Divergent had all the qualities of a great dystopian YA novel. There is the awesome protagonist, a worthy cause to fight for, some romance and plenty of antagonists to keep your blood boiling. The character that stands out the strongest for me is Tris, the sixteen year old girl who leaves behind the faction of her birth and moves to the community she feels suits her better - Dauntless. She is very brave throughout, but I think her character really develops as the book goes on and she becomes an excellent hero.
Traits, I think she gets from her mother. I really liked the way she didn't even think about what she was giving up by sacrificing her life for her daughter, she just did it. I grew to like Tris's father at the end of the novel, though I thought it was incredibly sad that she lost both of her parents while Tobias is still stuck with his abusive father. I really adore Caleb, though I'm not sure why.
Tobias is really interesting to watch develop over the novel as well. Detached and aloof, he quickly develops feelings for Tris, and it is when they begin to spend more time together that we see how he changes too, facing his fears and becoming more open, while still keeping his wits about him. I expected that he wouldn't actually hurt her towards the end of the book; that kind of thing never happens. I feel as if their relationship happened a little quickly considering how much time they spent together, but maybe there is more we didn't see. What bothers me about them is their idea that crying is a form of weakness, that being comforted is wrong. There are several times Tris is emotional and both of them seem to think it would be wrong for him to wipe away her tears or make her feel better, which I don't agree with at all: it's normal, in fact it's what is supposed to happen in a relationship. No one can handle everything that is thrown at them. Sometimes you break down emotionally. That doesn't make you weak.
As for Al, I was really horrified by his betrayal. I really thought he and Christina would get together, not Christina and Will. Will's fate was awful, but what else could Tris do? It was catch 22.
I enjoyed Divergent, though it didn't blow me away like I thought it would. I've hardly ever seen a bad review of this book and I'm not about to add one to it, but it didn't go the whole way for me. I award Divergent 4/5.
If you read the Hunger Games and are looking for a great read to follow them with I highly suggest this book! It took me two days to read this book because once I picked it up I could not put it down. If you plan on reading this book I would highly suggest waiting until you have a lot of time because once you start reading you wont ever want to stop.
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