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lolasbooks12's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Classism, and Deportation
jessicabearbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Wow. This world and these characters are so real and easy to connect with. I loved the relationship dynamics between characters - especially Tris and Four. Each character was believable and it was clear that each was an individual with a backstory and reasons for actions - all the secondary character arcs were in depth and well executed without being the focus of the story.
The plot was well paced and set up well for the next book. I'm really excited to start Insurgent because the world building and plot just from this first book is crazy! I've wanted to get into this series for a while and I'm so glad I've finally started because it really lives up to the hype. So far there's been a great balance of romance/tension, action, and world building.
And GIRL . The characters are so fuckable.
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Death of parent, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Blood
alexmall029's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
elija_20's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
As someone who watched the films first and loved them, I can confidently say the books are SO much better. I loved all the little details and plot points that the film missed and just the description of Tris’ emotions that couldn’t be translated to film.
One piece of advice I would give if you are reading this after watching the films is that the characters of Tris and especially Four are (in my opinion) very different to the books compared to the films. I would recommend starting the books with this in mind and you will enjoy it and relate to the characters better.
Even if you haven’t watched the films, oh my goodness I would recommend this book to anyone. Cant wait to read the next one.
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Stalking, Sexual harassment, and War
Minor: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, and Alcohol
ilaronicly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Bullying, Suicide, Violence, Blood, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Sexual assault and Vomit
dragonsreadtoo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Because of this many choices that the characters makes feel weird, unnecessary or down right dumb.
As a dystopian it fails to make a debate about the current topics.
But it has a lot of action and if you just want a quick read without much to think about I would say this would work. Just check the trigger warnings.
I do kinda like that the romantic interest thinks of Tris as a strong person and treat her as such. I just wished that the characters felt more real.
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death of parent, and Classism
Minor: Child abuse, Violence, Murder, and Sexual harassment
mermaidmommy19's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Suicide, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
sarahflanders's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Classism
melsage1823's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Its really impressive throughout as we follow Tris through her journey of accepting herself. We see the struggles she has to face in a society that she doesn't conform to. This maybe because I'm Neurodivergent but I found her very relatable and likeable throughout.
Other side characters were brilliant such as Four/Tobias, Christiana, Will, Al, Caleb and Tori. She has amazing friends and enemies that go on their own journeys but are also there to help develop Tris. Absolutely incredible. Tobias also goes on an incredible character as Tris allows him to become more vulnerable. Enemies to Lovers is one of my absolute favourite dynamics as it creates character development and makes the characters grow for the better.
I also liked how the villian wasn't really one certain character it was the faction system that had corrupted the characters in certain ways.
Can't wait to read the next book.
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Violence, Death of parent, War, and Classism
readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
That being said, I think this is one of the few examples where the movie is better than the book. The plot in the movie is much more cohesive, covering important details without repetition and dragging them out, and characters that are much more consistent in personality. I also wasn’t a big fan of the plot bouncing around.
By cohesiveness I mean that there were just so many moments that could have been combined, altered, or switched around for a more compact story. I think each moment added something but it could have been done differently, like in the movie. There is so much more focus on the goals because of how everything is put together.
The book also has tons of repetition and drawn out arcs without fully delving into them. That applies to the characters as well as plot. I felt like we constantly were hearing how strong Tris is and how much she doesn’t want people to see her as weak, and there were moments that displayed that better in her actions. It could have been left at that, like in moments where she thought about comforting Al or Caleb, and decided not to. If anything it bothered her to see that “weakness” displayed. I like that Tris is a flawed character who feels she has to prove herself, especially given her age, but it became overkill at times. We see that Tris is strong, and that she’s worried about people not seeing her as strong, so it didn’t need to be states so much. There was also just so much of Tris getting through all the challenges and sims to become dauntless, which in retrospect is a subplot to the major plot. I think the movie was better at showing how she was navigating the world as Divergent and finding out what that meant in the midst of her training.
I also liked the personalities for the characters more in the movie, because we see moments of that in books, but it can be a bit inconsistent or less favorable. I think Four and Tori are better portrayed in the movies.
Ultimately I think what is happening here is a big plot that is so dependent on who they are and where they fit in and other aspects that movie or shape the plot get overlooked. It also is not as creative as I remembered. Once more, with the movie outshining in terms of world building.
However, despite all the criticisms, I can still see why it got adapted because there is a lot of potential and you still end up invested in the characters.
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Mental illness, Vomit, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death
Homelessness, comment about scalping, near-drowning.