Divergent: The Initiation

Good news: we have less than a month until Allegiant hits the book shelves and we can all finally get our hands on this highly-anticipated ending to the Divergent trilogy!

If you read my review for Insurgent, you'll know that I'm dying to see what happens in Allegiant. Insurgent left me with too many questions and a huge plot twist that left my head SPINNING.

This tells me that Allegiant is going to be a very different book from Divergent and Insurgent. And personally, I think that's why I'm going to love it. Divergent stands out from so many other futuristic, quasi-dystopian books by taking the story in a direction that others haven't gone in.

I want to share with you a few reasons why I think you should give this book series a chance, in light of Allegiant coming out so soon!

1. Captivating world building:
   
   This is my favourite thing about Divergent, hands down. Veronica Roth has put together a very interesting world, one that I'm always dying to learn more about.
   
2. Faction sorting:
   
   The first thing I did after I finished reading Divergent? I took a quiz to see which faction I'd be belong to if I lived in Veronica Roth's Chicago. For the record, I'd choose Dauntless (because if I'm brave, then I'm brave enough to do anything. And that includes being selfless, being honest, etc).
   
3. Swoon-worthy romance:
   
   Okay, we've all heard about Tris and Four by now. To me, their relationship is a bit different than others because of how their relationship progresses compared to other fictional couples. The angst is there, but it's just a wee bit different.
   
4. Crazy plot twist:
   
   I love plot twists. I love plot twists that surprise me even more. And the twist in Insurgent is a doozy!
   
5. Upcoming movie adaptation:
   
   We all have our fingers (and toes) crossed that the Divergent movie will be amazing - but for those of you who may not have read the book yet, I always recommend doing that sooner rather than later. Jump on the bandwagon now, so you can wait impatiently with the rest of us.
   
6. Action + fight scenes = awesome:
   
   If you've read some of my other book reviews, you've likely figured out by now that I love some good action sequences. I think they're so much fun and really take a book to a whole new level. The fact that Tris joins Dauntless means we start right off the bat with a number of fight scenes.
   
7. Reflections on society:
   
   Divergent considers some societal attitudes and norms and challenges them by exploring some of these issues within a story. That makes the story easy to relate to, and thoughtful.
   
8. Challenges the reader:
   
   I like a book that challenges me. A good book will make me think and reflect, especially on how I feel about myself and how I process the world around me. The use of factions in Divergent-Chicago readily reflects that, because it makes the reader wonder which faction they'd belong to and what that would mean for them.
   
9. Fantastic character development:
   
   Characters should grow throughout a book or a book series, and Tris shows such natural progression through Divergent and Insurgent that I'm really looking forward to seeing what she's like in Allegiant!
   
10. Heart-pounding:
    
    There is always SOMETHING going on in these books. Whether it's because of the Tris & Four relationship, or the fight scene, or some crazy secret revealed. 

Review: Insurgent

Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth
Release Date ~ May 1, 2012
HarperTeen ~ HarperCollins
ISBN13: 9780007442911
Hardcover purchased personally
Goodreads Synopsis:
One choice can transform you--or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves--and herself--while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable--and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

"New York Times" bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian "Divergent" series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.
Seeing as Divergent was one of the most popular books of 2011 (and one of the most popular YA books out right now), there was a huge amount of anticipation surrounding the release of its sequel; it can be tricky to write a sequel for an incredibly popular book with a large fan base, and a reader can never be sure whether a new author can pull it off.

But like so many other readers soon realized after reading Insurgent, Veronica Roth absolutely accomplished all of this with her sophomore release. As much as I love Divergent, I have to admit that I don't love it as much as many other fans do- it isn't one of my personal favourites, so I was somewhat hesitant when it came to Insurgent. However, I quickly picked it up, dying to know what would happen next and was utterly impressed with this sequel that easily surpasses Divergent.

1. Great character development:
   
   One of my main complaints about Divergent was that I wasn't the biggest fan of Tris - but I was quickly won over with her in Insurgent, and I could easily relate to her now and have a better idea of the difficulties she was struggling to overcome. You can really see how much she's changed from Divergent, and the way she's questioned her ideas to formulate new ones. It's a fantastic progression, and one of the best I've read about in YA. Similarily, we definitely get to learn a lot more about Four and his motives, which not only makes us love him MORE, but makes him feel more real (and that's not a bad thing in his case).
2. A different, yet realistic relationship:
   
   I LOVED that Tris and Four portrayed a rather atypical YA romance; they have real problems to overcome, and they don't always get along but they also don't spend the whole time whining about how they can't be together for some melodramatic reason. And they actually try to work together for their relationship; it doesn't overpower the story, but it's there and they do focus some of their efforts on making things work (and kissing).
3. Some of the best world building YA has to offer:
   
   Veronica stunned us with this curious and exciting world created in Divergent and she continues that tradition by introducing us to some of the other factions, like Amity, Candor and Erudite. We're introduced to more character from these factions and the ways they live which is completely fascinating. But none of this compares to some of the mysterious secrets we finally get a taste of in Insurgent - which sets us up for what will hopefully be one of the most thrilling finales to a book series we've seen yet! For real though, this revelation makes Divergent unlike any other dystopian book I've EVER read (yet).

Seriously, this book completely redeemed all the little things I didn't love about Divergent - it simply improves on what was already a very strong foundation. It was again filled with so much action and excitement (which Veronica writes very well, I should add) in a thrilling and rich world.

My one tiny complaint was that I found Tris and Four to be a little TOO back-and-forth at times, for my taste. They weren't nearly as frustrating as some couples you read about in YA books, but I found the lack of trust they exhibited towards each other to be fairly surprising after the relationship they developed in Divergent.

Purchase Links

United States	Canada	International
Amazon	Amazon Canada	The Book Depository
Barnes & Noble	Chapters Indigo	Audible

Insurgent Club

Back in February, a few of my fellow Canadian blogger friends put together some special posts highlighting Lauren Oliver's Delirium series; and with the release of Insurgent coming around, I ended up being a part of a similar feature!
Yesterday, Amanda shared her favourite things about Divergent and what she's looking forward to in Insurgent. Which is perfect timing because Insurgent celebrated its book birthday yesterday (FINALLY)!
This Thursday, Jackie from Hardcover Obsessions is talking about a few of the male characters found in Divergent over at Savvy Reader. And on Friday, Kathy from A Glass of Wine is finishing up by discussing the theme of fear as used in Divergent. There's another fun part too: we have a giveaway going on for the week! All you have to do is follow along our little tour :)
But today I'm sharing with you one of my faouvrite aspects of Divergent's world: the factions. The first thing I did when I finished reading Divergent was take the faction quiz online (I'm divergent by the way. That makes me special. But I'd totally pick Dauntless if I had to choose just one). And when #DivergentNation went live, readers were sorted into factions.
I'm going to mix things up a bit though and look at what factions other book characters would be sorted into (but no, I'm not doing Harry Potter characters because let's be honest, the Sorting Hat is a fairly similar concept).

Lena & Alex from Delirium by Lauren Oliver
I was kind of torn between Dauntless and Amity for these two. Dauntless because they both really need to be so brave to risk as much as they sacrifice in Delirium. Brave to try and live their lives and fall in love. But really, it all comes down to love in Delirium. I think it's their love that makes them brave, and I think I see them cherishing that above just about anything else. So I think they'd be a very interesting, but excellent, fit for Amity. Plus I think they'd like the peace that comes with Amity. And I just want them to live happily ever after and have a hundred adorable children.

Katniss & Peeta from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Abnegation. Hands down, it is abnegation for these two. Katniss and Peeta risk their lives because they HAVE to, not because they have a desire to be fearless and prove their bravery. No, they risk their lives and fight to survive for other people. Katniss selflessly volunteers to take Prim's place in The Hunger Games, and Peeta does as much as he can to make sure that Katniss is the one who goes home. What's more selfless than that?

Lola from Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
I think Lola would end up in Candor, because of how open she is about herself. And even though it takes her a little while to move on from the past and figure out where her future is headed, there really is something so honest and raw about her that I think Candor would really appeal to her and she'd make a good fit. Lola's all about self-expression.

Amy & Elder from Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Godspeed is called a spaceship built on lies; Amy and Elder make it their job to uncover these lies. Elder wants to save Godspeed and the people on it from destruction. Amy wants to save her parents and figure out how she fits in to this puzzle. But all of it revolves around one thing: discovering knowledge, uncovering the truth. They each have their own reasons for it, but I think Amy and Elder would fit in well with the other Erudites- even if they aren't specifically A+ students (since school doesn't have a role in AtU). Plus these two must be pretty clever to figure out all the mysteries on board Godspeed.

Juliette from Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
My pick for Juliette is Dauntless, not only because she is such a fighter and survivor, but because of how she is constantly challenging herself to overcome her fears in order to be the best she can possibly be. In order to hopefully one day find freedom for herself. I think we're going to see a lot MORE of this quality in Juliette in future books, but Shatter Me gives us a good glimpse of this quality in her.

Thoughts? Do you guys agree with my placement of these characters and their factions? Are there any other characters you'd like to see put in factions?

All you have to do to enter this giveaway is comment on the posts written by Insurgent Club members. That means you can have up to 4 entries in the contest. Respond to each post's content, and leave a contact e-mail address in case you win! Make sure you don't miss Amanda's post from yesterday!
Canadian entrants only, since HarperCollins Canada is sponsoring this one. Winner will receive a copy of Divergent AND Insurgent :) So good luck!
We'll draw a winner on May 14th.

Waiting on Wednesday {28}

Jill @ Breaking the Spine hosts this weekly meme where we can share a book that we are so excited for and are anxiously awaiting their upcoming release!

This week my WoW pick is...

Insurgent (Divergent #2) by Veronica Roth

Surprise surprise, right? I know that (just about) EVERYONE is squirming with excitement and impatient to read this book and this is just to prove that I'm included in that group too. And now that Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver has been released, and Insurgent is only THREE (!!!) months away it's time to get the countdown started!

Did I mention only three more months of waiting? It's coming SO soon, squee! I can't wait to dive back into the world of Divergent because I think that Veronica Roth's world development and the world she created is completely brilliant. The amount of detail she includes in it, and the different factions... it's one of my favourite dysoptian worlds ever. And you know what? I love the cover for Insurgent even more than Divergent too!
Goodreads Synopsis (may contain some spoilers for Divergent):
One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature.