I've been afraid to read this book because of The Hunger Games. I saw too many similarities: dystopian societies broken up into districts/factions, rebellion in the works, headstrong female protagonists who inevitably play a major role in the impending civil war. I was afraid dystopia becoming a fad like vampires did, with its overwhelming prevalence after a blockbuster and thousands of thinly-veiled clones rehashing the same formula that the target-audience gorges on it happily without looking too closely. I'm still not convinced that this will not become dystopia's fate, but even the vampire fad had its gems, as I see dystopia does as well. This is one of them. 
 Divergent is what happens when you mix The Hunger Games, Ender's Game, and Harry Potter into a pot. It has all of the harshness, violence, and commentary on humanity you'd expect from the first two titles, and the sort of impossible trials and the idea of sorting personalities of the latter. Really, though, the book reminded me the most of Ender's Game, with the brutal fights and fear simulations the Dauntless initiates had to face. The antagonist Peter, and possibly his friend (An)Drew, further convinced me of the parallels. The tricky simulation mind tricks at a certain point really sealed the comparison for me. Like Ender's Game, I enjoyed it despite its tendency towards the dark, but like Ender's Game, this book is not for the faint of heart. 
 And then there's love. This is the main thing that prevented me from picking up the book before: the inevitability of the YA book to have an overdone romantic side plot, likely in the form of a love-triangle. While, of course, this YA book has romance of the typical love-at-first-sight that builds from glances to passion, it doesn't fill up every chapter and takes a backseat to the plot. It's more prevalent than the romance in The Hunger Games, but feels less forced. The two are a good couple and compliment each other well, as real people might in the same situation, though the romance did get cliche at times. Despite that, I really like the way it was handled. 
 Overall, I really enjoyed the book. It was highly visual, making it perfect for a film adaptation (which I have not yet seen). I did find some plot hole and the plot twists to be pretty predictable if one paid close attention, but my reading experience probably has something to do with that. All in all, I enjoyed Divergent despite any flaws. Like The Hunger Games, it's an entertaining, quality book with meaning that even non-readers will fall for, and that alone would make it great in my eyes.