The Bookanistas: DIVERGENT

I'm not gonna lie, when I first read the cover copy for DIVERGENT I was a little confused. The front cover didn't exactly clear things up. A burning symbol? A creepy skyline? When I first saw it I sunk down on my knees and raised my hands to the sky and screamed, "WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN!?!" Ok, not really, but I totally thought about doing it.

I had heard a few things about the book before I read it. I knew it was dystopian, I knew it was set in Chicago and I'd heard it was ten kinds of amazing, so naturally I was curious.

Thank God my curiosity got the best of me, because DIVERGENT is one wild ride.

Here's what the back cover has to say (Editorial Note: It's not nearly as confusing to me now that I've read the book. Do others find the copy confusing or am I the only easily confused idiot?):

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.


What Lila has to say:

Wow. DIVERGENT is the kind of book that reels you in and never lets you go. I vividly remember reading a scene where Tris is on a ferris wheel and I had to put the book down because I was so nervous about what was going to happen next. So. Much. Tension.

Tris is a fascinating. She's just so incredibly tough and brave and I am such a complete and utter wimp. If faced with leaping onto a moving train or begging for food on the outskirts of society, I'll choose begging every single time. I'd rather be hungry than splattered somewhere underneath an El train, but that's just me.

And then there's Four. To quote Sarah Dessen (I'm in the middle of THE TRUTH ABOUT FOREVER and holy crap, The Dessen is my idol), Sa-Woon. Four is hot, loyal and has the whole tough love thing down to a science.

I was hooked on DIVERGENT from the very first page. It's one of those books where you can't imagine what's going to happen next and you can't stop turning the pages to find out. Order your copy immediately. And then send us an email so we can discuss.

Here's what the rest of the Bookanistas are up to this week:

Elana Johnson sings praises for SEAN GRISWOLD’S HEAD

Shannon Messenger is wild about WILDFIRE + an ARC giveaway

Carolina Valdez Miller adores A NORTHERN LIGHT

Lisa and Laura Roecker dotes over DIVERGENT

Megan Miranda thinks MOONGLASS is marvelous

Jessi Kirby praises POSSESSION

Carrie Harris reveals the BAD TASTE IN BOYS Book Trailer

Sarah Frances Hardy delves into DIVERGENT

Stasia Ward Kehoe delights in BITTER MELLON

Christine Fonseca relishes in the RED GLOVE

P.S. Be sure to join The Bookanista Book Club over at The Reading Room. We're going to be working very closely with them to bring you even more Bookanista awesomeness that you will not want to miss.