Chicago where society is split into five factions; Candor, the honest who must never tell lies, Dauntless, the brave and fearless, Erudite, the intelligent who are forever seeking knowledge, Amity, the peaceful and forgiving and Abnegation, the selfless who must always put others needs before their own. It is from Abnegation, that our Heroine Beatrice Prior hails from. At aged 16, all citizens take a test that determines which faction they are best suited too, followed by the choosing ceremony where they will choose whether they are to stay with the faction they were born into or transfer to another. For our heroine, her test results were inconclusive, her traits not demonstrating those of just any one faction. This anomaly is rare and only seen amongst a few. It’s classification? Divergent. Subsequently, she transfers into Dauntless and reinvents herself as Tris, keeping her Divergence hidden for her own safety.

The first book revolves around life as an initiate and really develops the character of Tris. Her transformation from a scared young girl into a badass woman is successfully carried out while I found no difficulty in connecting with her. Throughout, there are bits of action, angst and even romance, although the real action doesn't start until nearer the end. The trilogy takes on a “Hunger Games-esque” style, with the breaking down of a restrictive society, in the form of factions. I actually really like the faction aspect and kind of slightly resent the absolution of them in the end, even though they’re perceived as a negative. Unfortunately, I don't think the second and third books live up to the first. The story ran at an erratic pace while her relationship with Four became frustratingly annoying. Furthermore, I didn't feel much of a connection with the additional characters introduced, only really being too bothered about Tris and Four. Despite this, I did really enjoy the series and would really recommend it to anyone who is into the sci-fi and fantasy genres.

Now a major motion picture, the first instalment Divergent stormed the US box offices this month taking the number one slot, while its UK release on April 4th draws ever closer. I for one am mega excited for the film and shall be dragging the boyfriend to see it as soon as its released.

Have you read the series? Are you excited to see the film?

xox

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