About to be the next blockbuster, Divergent by Veronica Roth is a fast-paced young adult dystopian novel. Already declared the “next Hunger Games” by popular culture, Roth takes us to a post-apocalyptic Chicago where you follow the story of Beatrice Prior. It is a fast paced storyline that by its conclusion will have a total of three books: Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant. A movie version is also set to release in March 2014.

Divergent takes a new look at a dystopian society. The people in this new Chicago have decided that the world’s evils were caused by society’s lack of virtues. As a result, they decided to implant a new system where five groups represent the virtues to keep society from destroying itself. These groups are called factions, and at the age of sixteen each person takes a test to determine what faction they belong in. The factions are: Abnegation (the selfless), Erudite (the intelligent), Amity (the peaceful), Dauntless (the brave), and Candor (the honest). After the test, the person must choose the faction they tested into whether or not it is the faction they were born into. The concept of “faction before blood” becomes central in the novel as Beatrice chooses her faction, and the consequences that come along with it.

The conflict starts when Beatrice is able to fit into three factions: Abnegation, Erudite, and Dauntless. At this point, her test administrator tells her she is divergent, but must keep this a secret as it is consider to be dangerous. Beatrice is left with a decision to leave her family, and choose a different faction. She was born into Abnegation, but as always felt that she does not belong. This is her chance to decide her fate, and create her own future. Her decision sends her to new experiences, and helps her discover the true meaning of being divergent. Throughout the novel, Roth creates many themes that young adults can relate to, but mainly she focuses on the importance of finding your true self even if it means abandoning all that was a comfort to you. She creates characters that like-able and relate-able even though they live in a very different world.

Without giving anything away, Divergent is a fast-paced, adventurous novel, which will keep you entertained for a long time. Roth pulls you into this dystopian society, and shows that faults of human nature, while still giving you hope for the future. I highly suggest you wait till the final book is published in October so you can read the series straight through and not have to wait.