Divergent: Book Review

Divergent Book Review

Rating: 3.5/5
Author: Veronica Roth
Genre: Fantasy Fiction, Post Apocalypse
Pages: 487

Is it the case with you guys as well, that when someone asks which genre you prefer the most, favorite books come to your mind, and not favorite genres? Until recently, this was the case with me, at least. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the galaxy, Harry Potter, Inheritance Trilogy and the Mediator series are some of the books that I enjoyed reading but could never really make up my mind about the genre I love. The Hunger Games was the tipping point. I now know that I am a die-hard fan of fantasy fiction and thoroughly enjoy the un-matchable creativity that these books offer. And so, this is how Divergent happened. (Okay, also, it was one of the recommendations by the people I trust.) 

Three Reasons why I decided to read Divergent

Firstly, owing to my new found love for fantasy fiction, I wanted to experience the unexpected and Divergent, sort of looked promising.  It is also one of the highest-rated books on Goodreads from the genre. So, I thought, why not?

Secondly, it wasn’t too bulky. I wanted to pick up something I could get done with fast.

Lastly, I wanted to understand how writing a popular fantasy fiction works. How does plot building and character development work, how to set hooks at right places, et al. It might be just a phase, but I have a strong feeling of writing a book in this genre. 

Divergent: Book Review

The good part about the book:

You will get a good feel of the post-apocalypse world that the author has created in the book. Divergent is pretty detailed on that part, and you will have a well-formed picture of the setting by the end. The entire idea of dividing people into one of the five factions is rather interesting too. The story feels fresh from the oven and keeps you hooked.

I like how the characterizations and character development has been done. Beatrice’s encounter with her new life and her emotions and reactions bring a lot of life in the book. You will vicariously charter unknown territories with her and experience her new life. The protagonist’s thought process and internal conflicts are relatable and seem real.

There’s no dearth of action and adventure throughout the book. At the same time, there’s a romance brewing that would give you goose-bumps. One thing is for sure, as you go deeper into the story, you’d want more of it. I mean more of romance between Beatrice and the guy.

The story is well-paced, and you would not know what to expect next. The language, writing, and flow are smooth and up to the mark. The best part of the book is that you will have a vivid image of the world that Veronica Roth has put forth.

The not-so-good part about the book:

The concluding part of the book doesn’t match up to how it all began and panned out in the middle. The end, to be honest, was a bit haphazard and silly. The author possibly lost sight and control onthe story, such that by the end of the book, the tenacity of the plot just fizzled out. Perhaps this is the only reason why this book, despite having all the right ingredients, didn’t make it to my favorite books.

One other thing that I didn’t like much about the book is that it became too plot-oriented, and the author was just focusing on adding hooks and random situations. The story, IMO, lost context, hold on characters and natural flow esp. in the end.

All that said, I had a good time reading the book, and it has made a place in my mind for the rest of my life. Will I read the other parts of the book? Highly likely because I bought all the parts together, and already own the other 2 books. But did I have a feeling to start Insurgent (Part 2) soon after completing Divergent Part 1? Not really. Do you know what I mean?

Update (Post reading Insurgent: Divergent Part 2)

I guess I was too hard on Divergent. At least, that’s what a colleague, who read my review of the book, told me. The thing is, if you read Divergent, you’ve got to read Insurgent. The ending of Divergent will make better (just better, not perfect) sense. Apart from that, Insurgent is better on a lot of grounds. I will soon review Insurgent on a separate post. Till then, I just wanted people considering whether to pick Divergent or not, to know, you’ll like it. It’s a good book with a better sequel. 

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Happy Reading. Chao!

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