Book+Movie Review: Divergent

Title: Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth

Genre: YA Dystopian

So, I decided to reread this book in order to refresh my memory before watching the movie. (I'm one of those sticklers that MUST read the book before the movie. I can think of exactly one time in which I watched the movie first before reading the book...and that's only because I didn't know a book existed until after I watched the movie. It was Silver Lining Playbook in case you were wondering.) To be honest, I didn't remember much about Divergent except that there were factions and Tris didn't fit100% into any faction and that the book was good. I mean, it has been a few years since I last read the book! Anyways, I'm moving straight onto the review to keep things short and simple; I'm not going to bother to recap the whole novel because you can probably just search it up on Google :-P

I love Tris' character. Sure, she doesn't start out as a kick-ass heroine (like June), but she definitely has her own merits. She is logical, smart and full of grit. She doesn't let her Abnegation background prevent her from being a full fledged dauntless. I love how she holds her ground, but also knows that she need to pick and choose her battles. Basically, Tris is a well developed character who was wonderful to watch as she gained more self confidence.

The book has a killer plot! At first, you think that you're just reading another dystopian novel in which a girl struggles to fit into society. But then there is quite a plot twist and suddenly there seems to be a sinister/sci-fi-y overcast to the book, which I loved. 

And although there were quite a few scenes that were vital to the main plot of the novel, I still devoured every page of Divergent because the writing was amazing the the author's imagination really had me on the edge of my seat. I have placed Insurgent on hold at the library, now that I've finished the first book. Actually, I have read Insurgent before, but all I remember about the book is that I didn't find it compelling enough for me to read Allegiant. Maybe that will change...guess I'll find out soon!

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Review:

Wow...I am speechless after watching this movie. I definitely rank this right up there with "The Hunger Games" and "Frozen."  After being a teensy weensy bit disappointed with "Catching Fire" (*shields myself from a barrage of fists*), I wasn't sure how much I would like the movie adaption of Divergent. I had nothing to fear though! The casting was excellente and the sound track was beautiful. I loved the music that plays when the Dauntless are shown jumping from/on the train at the beginning of the movie.

I thought that the movie captured the essence of the book. I mean yeah, scenes were tweaked here and there, but the characters remained true to themselves and the overall message of the movie remained faithful to the book. The cinematic effects were also stunning and I absolutely adored the Dauntless compound! 

Eric was truly evil and gave me the shivers. Christina was well portrayed and really lightened up the humor when things got too serious. Tris...she was just amazing and was exactly how I pictured her in my mind when I was reading the book. And Four...he's hot...nuff said (tho there were 2 scenes when he had a really intense stare going on and that kind of freaked me out.)

I wasn't sure if it was my imagination or not, but I swear I heard some kind of radio broadcast going on in the background of some of the quieter scenes. My sister said she heard it too...so I don't think I imagined it. But it didn't really seem to fit with the soundtrack of the movie either. Does anyone know what is going on with that?

Finals thoughts: I would watch it again in a heartbeat.

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