Imagine being told you can only be one part of your personality. All the traits and qualities you have are filtered into one, and choosing the most prominent part of you is the most important part of your life. In the book, Divergent by Veronica Roth, the main character Beatrice Prior is tested to find where she belongs in this post-apocalyptic society. After being labeled Divergent, a person that doesn’t conform to one singular faction, she decides to switch from her home faction of Abnegation which emphasizes selflessness, to Dauntless, the warrior faction. This dystopian book tells the story of how Tris rediscovers herself as Divergent through new experiences and people, and the corrupt government and society she lives in. 

The fast pace of this novel was appealing to me because it made me want to keep reading. Roth didn’t waste time and had the perfect amount of detail while not over-explaining. Roth jumps straight from Beatrice's choice to become Dauntless, to her initiation and all the obstacles she faces in between. 

Veronica Roth uses very descriptive language in this book that makes the reader feel all of Beatrice’s emotions, as she’s feeling them. All of her happy, sad, brave, and fearless moments are written extremely well and allow the reader to feel like they are right there experiencing them with Beatrice. The diction Roth uses transports you into the book. 

In addition to the fast pace and diction used in the book, Roth also wrote Divergent in a way that always keeps you on the edge of your seat. She uses multiple twists and turns throughout the book, so you never know what is coming next. The contrast between Beatrice in abnegation and her in Dauntless allows for a lot of character development. This is shown through a major turning point for Beatrice: when she changes her name to Tris after joining Dauntless. Throughout her initiation to Dauntless, she grows so much as a person and discovers many aspects of herself. Tris makes many decisions in the book that are so drastically different from her old self. This keeps you guessing as to which of Tris's strongest traits will shine through in each situation.

Tris's growth wouldn't have been so drastic without the characters Roth created around her. The people that she meets in Dauntless, as well as her family, develop her personality. As soon as she switches to Dauntless, she meets Four, who she would eventually develop a special relationship with, and a handful of other initiates that become her best friends. We also see how the corrupt society affects not only Tris but the other characters. The characters in Divergent are overall beautifully written, and the development they endure throughout the book is exciting and adds to the plot of the book. 

As someone who watched the movie Divergent before reading to book, reading the book made me wish I hadn’t seen the movie before. I wish I could have experienced Roth’s incredible writing, without already knowing what comes next. Overall, I would rate this book 4/5 stars and would suggest reading the book before watching the movie to get the whole experience and to see Roth’s writing firsthand. Reading this dystopian novel allowed me to realize that I am lucky to be able to express myself, and see how being forced to behave as someone with only one personality trait can affect society.