I’ve been an avid reader for most of my life and I rarely go anywhere without a good novel in my purse or messenger bag. Last year, I found myself with less and less time to read for pleasure as my workload piled up. This year, I’ve decided to keep track of how much I read and set a goal of 50 novels to be read by the end of the year. I normally read three or four novels a month so 50 doesn’t seem like too lofty of a goal. At the end of every month, I will update you on my progress so far and give you a quick recap of the books I read. You can also read along with me and keep up with my progress on GoodReads.
For months, friends told me that I needed to pick up the Divergent trilogy. With the movie right around the corner, I figured I better read it now before someone spoils the end for me. I borrowed a copy of Divergent from a friend and the next day, I found myself half way through the book. I simply couldn’t put it down because there were surprises in every chapter. I went out and bought the box set because I knew that I would want to start Insurgent as soon as I finished the last page of Divergent and my friend didn’t own a copy yet.
It took me less than a week to read the fast paced trilogy. American author, Veronica Roth did an amazing job at creating a dystopian version of Chicago that comes across as almost terrifying only because it is so believable. The stories heroine, Beatrice Prior, is the perfect example of the strong female lead characters that we need more of in novels, films, and other forms of media.
The dystopian universe is undoubtedly a popular genre at the moment. The Hunger Games book series has been wildly successful and Catching Fire just performed incredibly well at the box office. As a fan of Katniss and the Hunger Games trilogy, I was surprised to find that I really prefer the Divergent trilogy. I was glad to see that Roth didn’t feel the need to include the ever-popular love triangle in this story. I also thought that Beatrice was one of the most memorable characters I have ever come across. While many novels set in a dystopian world have technology that doesn’t exist and government corruption that we couldn’t imagine happening, Roth manages to create futuristic world that doesn’t seem that far fetched.
If you are looking for a great thought provoking trilogy to get lost in, you should pick up the Divergent series. Don’t forget to see what I am reading currently on Good Reads and send me suggestions on what to read next on twitter!