I read the Divergent series back a few months ago but haven’t read this one until now. Happily, I found a copy at the Rotary Book Sale. It’s even a hardcover so it matched the rest of my books!

Read: December 25 – December 29, 2023

Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia
Audience: Young Adult
Book contains: abuse, violence, emotional turmoil

Purchase a copy from Amazon.ca

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Adding to the World of Divergent

Two years before Beatrice Prior transferred to Dauntless, Tobias Eaton decided to escape his father. Things have been hard since his mother’s death, and he needs to get out. He, too, chooses Dauntless and goes through initiation, but interference by the Erudite promises coming darkness.

It’s been a little while since I read the other books, but I was easily able to get back into the world after a few pages. Tobias was one of my favourite characters originally, so I was excited to get more of his backstory.

I made this a weekly read, though I probably could’ve finished it in a weekend. I sped through it by listening along to a Youtube playlist compiled by Emil-Gelu Pantelimon, videos by JayMarii Robinson (the same person who read the three Divergent books I listened along to. The microphone isn’t that great, and there’s a lot of background noise, but the reading was good and there were very few slip-ups and mispronunciations.

This book, like the rest of the Divergent series, is written in present tense, first person, though entirely from Tobias/Four’s perspective. Instead of being separated into chapters, it’s separated into parts: ‘The Transfer’, ‘The Initiate’, ‘The Son’, and ‘The Traitor’. Then, there were a few really short scenes from the original books and what Four was thinking during those times.

Tobias/Four is a bit of a loner. He doesn’t interact much with people; not in Abnegation, and not in Dauntless (until Zeke forces him to hang out). Most of the characters we meet have already been introduced during Tris’s time in Dauntless, but we get a different angle on some of them. Amar, for one, takes the role that Four originally had for Tris, as instructor and protector (from divergent discovery).

Tris doesn’t come in until the end, so most of the relationships throughout the book are friends. A big part of the first section involves Tobias’s fraught relationship with his father, then later, his sad relationship with his mother, who he thought had died. Aside from those, it was nice to see how he became friends with Zeke, Shauna, and the other Dauntless when he joined the new faction. It makes him much more real.

The writing style is consistent, but differs a little from the other books, since Tobias doesn’t focus on the same things as Tris. He’s more thoughtful and careful—not as impulsive—but vague. He says himself that he has trouble with specificity. Still, he’s a good detective, figuring out what’s going on behind the scenes, and though he’s noble and wants to do the right thing, he doesn’t have the drive to act that Tris does, and this is reflected in the writing.

Each section had its own goal to achieve and did so quite well. The pace didn’t feel too fast or too slow, and I think a big part of that was because I liked the new information that we got about Four. He’s a very interesting person, and while we knew a bit about him, it was cool to get more backstory without repeating too much of what we already know.

If you were a fan of the Divergent series, you’ll love this book! It’s short and sweet, and contains some great bonus content.

Related Reviews:

Divergent Book 1: Divergent by Veronica Roth
Divergent Book 2: Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Divergent Book 3: Allegiant by Veronica Roth
A Divergent Collection: Four by Veronica Roth
The Hunger Games Book 1: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Maze Runner Book 1: The Maze Runner by James Dashner