Book Review - Divergent by Veronica Roth (plus a giveaway)

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Think Fight Club meets The Matrix, all set in post-apocolyptic Chicago.

I tried a few times to write a review of this book without gushing, but I simply can't. I LOVED this book. So much that I might even bring it on vacation with me so I can read it again.

The character development rocked. Beatrice went from being unsure, to scared, to confident in such a natural progression that I never doubted her transformation. Even characters not entirely central to the plot were developed well. As each initiate was introduced, I understood why they chose the faction they did. Even if it was a complete surprise at first.

And speaking of surprises, this book was full of them. There were twists and turns throughout the story, but I never felt cheated, like the twist was a cheap trick to keep me interested. Instead, the reveals made the rest of the story that much more satisfying.

With such an engrossing plot and interesting characters, I can't imagine someone not liking this book. Which is why I'm giving it away to celebrate my blogiversary!

"HAPPY BLOGIVERSARY TO ME" CONTEST
The last few times I did contests I did the extra entries thing and to be honest, it really sucked checking to make sure everyone was really posting what they said they were, so this contest will be on the honor system.

Prize: Winner's choice! I'll send you a copy of any book I've reviewed on my blog thus far. Click here to see a list. Anything that has a link is fair game. By my count, that's 28 books for you to choose from. Some new releases and some a little older. Take your pick!
Rules:

• To be entered into the contest, just comment below. Make sure you leave a way for me to contact you. Your twitter account or an email address will work.
  
• Multiple comments by the same person will be considered one entry.
  
• You DO NOT have to be a follower to win. Although it would be awesome if you follow anyway!
  
• Must be 13 years of age to enter.
  
• The winner will be announced on July 18. Once contacted, said winner will have 48 hours to get back to me with their address and book choice. If the winner does not get back to me, I'll pick someone else.
  
• Open to anywhere Book Depository ships.
  
• If hard cover and paperback are both available, winner may choose format. (Must be available on Book Depository.)
  
• You can get extra entries for promoting the contest. +1 for anything you do. Leave a link in your comment.
  

GOOD LUCK!