I had been mulling over whether or not to read this book for a while. I'd been so enchanted with previous novels of Green's that I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy this quite as much. I like to think of John green as an author who, in many years to come, will be considered an iconic author of our time simply for his ability to make every single character he writes completely identifiable, even if you have absolutely nothing in common with them; for example, Hazel in The Fault in our Stars.
The book did have a slow start in my opinion, and I spent the first few chapters idly wondering whether it was going to take off at all or if I was going to have to struggle through to the end. I am pleased to announce however that it did pick up, although it didn't have me truly gripped until the last few chapters.
As with most John Green books, the action of finishing the book, closing it and laying it down next to me brought about such an intense feeling of satisfaction. I seem to get this with each of his novels-although I can't quite put my finger on what the feeling truly is. I say satisfaction, but in reality it is so much more. I feel happy, content, accomplished, relaxed-the list goes on, and I think it's so brilliant that one author has the power to make you feel so at one with the world, despite the ending of his novel not necessarily being a happy one.
Green manages to perfectly capture the awkward late teenage years when you're trying to discover who you truly are and show the world that you've got it all figured out, whereas in reality you're a hormone addled wreck who can only think of sex and relationships and when that homework assignment was actually due in. Reading his novels makes me so nostalgic for my own teenage years, but because he doesn't paint these years as perfection with happy endings and everything working out in the end, it makes me feel so much better about my own mistakes, and I think this is the true beauty.
John Green really does portray the world we live in with complete, brutal honesty and this is something that should be applauded and encouraged.
(I realised this has become less of a review than a massive fan post dedicated to John Green so, for want of coming across as a completely embarrassing super fan, go read the book it's good. I promise.)
Divergent has been all over my Twitter and Tumblr feeds for a long time. So much so, that I was debating avoiding everything to do with it as I really did not need to become emotionally invested in more fictional characters, however, with a much anticipated movie adaptation taking to the big screen this year, I thought it would do me no harm to see what all the fuss was about.
I was wrong. It was a bad idea, because now not only do I have to worry about the impending final installment of The Mortal Instruments hitting shelves this spring, I also have to worry about how they will portray my new favourites Tris and Four, and whether or not I will hate
the actor doomed to play Peter as much as I hate the poor guy who plays Joffery in Game of Thrones (I'm sure in reality he's a lovely guy but seriously, Joffery is the worst).
Anyway, I digress. Divergent was always for me going to be one of those books which either lives up to the hype and possibly even exceeds it, leaving me in a weeping mess in the corner of my room after the final page has been turned and possibly screaming to the sky whilst mascara runs dramatically down my face, OR I could be incredibly disappointed, wondering why on earth the money has been spent adapting this movie when we still haven't had City of Angels news yet. Luckily (or unluckily where my social life is concerned) it was very much the former for me.
I spent perhaps the first chapter feeling slightly confused and wondering what all the fuss was about. If I'm honest, I think this was more to do with beginning the book during my lunch hour at work than the actual novel itself, as once I got home, got comfy and actually settled to read it, I was completely hooked.
Veronica Roth has achieved something quite remarkable here, with a very believable take on a Dystopian future along with characters who are both charming and relatable. I am a big advocate for alternate universes, supernatural characters, magic and all the rest of it, but I am always left with a sense of disappointment when I've read the books, knowing that no matter how much I've enjoyed the story, it is physically impossible for a world like that to ever exist (I'm 22 and I'm still waiting for my Hogwarts letter). Although I wouldn't want to live in a society so divided as in Divergent, it is refreshing to read something that is plausible to an extent, and it's intriguing to get a new take on the possible future our society could face.
With the move coming out soon, I'm not going to go too in depth as I don't want to reveal any spoilers! I will say however, that the film will definitely be worth checking out, especially if you're a fan of The Hunger Games or Battle Royale. If you are like me, and prefer to read the book before the adaptation arrives in cinemas, I would again recommend this without hesitation.
