In a futuristic dystopian Chicago, all children are faced with a choice. They must choose one of five factions, or classes of society, to join with for the remainder of their lives. The factions each believe in one attribute which they think is the key to peace of humanity. Most children chose to stay with their family’s faction, but sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior struggles to imagine herself as Abnegation.

However, after an inconclusive aptitude test, Beatrice learns she is divergent and does not fit perfectly into any faction. She could fit into any one of three factions. Beatrice could choose to be Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave) or Erudite (the intelligent).

After Beatrice joins her new faction, she quickly learns that being divergent is very dangerous; it could even get her killed. As she struggles to fit in and survive, Beatrice, now Tris, makes many new friends; some who die for her, some who betray her and one who may love her. But as Tris adapts to her new life, she hears whispers of rebellion and an impeding threat that could kill her and her family.

The book was described as the next The Hunger Games, so my expectations were high. But my worries were for naught; Divergent was exceptional. The story was fast paced and exciting but gave time to learn names and other important details.

There was enough action to keep me interested, enough feeling to allow me to connect with characters, and there was a sprinkle of romance that I enjoyed. As a first person narrative, I experienced the story firsthand, and I learned to love the characters. The story raised many moral issues that made me question my thoughts on courage, selflessness, honesty, friends before family, and the use of knowledge.

Over all I found the book to be amazing. It made the phrase “I couldn’t put it down,” very literal for me. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed The Hunger Games or The Host. I can’t wait to read the next in the series Insurgent, and to watch the movie adaptation to be released next spring.