Hunger Games is the latest young adult trilogy to capture audiences. And because it isn’t just about a dreamy vampire and hunky werewolf, Hunger Games appeals to everyone; young, old, male, female.
And if you’re like me, you had a hard time closing Mockingjay after reading the last page in the fast-paced, exciting series. I spent a lot of time researching for the next best dystopian young adult novel, and after taking many suggestions into consideration, I believe I have found the next Hunger Games.
Author Veronica Roth released the first novel in her planned trilogy, Divergent, in May 2011. Since its release, its popularity has grown fast. Summit Entertainment even picked up the series and has begun the movie adaption planned to be released in 2015.
The novel surrounds Tris, a sixteen year old girl living in a society in which its citizens are divided into five different factions. Each faction is focused on a different virtue: Candor (honesty), Abnegation (selflessness), Dauntless (bravery), Amity (peacefulness), and Erudite (intelligence). In each faction, upon their sixteenth birthday, initiates must choose to continue to live life in the faction they were born into, or leave their family and transfer factions in order to become who they really are.
Tris chooses to leave Abnegation for Dauntless. She quickly learns that Dauntless life is not easy; she faces a number of physical tasks (combat, roof diving, human target practice and even death), and ultimately faces living life factionless, or homeless, if she fails initiation. During this process, Tris discovers a secret that unless she intervenes with, her family will die.
The young adult themes seep through the story early on the novel, addressing the issues of basic bullying. However, those storylines flourish into a more mature theme as the novel continues, with much hot and heavier stuff than Twilight.
If you hated the romance aspect of Hunger Games, be warned: Divergent has equally as much, if not more, forbidden romance.
Upon starting the novel, it took about 200 pages for me to buy in. I almost put Divergent down and walked away. But after walking through every book store with signs suggesting Divergent, I sucked it up and read some more.
After reading more, I was hooked once the story started unfolding. It’s almost like the entire Hunger Games series in one book; there is death, a government crisis, and even war. The novel is well developed, especially for being Roth’s first book. It makes me eager for the May 1 release of the sequel, Insurgent.
While Divergent sometimes felt long and dragging, it pays the reader back fully in the end for his or her time invested.
I highly recommend Roth’s trilogy to anyone who loved Hunger Games.
