Samantha Oledan's Reviews > Divergent

Second Reading: April 25, 2014

I decided to read this book again for the second time after I watched the movie version. As I have said in may earlier review, I did not enjoy Divergent before. However, I found the movie really entertaining so I decided to read the book again. It was a good thing that I did because I actually liked the story. I admit, I was a bit biased when I did my first review because I kept comparing it to The Hunger Games. I just read the THG series when I read Divergent, and being both dystopian-themed I could not help but compare the two series. But now I realized that Divergent was actually good. The story was really interesting, and the concept was great. I guess I am going to read the next book in the series to know what happened to Tris and Tobias.



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First Reading: April 21-25, 2012

I have two reasons why I read this book. One, I answered a quiz from Fandom.com which categorized me what kind of character I would play in different books.

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I posted my result in FB and my former crush commented on it saying that it was ironic that I was categorized as a bounty hunter for Star Wars while I was placed under the Amity faction for Divergent. I had no idea what he meant so I asked him what was Amity. He gave me a brief description about it and told me to read Divergent. He said it was also like The Hunger Games but he found it better than the latter. I got curious so I checked it out here in GR. But I didn't pay attention to it that much until I forgot about it. I only remembered about this book last month due to the hype of THG the movie, which brings me to my second reason.

I am a huge fan of The Hunger Games series even before talks about the movie came out last year. I reread the entire series to refresh my memory before I watched the film. I consider it one of my all-time favorite series. When I was done reading Mockingjay I was left wanting for more. Then I went to GR to check other related books which included Divergent. I remembered my Fandom result which heightened my curiosity with this book. I was so craving for more THG and dystopian-themed stories that I bought Divergent the first chance I got last month.

But I didn't read it until after a few more weeks because I was so worried that I might not be able to fully see the beauty of the book since I still had THG hung-over and it might affect my impartiality with this new story. There was a tendency for me to compare the two books. I didn't want that to happen because it would be unfair to the author and this book. I didn't want to expect anything THG-like here in Divergent because I might end up being disappointed.

So after reading one book unrelated to THG, I decided to read Divergent next. I wasn't supposed to yet, but there was this pull which urged me to finally read it.

And then what happened?


Exactly as I feared before, my mind kept comparing it to THG for the first half of the book. I couldn't help it. I kept on reminiscing some scenes from THG and thinking that the latter was way better than this one. I felt it was wrong to do that but I couldn't stop my brain. I tried to shush it down but there were still some criticizing thoughts that managed to slip from my mind.

Here are some of those not-so-good comments:

1. Not that I didn't like the way Divergent was written, but I felt far more compelled with the way Suzanne Collins wrote her books. I really felt the urgency of the moment and she made me feel like I was really experiencing Katniss's struggles. But with Ms. Roth's Tris, I didn't feel that attached with her character. It was like I was only a mere observer of her actions and I wasn't embodying her.

2. I thought the background story of their society wasn't enough, thus I thought the foundation of the story wasn't properly built. I didn't feel the oppression or the need to revolt. I was like, "Oh, the Erudite suddenly wanted to war the Abnegation and they teamed up with the Dauntless... Okaaay..." I didn't know what happened in the past and what made the people build that kind of society which had five factions. Sure, it was stated in the book that the faction were built according to one core principle they believe in, but I wanted it to be more in depth.

3. The description of the settings and the scenes weren't as visually informative as THG. Was it mentioned in the book that it was supposed to be in Chicago? If yes, oh, I must have overlooked it and I'm sorry for criticizing that, but the only time I knew that it was in Chicago was when I read the bonus interview part with Veronica Roth.

4. The exciting parts felt short for me. It was like the excitement was starting to build up but then it went crashing down instantly. The wow factor wasn't sustained as long as I desired. I felt like there was some KABLAM factor missing but I couldn't point it out.

5. The other factions were insufficiently described, especially the Amity. But I guess that would be tackled on the next book, I hope.

6. I have questions left unanswered:
a. Where did Tris and her friends get their money to afford new clothes and getting tattoos? I thought they were not employed yet and they didn't have a chance to get back to their old homes to get their belongings after the Choosing Ceremony. So how come they seemed to be well-provided in terms of personal belongings, enough for them to just "throw" their dirty clothes in the trash?

b. What made Tris and others like her a Divergent? Was it something like having a "glitch" in their brain?




But don't think that I only have negative comments about this book. On the contrary, I must say that I did enjoy reading it also during the middle part but it wasn't as woohoo as THG. I'm sorry I keep on comparing this book with THG, but it was my first dystopian series that I truly enjoyed and it became my basis of what I find a great and not-so-great story. Honestly, it took me a hundred pages before I actually got the hang of it. But when I did, I couldn't put it down. I slept so late at night (it was dawn already, actually) because I wanted to know what would happen next.


And here are my positive comments:

1. I like the book cover. It reminded me of TMI and TID because of the quality and texture of the design (forgive my terms, I just don't know how to describe it). There was something dramatic and powerful with the fire design which I believe is the logo of Dauntless.

2. I found the idea of simulation programs interesting and unique. The book reminded me of Sucker Punch movie. I know that there was no simulation involved in the movie but it was because of the idea of tricking a person's brain into thinking that she was in another world, another scenario that rang a bell.



3. I admire Tris's ability to stand her own ground. She didn't let the aptitude test and her family's expectations hinder her from choosing what faction she really felt she belonged to. She became true to herself even if it meant being a little selfish which was a big no-no for Abnegation.

4. I really like Four, not only because he was the male protagonist and he was supposed to be likable, but because I admire him sticking with his principles. He didn't let power devour him. He even turned down the offer of being a Dauntless leader because he thought that the Dauntless manifesto was being changed now by the current leaders which contradicted with his principles. I also like how he differentiated being fearless from being courageous.

"...Becoming fearless isn't the point. That's impossible. It's learning how to control your fear, and how to be free from it, that’s the point."

5. The love story was okay. It was a little cheesy but I could take it. Tris wasn't as boy-crazy as other YA female protagonists I've encountered. She still had some reservations when it comes to relationships. I admit that I also got tingly inside while reading the love story parts. It was just a little puke-y at the end.



Other random comments:

1. I just couldn't bring myself to refer Four as Tobias. It wasn't that I hate the name Tobias but I just couldn't fit his image with that name. Hahaha!

2. I like Will, too bad he wouldn't be on the next book (or so I thought?)

3. I was thinking what would I encounter when I enter my own fear landscape. Probably I wouldn't be out for one whole day.


4. I already had a hunch about Tris's mom even from the part after the Choosing Day. So I wasn't really surprised when it was revealed.

5. I read the bonus materials at the end of the book which included an interview with Veronica Roth. I like her ideas about dystopian-utopian stories. She gave good answers, too bad her eloquence wasn't translated as much in the story. I like this quote from her:

"I think maybe utopian fiction would actually look just like dystopian fiction, depending on who you are. To the heartbroken person, a world that eradicates love might be a utopia; to the rest of us, it isn't. To the person who doesn't have a plan, a world in which everything is planned out for you might be utopia; to those of us who like to choose our own adventures, it's definitely not."

6. I took the faction quiz at the back. I mostly answered B's and E's which made me an Erudite and an Amity . I knew I'd be Amity because I hate conflicts and I prefer peaceful activities like arts. But I wasn't expecting to get Erudite. Huh, maybe I'm also a Divergent!



I guess giving this book a three-star rating wasn't bad at all. I knew that it wouldn't be on the top of my list of favorite books because I wasn't as protective on it as the others. I let it sit on my bed, exposed to the dangers of being squashed by my little brother. But I still handled it gently while reading it which proved that it wasn't a bad book at all. Haha!

Did i get disappointed with the book? A little. Was I satisfied with the story? Hmm... It lacked some elements but I could take it. Did I enjoy reading it? Yes, for the most parts. Would I read the next book, Insurgent? Yes, definitely. I'm looking forward to it.




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April 2, 2012

I've read a lot of good things about this book and they said that it was the next Hunger Games so I decided to buy it. Hopefully I won't be disappointed.