“One Choice One Choice, decided your friends. One Choice defines your beliefs. One Choice determines your loyalties – Forever. ONE CHOICE CAN TRANSFORM YOU.” Author Veronica Roth wrote an entire series based on divergence and turned Divergent into a #1 New York Times bestseller book. Divergent is an intriguing novel portraying the dystopian future of Chicago, and the divided factions that inhabit the city. Being divergent is a very dangerous thing to be and can only mean one thing… danger.

This Chicago is divided into five factions: Abnegation, Dauntless, Erudite, Candor, and Amity. The main character Beatrice Prior, also known as Tris, belongs to Abnegation. The members of this faction believe in being selfless and unconcerned about themselves. In the faction of Abnegation, it is unacceptable to even look in the mirror because it is considered selfish to look at yourself for too long. Beatrice always knew she didn’t belong in Abnegation because of her selfishness and need to be different.

In Roth’s world, when teens turn 16 they must take an aptitude test to decide what faction they will be in. When Beatrice turns 16 and takes the test, she knows that her aptitude results will not be abnegation, the results will be something completely different. When the aptitude test results return to her, she finds out something completely life changing. Beatrice is Divergent.

Being Divergent in this world means to be in a lot of danger. Beatrice’s aptitude test shows that she belongs to three different factions: Abnegation- the faction of selfishness, Dauntless- the faction of the brave, and Erudite- the faction of the intelligent. Beatrice faces the predicament of choosing which faction she wants to spend the rest of her life in.

The way Roth explains the entire book is very interesting. What each faction stands for and what they do is revealed later in the book. This way of writing is very refreshing because she lets the reader figure out the plot and the characters instead of just giving it away.

Roth does a fantastic job of bringing the reader inside the walls of the city. She explains life in this dystopian Chicago very well. The simplicity of her writing speaks for itself, and has a way of bringing the plot and the characters to life.
Divergent has a slow start. It takes a while for the action and adventure to kick in, but once the story begins, the book is nearly impossible to put down. With its endearing story and killer characters, this book is a favorite.