Reading Rainbow: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Oh my goodness, y'all. Okay, first, I apologize for the late-week edition of Reading Rainbow. I had another post started for a great book (soon to be posted!), but I was distracted this week by my reading of Divergent by Veronica Roth. This is not only an ignore-your-blog kind of book, but it's also an ignore-your-children/husband/dogs/life kind of book. So, yes, I loved it.

From Goodreads:
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.

I'm going to be honest: When I first heard about Divergent, I yawned a little and thought, "Another dystopian book... can it really surprise me?" Uh... YES! It can. It did. I know I'm a dystopian-lover, so maybe I'm biased, but this is definitely an amazing book.

The main character, Tris (or Beatrice) is so great. Yes, I'm gushing, but she is one seriously bad-ass Chick Who Can Kick Your Ass. She doesn't start out that way, but she does start very brave. Her courage and heart are what make her great, and those are central to the book as a whole.

And then there is the love story within (of course!). It's so well done and quite beautiful, in my opinion. I can't even talk about the first kissy-scene without wanting to go back and read it again. It's that good. And that is all I'm going to say about that for fear of revealing too much. Or maybe I just want to go back and read it again RIGHT NOW....

So, if you're wondering if you should tackle yet another dystopian YA novel, wonder no more. Just read it. And then come back and tell me what you think... and if you loved the kissy-scene too. *winks*