Science fiction novels have been on a rise in popularity among teens and adults in the past couple of years. Leading this popularity rise are authors like Scott Westerfield, Robin Wasserman, and arguably the best, Veronica Roth.

Veronica Roth debuted Divergent, the first in the trilogy, to the world on April 25, 2011. Insurgent, the second book in the trilogy, hit the shelves on May 1, 2012, and just a year later, Allegiant, broke people’s hearts as the trilogy came to an end in 2013.  Thankfully, Roth made another book from one of the main characters, Four’s, perspective. The book respectively titled, Four, was available July 8, 2014. People got to take a look at the back story of the trilogy’s main character, Beatrice Priors’, love interest.

Divergent is set in Chicago, but the civilians do not have a specific name for it. The city is broken up into 5 different factions, Dauntless who are the brave, Erudite who are the intelligent, Abnegation who are the selfless, Amity who are the kind, and Candor who are the truthful. When the children of the city turn sixteen they are put through an aptitude test that determines which faction is the best fit for them. The next day they go to The Choosing Ceremony and make the choice that determines their future. When main character Beatrice Prior from Abnegation goes to take her aptitude test, the test administrator explains to her that she is Divergent, meaning she got more than one faction as a result. She explains to Beatrice she should not tell anyone because this is dangerous as Erudite leader Jeanine Matthews is targeting the Divergent. Beatrice chooses Dauntless where she meets her love interest and initiation instructor, Four. She chooses her new name, Tris, and begins initiation to become a Dauntless. As initiation continues, Four attempts to help her conceal her Divergence. Soon after, everyone is put under a simulation where Jeanine Matthews is controlling them and they cannot control what they do. The only ones not under this simulation are Tris and Four due to their Divergence and therefore resistance to the simulation. They, with the help of Tris’ parents, brother Caleb, and their worst enemy, Peter, must fight to stop the simulation to save their friends and neighbors and try not to get killed in the process.

Insurgent begins with Tris and Four on the run from Jeanine and the rest of the power-hungry Erudites. Tris and Four search for allies and answers in the ruins of Chicago. They have to find out what Tris’ family sacrificed their lives to protect and why

The Erudites will do anything to stop them. Tris learns sercrets about herself, her family, and what has been hidden from her all along. Tris and Four face one seemingly insurmountable challenge after another, as they unravel the secrets of the past and try to discover what life they could have.

Allegiant begins with Tris and Four leaving the walls of the city to venture beyond Chicago’s confines. Once they reach the outside, they learn new truths that change the way they always knew. Tris learns about her mother’s past.  Tobias Eaton, also known as Four, learns something about himself that will change everything he once believed.  Tris and her brother Caleb must make the ultimate sacrifice.

Four follows the life of Tris’s initiation instructor. We see him choosing his path in life at The Choosing Ceremony and denying his father’s wishes,  go though initiate training, meeting his friends, uncovering secrets, and meeting Tris Prior.

This book series is a definite must read, maybe even a read two or three more times. It was thrilling, mysterious, romantic, and sometimes dark. It made you want to keep reading and not put the book down. A solid 5/5 would recommend to anyone interested in Sci-Fi Fiction. In the next edition of The Stampede, there will be a review of the entire Divergent movie series, and even a comparison to the book series.