I will sum this book up in two words: "Stupid" and "Generic".
Whoever thought up this faction system is an idiot. Seriously, you see no problem at all with making 16-year olds choose who they are supposed to be and how they are supposed to behave for the rest of their lives? No one knows who they are at 16, it's probably the worst time ever to make them choose anything! Also, training said youths to become killing machines that are supposed to police the rest of society...yeah, that seems like a really good idea! What could possibly go wrong?
Divergent is your average, run-of-the-mill dystopian YA novel, it's almost like Roth went through a check list when she wrote it:
16-year old girl: check
Has longer name but uses a short form of it: check
Doesn't think much of her looks, but is actually quite pretty: check
Some sort of initiation/training: CHECK!
Inexplicably good with weapons/fighting: check
Society divided into different classes: Check
One particular group of people got the short end of the stick: check
Instalove/fall in love with first guy who looks at her/Love drama: CHECK
One villain who has no redeemable features:check
One villain who isn't quite what he/she seems: Check
Government Conspiracies: Check
Conflict: check
Betrayals: OH HELL YES CHECK
Twists and turns:check
I'm gonna make two predictions about the other books:
1. The Factionless are going to F%&¤ shit up.
2. There's going to be some "everything isn't what it seems"/DEus Ex Machina-type situation later on.
Also
3. Someone is going to be revealed as someone else's close family member.
It wouldn't have been so bad if it hadn't been so painfully clear that Roth doesn't really know what she is doing. I couldn't tell most of the characters apart, and hadn't the slightest idea about how the city or the different compounds looked. There is almost no world-building evident in this book. Everything is just squares and rectangles and things, cardboard placeholders with no depth or life of their own. As are the characters; they're basically just names and actions that further the plot. People died and I didn't give a flying rat's ass about it, because Roth had failed in creating any sort of emotional relationship between the main character and those who died, and between the main character and me...
The main character was also bland, boring and at times, extremely annoying. She almost literally falls in love with the first guy who touches her, and when she gets to pick a new name for herself, to go with her new life as soldier and police, she goes from Beatrice to Tris... Really? Tris? Too bad there isn't a Creativity faction you can join...I mean, seriously?! I would've gone for something like Slagathor, The Undertaker or Mung the Destroyer, but that's just me I guess.
And don't get me started on the dialogue! Everyone sounds exactly the same, and their lines are so unnatural and forced I want to set my hair on fire!
I don't think Ms Roth has ever had a tattoo done or seen a gun,least of all been in the vincinity of someone using one. OMG, those parts of the books are the least credible of all! WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW!!! Instead of writing half-assed shit about a topic you know nothing about...or you know, watch a Yotube-video or something. You literally have all the knowledge in the world at your fingertips...use it.
I hate myself for not being able to put this Sloppy Joe of a book down, but by the gods it was exciting and interesting! Reading this book was the equivalent of watching a season of Pretty Little Liars. It's not good, but I can't stop.
You know what? Don't bother reading it, just watch the movie instead. You get a visual representation of stuff that the book sorely lacks, and that guy who plays Eric is hot so..