"But becoming fearless isn't the point. That's impossible. It's learning how to control your fear, and how to be free from it, that's the point." 
 Divergent is set in futuristic, dystopian Chicago, where society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue. Each year, all 16-year-olds have to choose the faction which appeals to them the most, with the help of a test that evaluates their personalities, in order to find their most prominent trait: the selfless belong in Abnegation, the clever in Erudite. The brave ones are sorted into Dauntless, the honest into Candor and those who value peace above all are initiated into Amity. This is the story of Beatrice Prior, who doesn't belong in any of these factions, just because she belongs in more than one of them- in her world they call it Divergent. In order to survive Beatrice must hide her real nature and try to fit in. 
 This is YA dystopian at its best: it is literally packed with action- the kind that makes you not being able to sit still while reading-, plot twists, shocking betrayals and unexpected deaths. Veronica Roth manages to tell a story,which has been told a hundred times before (teenage hero fights against the oppressive and corrupted goverment), in a fresh and intriguing way. Usually when you read books like this, you kind of suspect which characters are going to make it through the end and which are doomed from the beginning- well, prepare yourselves to be surprised by Mrs Roth's courageous choices; when it comes to who lives and who dies, no one is safe in this trilogy. She also manages to stay away from many YA tropes, like love triangles (ugh), insta-love, angsty teenagers who just end up sounding like complete morons, damsels in distress who must be saved by their one and true love etc etc. 
 Tris is not perfect, and there were times when I was really let down by her rapid change of moods. For example, in one scene she is feeling terrible after one of her fellow initiates gets attacked and after a while she is jumping off roofs having the time of her life. But I guess, when you try to write a story where each moment something new and exciting happens, you don't have time to let you characters' feelings get in the way. Nevertheless, most of the characters are pretty well rounded and the reader can witness how Tris evolves page after page in the midst of her struggle to face her fears and come to terms with who she really is, notwithstanding the way her family, her friends and enemies see her. 
 The only big drawback is that, in my opinion,Veronica Roth fails to explain clearly how some things work in her new world. (view spoiler)[ e.g. What is exactly going on with the simulations and the fear landscapes? If manipulating them is a sign of Divergence how did Tris manage to get away with doing so in her final exam? Can everyone manipulate the fear landscape but not the simulation? And what on earth is going on with the trains? Do they never stop? Do they only exist so that the Dauntless can jump on and off them? (hide spoiler)] On the other hand, some plot-holes are to be excepted in most fantasy-books. 
 All in all, this was a really exciting read and I'm happy I've decided to pick it up, even if I'm a little late. What? At least the last film is not out yet!