Divergent: tending to be different or develop in different directions.

In the book “Divergent” by Veronica Roth, Beatrice Prior is living in the future world of Chicago where society is divided into five factions that represent the kind of person you are. Abnegation (the selfless), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), Dauntless (the brave), and Erudite (the intelligent).

Beatrice lives with her family in Abnegation, but she doesn’t prefer their lifestyle. At the age of sixteen, Beatrice takes an aptitude test that tells you which faction you are related to by how you react to different things. Beatrice takes the test, but her results show she belongs in Abnegation, Erudite and Dauntless. The person who administered her test, Tori Wu, happens to belong to Dauntless. She tells Beatrice that she is Divergent, not belonging to any faction. This is rare in their world, and very dangerous. Tori tells Beatrice to keep it a secret from everyone, even her own family. When it comes time to choose which faction she will belong to, Beatrice chooses to leave her family and join Dauntless. Her brother, Caleb, also chooses to leave and join Erudite. Leaving behind the life she knew, including changing her name to Tris, this girl goes on an adventure to become a fully fledged Dauntless and learn the truth about why she is Divergent.

This book is honestly one of my favorite books right next to the “Hunger Games.” This is no wonder, as both books have similar ideas of a divided society and a fight for freedom. Tris is an interesting character that I immediately liked. She is brave but reserved; smart but mindful. She wants to help out whoever she can, but she is fierce in competition. She meets her instructor, Four, who takes students through three stages of initiation before they are considered Dauntless. If they fail, they are sent away and are forced to live factionless, scrounging in the city’s underground. Four trains them to be tough and brave, taking them through physically exertive exercises and teaching them how to handle weapons.

Also like the Hunger Games, “Divergent” involves a love that develops between Tris and Four. Four’s name is unique because it involves a story. Four only has four fears. These fears can be seen when using a machine that projects fears by accessing parts of the brain. Four shows Tris his fears, and this plus training together brings them closer.

Tris is fighting to become Dauntless, but she comes across many unexpected problems along the way. To survive, she must use her Divergence to help her along. This book is part of a series. The second and third book, Insurgent and Allegiant, have already been released. Divergent is being produced as a movie which will release March 21st, 2014, directed by Neil Burger. The “Divergent” movie poster and trailer have already been released.