In the dystopian future of Chicago, where society is split into five different groups, or factions, sixteen year olds must make a decision about which faction they want to spend the rest of their lives in. For many, this is a simple choice. The aptitude tests they take show which faction they are best suited to - Abnegation for the selfless, Candor for the honest, Amity for the peaceful, Erudite for the intelligent and Dauntless for the brave.

But for Beatrice Prior (Tris), her aptitude test causes more problems than it solves. She has aptitude for more than one of the factions. She is Divergent. And Divergent is dangerous. Faced with the knowledge that there are people in her society that want to get rid of her, Tris leaves her home faction to find out where she fits in.

The initiation process for the Dauntless faction is merciless, but Tris survives it with help from instructor, Four, who seems torn between protecting her and pushing Tris to her limits. However, a bigger problem looms over Dauntless, throwing Tris headfirst into a civil war, where her Divergent talents make her a target.

I found the concept of being persecuted for your identity fascinating in this book, as it's especially pertinent to us in our current society, where people who have an identity (be it gender or religious identity or a person's sexuality) that doesn't conform to people's idea of normal are often persecuted. The fact that it comes from Tris - a seemingly average female narrator - makes the statement all the more relevant to me, as it shows that anyone can be targeted for how they identify themselves.

The details of the story surrounding the Dauntless initiation is something that really added to the whole experience of reading the book, because it gave the scenes another level of depth. A prime example of this was the simplistic scientific scenes before Tris' fear training, and the vivid scenes that followed while she was trapped inside her head living her fears.

Tris' narration was brilliant to read, and I found the emotions she showed throughout the story pretty realistic coming from a teenage girl. Her relationships with the other initiates is another thing that I think was portrayed really well and was representative of teenage friendships with a twist on them, accounting for brutality of the situation at times throughout the book. The budding romance between Tris and Four didn't appeal to me, purely because I think that a lot of the time, it didn't add much to the plot. They could have as easily been good friends and gone through what they did. However, I did like Four as a character, and his rapport with Tris earlier on in the book was something I loved.

The ending of the book was explosive and set up the sequel - Insurgent - perfectly, but that needs a review of its own.

Overall I loved the book, and would recommend it to people who liked books such as 'The Hunger Games' by Suzanne Collins and 'Uglies' by Scott Westerfeld. All three books exist in dystopian societies that deal with problems that modern societies face, and all three have female narrators that stand out in their own way. And if that doesn't convince you to read Divergent, then maybe the trailer for the film adaptation (opening in cinemas in 2014) will push you to give the book, and its sequel, a go.

Want to tell the world about a book you've read? Join the site and send us your review!