I just could not put this book down. It had me hooked from the very first chapter. At first I didn't like the Dauntless faction, but as the story unfolded and I discovered the real Dauntless spirit, not the watered-down and ignorant version the corrupt leaders had turned it into, I came to respect it. I felt sad that people warped the ideals of their factions into something horrible, and that comment by Tris's mom: "Human beings as a whole cannot be good for long before the bad creeps back in and poisons us again." Wow! I have been having that same thought for a while now about our world. It's recorded in history and scripture, citizens of this Earth have found Utopia and destroyed it time and again. What saddens me is that I see it happening again. Our government started out as a fantastic, God-inspired idea, a democracy, and has now muddled itself into a tangled, partially corrupt web. I keep thinking about what our Founding Fathers would think of this great nation now, and when I read the words of Tris's mother it resounded in me as clear as a gong. 
 Enough of my soapbox, I just really enjoyed this book. The plot line was well built (Who else knows that Marcus is the next Big Baddie?) and the romance was well played. I will definitely be reading the next books in the series. 
 I also really appreciated the writing tips and discussion questions in the back of the book.