Review of The Divergent Series: Divergent & Insurgent

I haven't been this obsessed with a dystopian novel since The Hunger Games. When I say obsessed I mean read both books in one weekend and the re-read my favorite parts. I am that crazy sometimes. Divergent and Insurgent are the first two books in the Divergent Series by Veronica Roth. Book three is scheduled to be out on October 22, 2013. It is set in a futuristic Chicago where the city is cut off from the outside world and the city is broken into 5 factions.

In Divergent, the main character, Beatrice (Tris) Prior, must choose to stay or leave her faction on her choosing day. During her faction initiation, she goes through so many challenges that test her resolve and her decision. She forms an instant attraction to Four and struggles to understand why he makes her feel the way he does. In Insurgent, a war between the factions is developing and Tris must find a way to be strong, despite the losses she has suffered and the guilt that terrorizes her. Her relationship with Four is tested as they both question whether they trust each other.

Tris is probably one of my favorite female characters of all time because I never know what to expect from her. When she is physically weak, she makes up for it by being mentally strong. She struggles internally with who she is and who she wants to be but she makes sure no one else can see her struggle, except maybe Four. I love the development of her character between the two books. I think Veronica does an amazing job of showing that development so that the readers can easily follow how she went from who she was at the beginning of Divergent to who she is at the end of Insurgent. I am looking forward to seeing the character she will ultimately become in the final novel.

Also, I love to listen to music when I read so I am always relating songs to characters or scenes in the book. It is like my own personal movie going on in my head. That being said, I wanted to share the song that always makes me think of Tris when I hear it. The song I would pick for Tris is "Girl on Fire" by Alicia Keys. After you read the book, listen to the song and tell me what you think.