Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent by Veronica Roth 

Pages:  487 pages 

Genre: YA fiction - Dystopian

Synopsis: 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, including herself. (from Goodreads)

 

 My Review is vague: I didn't want to spoil any of the plot- therefore it is my opinion & reaction to the overall book!! 

My Review: Lately, I have noticed that Dystopian reads have been hitting the young adult shelves like crazy. And after reading books like The Hunger Games Series, I had to pick up a few more novels in this genre. What does Dystopian mean? Well, below is a quick definition:

                     Dystopian is a fictional society; when the conditions of life are extremely bad 

                     due to deprivation, oppression, or terror. In most dystopian fiction, a corrupt 

                     government creates or sustains the poor quality of life, often conditioning the 

                     masses to believe the society is proper and just, even perfect.

The above is a perfect example of the society in Divergent. At the age of 16, Beatrice is made to choose one of the five factions (a group/society) that the city of Chicago is divided into. Each faction having a their own distinct rules and identity. While reading I couldn't help but wonder which faction I would belong to? On Veronica Roth's blog she explains the first 100 pages of Divergent including a definition for each faction. I put a quick summary of her blog post below:

DAUNTLESS: fearless, undaunted (courageously resolute in the face of danger/difficulty).

ABNEGATION: .to refuse or deny oneself (some rights, conveniences, etc.); reject; renounce.

ERUDITE: characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly

CANDOR: the state or quality of being frank, open, and sincere in speech or expression; candidness.

AMITY: friendship; peaceful harmony. mutual understanding and a peaceful relationship, especially between nations; peace; accord.

After reading Divergent I couldn't come to a conclusion of which faction I would choose; but two that I would best be fit for: Candor & Dauntless - honest & brave. Say what's on my mind & a little bit of a daredevil! lol 

So, which faction would you be in? 

The characters in Divergent are written incredibly well, not to mention I fell in love with a few (who can't love Beatrice & Four ;-) ) I was very impressed. Each character belongs to a different faction, and it was very easy to tell by the way the character talks to one another & their actions which faction they belonged to. Or in some cases which faction they are in but don't necessarily belong there. This isn't always easy to do, and each character had a distinct voice. 

One of my favorites parts to this book is that I believe the author, Veronica takes a very relate-able topic, and makes it into this adrenaline filled novel. Beatrice has to make the ultimate choice, continue to be in a faction with her family or chose a faction that best fits her personality. We all have to develop a sense of self: who are we? who we hang around? What do we want out of life? And maybe those things aren't exactly what our parents or family would choose for us or even be a part of. All in all, the messages are clear, you just have to think a little (which I love about books- everyone can take from it what they want). I have never taken so many notes on my Nook before. 

Overall, the WOW factor & excitement of Divergent is over the top! This book was a page turner no doubt and will keep you up into the wee hours of the night. I can't wait for the next book- the ending was a bit tortuous I will say- leaves the reader with a bit of a cliff hanger ;-)  ***** Five of Five Stars

Book Review: Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

Something Borrowed 
Author: Emily Giffin
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 336


Synopsis:
Rachel White is the consummate good girl. A hard-working attorney at a large Manhattan law firm and a diligent maid of honor to her charmed best friend Darcy, Rachel has always played by all the rules. Since grade school, she has watched Darcy shine, quietly accepting the sidekick role in their lopsided friendship. But that suddenly changes the night of her thirtieth birthday when Rachel finally confesses her feelings to Darcy's fiance, and is both horrified and thrilled to discover that he feels the same way. As the wedding date draws near, events spiral out of control, and Rachel knows she must make a choice between her heart and conscience. In so doing, she discovers that the lines between right and wrong can be blurry, endings aren't always neat, and sometimes you have to risk everything to be true to yourself. (From Goodreads)

My Review:
My first thought after a wonderful friend recommended this book was, oh boy here we go, just another chick-lit type read that has a predictable ending (we all know I love to be surprised with twists in the plot ;-) ). So I tried it out anyways and although it did take me a little time to get used to the slower pace of this genre that I'm not normally used to reading, I would say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading Something Borrowed. 

Yes, the story is predictable to an extent, but Emily Giffin portrays her characters with so much life and personality that a reader starts to look beyond what will happen in these characters lives and focus on the present. There is too much drama that needs to be understood and fixed before any of these characters can really begin to find themselves. 

Emily takes a reader down the path of two best friends,Rachel and Darcy. Rachel the average person who is always wanting something just a tad bit better, and is always comparing herself alongside her "I'm always perfect. It is all about Me, Me, Me" best friend Darcy. The characters are very relate-able. Although we may not have a friend who is identical to Darcy (let's hope not!) in some way I think everyone, at some point, is a Rachel. Whether we are the work-a-holics who have to follow the rule books or always think of ourselves as average compared to someone who has a very high sense of self worth.

It seems so unfair that Darcy always gets what she wants at such little cost to her that I was happy for Rachel when Dex (the fiance of Darcy and friend of Rachel) hooked up. Although I don't condone cheating AT ALL, there was a part of me that was happy for her. Rachel finally got a piece of what she was looking for. She was able to begin to figure out what she really wanted in life; asking herself questions about who & what mattered most to her.Others have disagreed with me, but I'm going to side with Rachel on this one! 


There were a few things that came up about Darcy that had surprised me at the end... ultimately making the story more exciting. :-)  


I think that there are lots of little ideas that a person can take away from this novel. I love that Rachel finally goes for what she wants. And in a way, Darcy does too she just doesn't know it yet. Life takes turns and we may be blinded as to the direction our lives are taking, but eventually it will lead to a lighted path, we just have to be patient. Something Borrowed was a novel that shows just that!! 

Once Upon a Twilight!: OUaT's Blow-Out Inventory Giveaway!

Check out this awesome giveaway that Yara from Once Upon a Twilight is doing... She will be attending BEA soon and needs to clear her bookshelves.

Click the link for more details and to sign up! 

Once Upon a Twilight!: OUaT's Blow-Out Inventory Giveaway!