Heads up this is going to be a long post, sorry but it’s worth it!
I love to read! I’m one if those people who gets absorbed in books, I love to live in the world that books create! Not many of my friends read for fun and growing up my dad always told me that he was so proud that I love to read for fun. He told me that no matter how our finances were, he would always have money to buy me books even if we had to cut back in budgeting somewhere else.
Barnes and Noble is my bookstore of choice, I just love it. When I bought Hunger Games it suggested Divergent for those who read and enjoyed the Hunger games series. It sounded good but I didn’t pick it up immediately. When I saw the preview for Divergent I got excited to see it and my friend Kristy told me I should hurry up and read it before it came out. I like to have books on my bookshelf but it was the week to pay bills so I couldn’t buy it, Kristy sent me a link she found to read it for free online.
I saw the movie last night and here is my review for both the book and the movie! My review is about things I liked and didn’t like about the movie and book so I’ll try to do this without spoiling too much but SPOILER ALLERT!!!!!
Divergent the book: (with a synopsis)
I could not put it down!! I finished the book in 5 days, during a week where I had school and worked 38 hours. I stayed up late to read it and read it during class (MAJOR case of senioritis and a love for books).
Tris is a citizen of the Abnegation factor, which is known for being selfless. Although she finds it hard to be naturally as selfless as the rest of her faction. It’s her time to take the test which tells people what faction they are best suited for based on their choices in a simulation test. When Tris takes the test she is able to control it in the way that she reminds her self that the situation isn’t real so she can manipulate the outcome.
Because of the way she can control the simulation her test results are inconclusive, she is Divergent. When the time comes to choose which faction she will live in, she chooses Dauntless which is known for bravery. The initiation stage of becoming Dauntless are brutal. The first stage pushes them to their breaking point physically day after day. The second stage tests their mental strength and the third stage tests them emotionally. The fights are brutally vivid, and Tris’ Divergent status makes her a target so she must keep it a secret.
Tris finds herself falling for the initiate leader Four who is strong, stern, and deals Tris some tough love. When the faction Erudite (known for being smart) creates a simulation system that controls the Dauntless, they use the Dauntless soldiers to attack and over throw the Abnegation leaders who are the governmental type decision makers.
When the simulation serum doesn’t work on Tris’, her Divergent side is revealed she must protect herself as well as the ones she loves and the people of Abnegation. Tris finds out that Four is Divergent as well and together they set out to fight and make things right.
The book is intense and has the message of self discovery as well as standing up for what you believe in and what is right. It made me miss kickboxing (random thoughts that come up while reading about the fights), and want to work out to become stronger.
Divergent the movie:
It’s said that movies aren’t as good as the books they are made from, but the Divergent movie was up to par! Just like the book I loved it!
The movie was longer than I expected, and seemed long while watching it but it was with it. They didn’t miss the important details, and I’m glad they didn’t cut back.
I understand that it’s a movie is targeted at teens but the fighting in the book was brutal and the movie didn’t capture how intense the training/initiation was, and this is bit sadistic but there was a beautiful quality to how brutal and vivid it was. It showed how they pushed through and became stronger because of it. It was their transformation into becoming Dauntless.
Since I read the book, I know about the little details about how the characters act and think. I wish that during Four’s fear simulator he seemed more stressed out. It’s suppose to be his biggest fears and In the book, Tris is the one who talk Four through them and into claiming down and overcoming the situations, it shows Four’s vulnerable side and it makes their relationship stronger. I also wish they showed how evil Peter is, instead they just made him seem a little bit like a bully and in the movie you don’t really grasp how cruel he was. They also didn’t fully express how close Tris was with Christina, Will, and Al. So when Al dies it doesn’t seem as emotional and same goes with when she has to kill Will.
There was a twist in the ending. Instead of Four shutting the Erudite system down after Tris snaps him out of the simulation control, Together Four and Tris fight the Erudite running the system. In quick thinking to get Janine to shut the system down (since she’s willing to die instead), Tris injects Janine with the simulation control serum and demands her, which she has to obey because of the simulation, to shut the system down. Personally I liked the ending in the book because that’s how it was but I liked the small change in the movie ending better.
Overall I loved both the book and the movie! I definite recommend reading and seeing it! I’m going to start posting reviews of other books I’ve read so you can get a sense of the types of books I like to read (although there is a wide variety). If you have the same taste in books hopefully I can share some new ones with you!
I’m always looking for new books!
What are some of your favorite books?
– K
Sweet N Splendor 