In the second installment of the Divergent trilogy, we find Tris on the run from Erudite. As she travels through the factions and the factionless areas of future-Chicago, she seeks both revenge and to understand why Erudite attacked Abnegation. 
 As I read the series, it keeps occurring to me that Divergent is really just a speculative fiction version of The Breakfast Club. Everyone has partitioned off into little cliques that rarely mix, each has its own narratives, it's own traditions, and each has its own (false) beliefs about the types of people in the others. Then something happens and members of each clique are forced to spend time together, and to recognize their shared humanity. Sounds familiar? 
 Then I was describing the plot to my darling gentleman friend and, when I got to the part about choosing factions, he asks, "did they wear a special hat?" That's when I realized just how much of Harry Potter is in here, too. I don't think I even need to bother talking about The Hunger Games, 'cause, yeah. That one is a little too obvious. 
 And that's all okay. Divergent isn't great literature. I'm borrowing the books form the library and I won't be bothering to buy copies of my own because I doubt that I will want to reread or reference or just build book forts out of again once I'm done with the series. And that's all okay. It's proving to be a fun read, if cringe-worthy at times. 
 It's the kind of serious I like to refer to as "filler." It's a series you read between two amazing, impactful books when you just need to give your brain and your emotions a little rest.