26: Divergent, by Veronica Roth (2011 hardcover)

If you enjoyed Collins's Hunger Games teen series, you'll enjoy Roth's Divergent as well.  I haven't decided yet whether it's quite as good--I'll wait until the second book in the trilogy is released to make that decision--but I can tell you that I read through the fast-paced post-apocalyptic story over the course of two busy days, fitting some reading time whenever I could and staying up late to finish.

The protagonist of Divergent is a 16-year-old girl, coming of age in a society that has rebuilt itself after a devastating war by having people commit to one of five factions which live their lives based on characteristics opposite of those they believe led to war in the first place.  At 16, children must pick one of these factions, in which they will live out their lives: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Erudite, and Amity.  While raised by their parents within one of these factions, each new adult has the opportunity to join whichever group he/she desires, guided by the results of a virtual-action personality test.  While Beatrice has been raised in Abnegation, leading a life of political and humanitarian service (selfless people will do the best for others, it's believed), she has always struggled to conform to Abnegation expectations.  When she takes her test, she discovers why: she is one of a small percentage of people who identify with more than one faction in testing--in her case Candor, Abnegation, and Dauntless--making her one of the Divergent.  She is told she must keep this a secret, as Divergence is dangerous.   

I don't want to add a spoiler here, so I won't tell you which of the three factions Beatrice chooses.  However, suffice it to say that dividing people into five personality/behavior types started out as a good social experiment, but the system has degenerated over time.   Mistrust and corruption have led to divisiveness, and faction charters and constitutions have been distorted.  As divergent, Beatrice--or Tris, as she becomes known--is exactly the type of person that may be able to do something about this.  And, in TeenLit fashion, she wont have to do it alone, as long as the dark, sexy Four is at her side.

All in all, it's a promising first novel by Roth, and I'm looking forward to the second in the series.  And, if you loved Hunger Games as much as I did, it's at least a good read to kill some time before Collins releases some new work.