Book Review: The Divergent Series

I tend to go through periods where I read certain types of books. Right now I'm on a memoir kick since I just finished that memoir writing class. For a while, I plowed through a series of sports biographies. Last year, I read a bunch of dystopian novels. I began with The Hunger Games trilogy, then moved on to the Matched series, then the Delirium trilogy, then Pretties, then The Program and then finally Divergent.

By the time I got to Divergent, I was pretty worn down by these action-packed, but -- let's face it -- rather depressing series and I didn't really give the novel the attention it deserved. I read through it quickly, then put it aside, not bothering to finish the trilogy. My friend insisted that the sequel, Insurgent, was even better than the first, but I needed a break from these bleak stories.

Well, I recently saw Divergent: The Movie and enjoyed it -- and decided to give the series another chance. For the most part, I'm glad I did. There are minor spoilers ahead; I'm keeping them pretty vague, but read at your own risk.

The first book is well-written and well-paced. Readers are introduced to this futuristic society, which takes place in what was once Chicago. Almost everyone lives in five "factions," which are Abnegation, Erudite, Dauntless, Amity and Candor. At 16, teens take an aptitude test to determine which faction they'll most likely fit. Those unfortunate souls who don't fit in anywhere or are kicked out of a group are "factionless" and have to survive on the streets. Our narrator, Beatrice "Tris" Prior, is an anomaly because she qualifies for three factions... and is therefore "divergent."

Tris, who was raised an Abnegation, chooses Dauntless, and we follow her as she endures a grueling initiation period (think boot camp on steroids). During this time, she falls for one of her instructors, nicknamed "Four." As she grows stronger and their relationship deepens, she learns of a faction leader's evil plans ... and it's up to Tris to be the hero.

Insurgent picks up in the middle of the conflict and Tris' physical and mental strength are really challenged. And then everything falls apart in the final book, Allegiant.

I really liked Tris in the first two books. She's strong and tough, but isn't perfect. I rooted for her to win her fight, and I loved her relationship with Four. In some cases, it was a little hard to buy that a 16-year-old would react in such mature ways, but I could easily suspend my disbelief because the society was so extreme.

The story itself also moved along nicely in the first two books. The secondary characters were interesting and you really got to know the ins and outs of this particular society. In fact, Future Chicago was a character itself which tied everything together.

Unfortunately, Allegiant did not live up to the other books. For one thing, it's written from Tris and Four's points of view. I usually like when there are different narrators, but they sounded exactly the same! I'm not a huge fan of the Twilight series, but the one positive thing I'll say about those books is that in Jacob's chapters, he sounded very different from Bella.

My second issue with Allegiant is that Chicago is an afterthought. Yes, our heroes finally get to see what's "outside the fence," but there is still a lot going on inside the city -- and we're mostly told about it from second-hand sources. I don't want to hear about major events taking place; I want to SEE them. It's that whole show vs. tell concept... and in this case, there was way too much telling.

The worst thing about Allegiant is that it's dull and the main reveal doesn't make much sense. It took me over a week to finish it, which is long for me, and I really made it to the end out of obligation. There are many new characters introduced whom we just don't have the time to get to know or care about and there is a lot of exposition. I wasn't bothered by the controversial ending, but by the time the Big Event happened, I was just ready for the book to reach its conclusion.

It's a shame that Allegiant was such a disappointment because I think that author Veronica Roth is talented and has a lot of potential. She's only in her 20s, so she's still very young and I'm wondering if the pressure of writing such a popular series got to her? I felt as if this last book were rushed and not very well thought out ... and I can imagine her struggling to reach a particular deadline, especially with the movie coming out. I hope she gets to take a breather and really have time to plot out her next work (if she chooses to write something else) because I'm eager to see what she comes up with. Since I did like 2/3 of her series, I'm definitely going to give Roth another chance.

Do I recommend Divergent? Yes ... with the warning that you might not like the ending. The series was worth reading, though, because I did enjoy the story along the way.

Please check out my YA romance novel REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD.

Writing A YA Novel: Thoughts On Love Triangles

For 14 years, I watched soap operas all day, every day for my job, and for the most part was a fan. But there was one storyline staple that drove me a little crazy -- and not in a good way. The love triangle.

I realize that I'm probably in the minority, but love triangles tended to exhaust and not thrill me. For starters, most people I know aren't involved in a love triangle, at least not in the way they're done on soaps. They don't have two hot guys or girls chasing after them, doing whatever it takes to win the object of their affections. Sure, it's a fantasy to have not one, but two desirable people pining for a character, but to me, this isn't sexy. I never enjoyed watching two women scheme, lie and demean themselves to "win" a man or for men to act like wishy-washy jerks as they waffled between two desperate women. Eventually, I wanted all three players to disappear -- which I don't think was the intention of the story.

To be fair, there were a few triangles that were done very well and that I could get into. I liked classic Ridge/Taylor/Brooke on BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL and John/Marlena/Kristen on DAYS OF OUR LIVES. In each, the characters all had history with one another and you could understand their reasons why they fought for love. And Kristen was just plain crazy. While I usually got sick of scheming, desperate women, her plan -- to hire a lookalike to have John's baby -- was just so out there, it was pure camp.

Love triangles are a big part of many young adult books, as well. Where would the Twilight series be without the Edward/Bella/Jacob dynamic, for example? But in order for the triangle to work, it has to follow the same basic rules as the ones on soaps: a) readers have to know all three characters. How can you root for someone if you have no idea who she or he is? b) the two characters who are "fighting" for the girl or guy have to have equal rooting value. c) There needs to be a build-up of story with both sides of the triangle. You can't show scene after scene of one pair together and then introduce the third player without letting readers see WHY there is an attraction.

I did think that the Twilight series' triangle was decent. In the first book, Edward and Bella's relationship was established and in the second, Bella spent more time with Jacob. We could see why she was attracted to both guys. We also got plenty of backstory on Edward and Jacob so the characters had equal weight. In my opinion, though, the triangle fell apart because it was so obvious from the get-go that Bella would never choose Jacob. He didn't have a fighting chance ... and because of that, he felt more as if he were in the way than a viable contender. I personally wished that he'd just stayed a friend, especially since Bella and Edward had enough obstacles to deal with outside of the romance.

I loved The Hunger Games, but kind of felt as if the triangle between Katniss, Peeta and Gale was thrown in. To me, I just never felt any romance between Katniss and Gale; he came off more like a brother -- especially since it was stated numerous times that they looked alike. I did like the build-up of friendship and eventual love between Katniss and Peeta. Again, Gale just wasn't a contender and didn't share nearly as many scenes with Katniss as Peeta did. If he had, perhaps their relationship would have seemed a bit less like that of siblings.

As for my own books, I don't plan to introduce any love triangles. I realize that young love is fickle and that teens are at an age where they're exploring relationships. I really like stories where two people are getting to know one another and are forming a relationship -- and it's difficult to write about that when a third party is in the way. I think my idea of a "love triangle" would more likely be a situation where a character was falling out of love with one person and in love with another.

Love triangles are a valuable part of YA books and it adds to the fun of the reading experience when you can be "Team So-And-So." But a little simplicity in romance can be just as enjoyable.

Please read and review REVENGE OF A BAND GEEK GONE BAD.