Divergent

I've heard people recommend Divergent by Veronica Roth for awhile, and then I just saw a movie theater preview for a Divergent movie coming out--which finally motivated me to read the book.  Divergent is about a dystopian society that is grouped into 5 factions--each focused on a single positive quality.  When citizens turn 16, they take an aptitude test and find out their best faction match; they then choose whether to remain in their faction of birth or switch to another for life. Sixteen-year-old Beatrice lives in Abnegation, the faction of selflessness.  Her aptitude test turns up inconclusive--secretly marking her as Divergent.  Beatrice has to decide how--and why--to keep her secret as she discovers a new side of herself in a new faction.

This was a really good book.  The story was interesting, and it was very engaging and unique.  It turned out to be a quick read even though it was a long book--probably because it was semi-addicting.  I liked Beatrice and a character named Four and felt like they were really well-developed.  I really, really liked the book, but for some reason, I can't quite give it the "love" rating.  Maybe just because it had kind of a negative feel to the story overall; there was lots of violence and death and unhappiness, so maybe that vibe just kind of turned me away.  But I am still super excited to read the next book.  Hopefully I can borrow it from a friend because I'm #62 on the library wait list.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)