Do you remember when everyone was calling "The Hunger Games" the new "Twilight"? Well, clearly they were wrong because Katniss and Co. is better than Bella and her love triangle of doom. But now that everyone is calling "Divergent" the new "Hunger Games," aren't you curious to find out what Veronica Roth's young adult series is all about? Especially since the adaptation headed for the big screen, starring Shailene Woodley and Kate Winslet, is guaranteed to be inescapable in a few short months.
So here at Punch Drunk Critics, we're ready to bring you into the loop. We're giving away copies of "Divergent" and Roth's sequel, "Insurgent," so you can get caught up on the series, know what to expect with the first film, and hopefully be inspired to pick up the final book in Roth's trilogy, "Allegiant," which was released recently. Roth's books are set in a future where everyone is sorted into factions, organizations that define their driving characteristics - Erudite, for example, is for the smart and clever; Amity for the peaceful; Dauntless for the brave and reckless. Each group has a specific purpose in society, and at each person's coming of age, he or she must choose whether to stay in the faction in which they were born or switch to another, completely abandoning their old life behind. But there's another kind of categorization, Divergent, which is cloaked in mystery and danger - and to which our protagonist, Beatrice Prior, finds herself drawn.
I'm in the middle of "Allegiant" right now, and they're all well-paced, entertaining reads; plus, any young adult novel with a strong female protagonist (cough: not Bella) is a triumph, I think. So if you want your own copy of "Divergent" or "Insurgent," send an email to punchdrunkcritics@yahoo.com with "Divergent Contest" in the subject line. We'll contact you if you win, and you can choose either book to receive.
Act fast! And then, get to reading. The film adaptation of "Divergent" hits theaters on March 21, 2014.
