Chicago Choice

Divergent by Veronica Roth 
reviewed by Becky 

Ever wonder what the future will be like? The book Divergent by Veronica Roth will give you one opinion. Divergent takes place in Chicago, after the "apocalypse", and when you turn sixteen; you have to make a choice between five factions that will determine your future. The factions are Amity-the Peaceful, Dauntless-the Brave, Abnegation-the Selfless, Candor-the Honest, and Erudite-the Intelligent. Each faction has its own secrets, alliances, opinions, and ways of running the faction.

The choice is tough, especially for the main character, Beatrice Prior. For most, there is an "aptitude test," which tells you which faction would be the right fit for you. But Beatrice's test is a little bit different, which makes her choice a little tougher. Her test holds a secret, which means life or death for her, and yet she cannot tell anyone her test results.

In my opinion, her test sets the tone for the story. Scary, but surprising, and suspenseful, which is why I loved the story.

The setting was obviously unique, and the characters were ultra-realistic. I felt as if I was going through the faction-choosing journey, the faction initiation, and the first stages of living in the faction right along with Beatrice. Overall, I think both genders will like the story, but this book is geared toward the teen audience because of mature content, romance, and scary scenes.

After really enjoying this book, finding out there is a movie coming out based on it next year, makes me really want to see the movie. I also want to read the rest of the books in the series to learn more about Roth's opinion about our future society. If I was put through the "Choosing Ceremony," I would choose Amity, because I like the way their faction runs and the values they believe in. Which faction would you choose?