Divergent Series

For the next installment of that very specific genre that I like so much, I read the first two books in the Divergent series by Veronica Roth (and I am very anxiously awaiting the third, and I think final book, so like, come ON already!) Divergent and Insurgent.

The setting: Chicago, a couple centuries in the future. The city has the same landmarks as we would find now including Lake Shore Drive, Navy Pier, and the John Hancock building, but the city is now surrounded by a wall and the population is broken up into five factions that each have a different set of values:

1. Candor-- the honest
2. Abnegation-- the selfless
3. Dauntless-- the brave
4. Amity-- the peaceful
5. Erudite-- the intelligent

On their sixteenth birthdays, kids must choose a faction. Most choose the faction they were raised in, or the one they "match" with according to some super high-tech virtual reality test.

Our protagonist: Beatrice, also known as Tris, who is raised in a very conservative Abnegation household but chooses Dauntless for her faction after her test results are "inconclusive". Tris, who starts out meek and without a clue who she is, slowly grows into an incredibly strong woman who, like both of her factions, is both brave and selfless.

The love interest: Four, an older member of the Dauntless faction who helps Tris find her strength. He is dark, tormented, dreamy, and mysterious... you know, the usual.

What's so dystopian about it? Well, across both books (I'll try not to give too much away here), Tris learns more and more about the different factions and discovers they aren't as peacefully coexisting as she once thought. 

The verdict: As far as I can tell, this series has it all-- it's a coming of age story, has a strong female lead, the swoon factor is off the charts (in the first book especially), and has enough action (in the form of a revolution!) to satisfy anyone. I can't wait for the next installment!

A very specific genre

When I log in to my netflix homepage, the things they recommend to me are sometimes slightly, well, ridiculous. I will receive lists of very specific categories of movies-- categories that I didn't know existed, let alone that they were "my favorite". For example, "quirky British movies with a strong female lead", or "feel good sports movies based on a true story", of my favorite, "films starring Ryan Reynolds". Okay, who am I kidding-- I obviously know those are my favorite categories of movies, but I guess I was still surprised that Netflix could figure me out so specifically.

Well, I have come to realize that I have the same thing going in with books. My go-to genre has become something along the lines of "Young Adult futuristic dystopia novels featuring beautiful teenagers almost kissing". (Note. This is different from "YA fantasy novels featuring beautiful teenagers almost kissing", though I've also read my fair share of those!)

I think that The Hunger Games trilogy started it off, but since then, I have read installments of at least four other series.

Anyway, since getting a Kindle for Christmas (have I mentioned I got a Kindle?) this addiction has become even more of a problem since these fluffy-yet-epic reads are now only a click away. I'm ages behind in blogging about any of these books since I can't figure out how to write about all of the angst and take-you-back-to-high-school crushing without spilling the beans about the twists and turns of the plots. So, instead I thought it would be easiest to introduce the whole genre at once so when talking about the books/series, I can save some time!