The Divergent Series - review and discussion

***I tried to avoid spoilers here, so feel free to read this even if you haven't read the books yet!***

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I first heard about the Divergent series the day that Allegiant (the 3rd book) came out earlier this year because it was all over Twitter and social media. I was surprised I hadn't heard about them, but then again, I took a bit of a reading hiatus this year. I read about them and immediately bought them for my Kobo and started the first book (Divergent). To say that I was hooked is a complete understatement. I think I finished the first two books in about 2-3 days while working full-time (so basically, I just didn't sleep ;)). At some point, I accidentally stumbled upon a spoiler online about Allegiant and although I started it right after the other two, it was written in a different way and I lost interest for a bit. I picked it up again last week and finished it in a day, so I must have just had to push through. I really enjoyed this series, and I would recommend it if you like books like The Hunger Games.

Here are my more detailed thoughts on the books:

Divergent
(Brief Summary from Goodreads: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.)

I loved learning about all of the different factions in this book and the dilemma that Tris faces right from the beginning of the book about which faction she will choose at the Choosing Ceremony. I found the book very fast-paced and I couldn't put it down. I immediately started Insurgent after finishing this book. I also enjoyed all of the different characters, and a few surprises along the way that I didn't see coming earlier. I can't wait to see the movie version of this book in March because there is a lot of action going on. In some ways, I think this book was my favourite of the three, but it's difficult to say that because nothing is resolved until Allegiant.

Insurgent (summary on Goodreads HERE).
This book shed light on a few new characters, and I liked that about it. I found parts of it to be a little bit tense, because I wasn't sure what was going to happen and it caused me some tension (but that is a sign of good writing, after all). I especially liked the ending and the way it set up the plot for Allegiant.

Allegiant (summary on Goodreads HERE).
As I mentioned before, I initially didn't think I would like this book as much as the other two. After accidentally reading a spoiler, I was sure that I could never be on board with the ending to this book. However, once I got into it, I actually enjoyed the way that the book was written from two points of view, and I found many of the events in the book interesting. The only complaint I would have is that I sometimes couldn't remember whose point of view I was reading when I left the book for a few hours and came back to it (but I could figure it out quickly). I have made my peace with the way the book ended, even though I don't necessarily agree that it was necessary. Veronica Roth has discussed the ending in detail because so many fans were outraged (you can find it on her website, but I don't want you to be exposed to the spoiler that almost ruined it for me!)

GENERAL THOUGHTS ON THE SERIES:

1) Divergent Series vs. the Hunger Games
Overall, the series reminded me of the Hunger Games. It has been compared to the Hunger Games all over the web, and I can see why. Both series target a similar audience and have somewhat similar themes. Additionally, I found that The Hunger Games and Catching Fire were similar to Divergent and Insurgent while Mockingjay and Allegiant were similar. 

2) Character development
Many of the characters in this series face difficult choices and I often forget that they are still so young (mostly teenagers). All 3 books reveal different qualities about each character, and there are many twists along the way. I found the characters of Tris (obviously), Caleb and Cara to be particularly interesting.

3) Challenging choices
This is a major theme in the series, and an interesting one. Many readers disagree with several of the choices presented by Veronica Roth, but I actually like the way the series ended (in some ways). I can't imagine being faced with some of the decisions made by 16 year olds in these books.

4) Dystopian genre
The series presents an interesting view of the world that is nothing like our actual experience, but there are associations to events and character flaws that are present in our real-life society. 

OVERALL COMMENTS:
I love books that keep me so captivated that I forget about everything around me and need to find out what happens next. After reading this series, I can't necessarily say that they are the best books I have ever read in my entire life (hello, Harry Potter series), but I would definitely re-read them and I am SO glad that I found out about them (especially before Divergent hits theaters in March!)

Other links to check out if you're interested in the series:

• Veronica Roth's website and twitter account (beware of possible spoilers, but she provides advance notice!)
• "Lord Voldemort" interviews Veronica Roth
• The Divergent movie trailer (comes out March 2014)

Have you read the Divergent series? Which book is your favourite? Do you like young adult fiction? What did you think of Allegiant? (No spoilers, please!)