Audiobook Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

TITLE: Divergent

SERIES: Divergent, Book #1
AUTHOR: Veronica Roth 

NARRATOR: Emma Galvin
PUBLISHER: Harper Audio
PUBLICATION DATE: May 3, 2011

FORMAT: Unabridged audiobook, 11 hrs and 11 mins
GENRE: Young Adult, Science Fiction/Dystopia

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.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

 

MY REVIEW:

This book has won a number of literary awards, including:  Goodreads Choice Award for Favorite Book of 2011 and for Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction (2011), ALA Teens' Top Ten Nominee (2012), and Children's Choice Book Award Nominee for Teen Choice Book of the Year (2012).

Dystopia is one of my favourite genres, and Divergent does not disappoint. It totally knocked my socks off, and I am kicking myself for waiting so long to read it!

This dystopian society contains five factions, which developed as a result of people’s blame of different personality flaws for the world’s downfall: Amity (who are kind and loving towards others and blame aggression), Erudite (who seek to educate themselves because they blame ignorance), Candor (who are brutally honest because they blame schemers), Abnegation (who are completely selfless because they blame selfishness), and Dauntless (who are fearless because they blame cowards). The factions all have their own rules of dress, behaviour, food, and shelter.

When a person reaches 16 years of age, she will undergo an aptitude test which involves a simulation to determine which faction she will belong to. The subject is presented with different scenarios and options. How the subject chooses to respond to each scenario will eventually eliminate a faction. The test continues until just one is left. The person then needs to make a choice to either remain in the faction that she was raised in or transfer into another faction. The person does not necessarily have to choose the faction that was the outcome of the aptitude test. Rather, it reveals to the subject their propensity towards one faction over another. Faction transfers are often frowned upon by both the faction they have deserted and the one that they have joined. They often have to prove themselves that they are worthy of the new faction, since they have been raised in a completely different manner with different ideals. Each faction transfer must endure an initiation.

The protagonist of the story is Beatrice “Tris” Pryor, who is a 16 year-old teenager. She was raised in the Abnegation faction and is facing her upcoming aptitude test. Putting all others before herself has never come easily to her. Her older brother, Caleb, makes it seem so easy. Tris struggles with it, and she has always felt like she never really fit in. Her natural instinct is her curious nature, which has been stifled by Abnegation’s rules.

The results of Tris’ aptitude test are inconclusive. The tester reveals to her that she has equal aptitude for Abnegation, Erudite, and Dauntless. These results are rare, and she is warned not to discuss the results with anyone because it would be dangerous for her. Tris is faced with a monumental decision to either stay with her family in Abnegation or join another faction.

Roth’s world-building had me utterly engrossed. I loved the segregation of the society into different factions and how different each one was from the others. I loved Tris, and I could relate to her. Her strength and courage makes her such a great role model. I loved how she evolved and came into her own. I also really enjoyed the budding romance with her love interest, Four!

This is a fantastic YA dystopian with non-stop action, and it was difficult to put it down! I cannot wait to read the next book in the series, Insurgent, which was released last year.

I have really enjoyed the last few books narrated by Emma Galvin (including Kresley Cole's Poison Princess and Jamie McGuire's Beautiful Disaster), and this one is no exception. She was believable as teenage Tris, and she didn’t overdo the characterizations. She has a clear voice, which is easy to listen to, and her pace is bang-on. A great narrator draws you into the story and makes it even more intense, and Galvin certainly achieved this!

MY RATING:

5 stars!! I loved it, and you should definitely read it!

This book qualifies as: 
#10 for my 2013 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge
#10 for my 2013 Read-a-Latte Challenge
#5 for my 2013 Where Are You Reading? Challenge
#5 for my 50 States Challenge 2013 
#2 for my 2013 Mammoth Book Challenge   

#8 for my 2013 Women Challenge
#6 for my New Authors Challenge 2013
#6 for my 2013 Reading Challenge: First-Reads 
#7 for my 2013 1st In A Series Challenge 
#10 for my 2013 Books-in-a-Series Reading Challenge
#5 for my Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2013
#5 for my 2013 TBR Pile Reading Challenge
#3 for my 2013 TBR Pile Challenge
#6 for my Embarrassment of Riches Reading Challenge 2013
#4 for my 2013 Dusty Bookshelf Challenge
#4 for my 2013 Catch Up Reading Challenge
#6 for my 2013 Audio Book Challenge
#6 for my 2013 Audio Book Challenge
#4 for my 2013 Young Adult Audiobook Challenge
#6 for my 2013 Let Me Count The Ways Reading Challenge: Audio Version
#2 for my Just For Fun Reading Challenge 2013 
#9 for my 2013 Literary Exploration Reading Challenge  
#9 for my 2013 Genre Variety Reading Challenge

#5 for my 2013 Reading Outside The Box Book Challenge  
Task #1 for my 2013 Sci-Fi Reader Challenge
#6 for my 2013 Young Adult Reading Challenge  
#2 for my Dystopia Reading Challenge 2013
#4 for my 2013 Award Winning Books Reading Challenge  
#6 for my 2013 Feminist Reads Challenge
#7 for my Monthly Mix-up Mania: 2013 to 2015 Edition    

Letter D for my 2013 A to Z Reading Challenge 
#7 for my Retreat's Reading Bingo 2013 Challenge

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