Clif-Notes: Divergent

I love reading the young-adult books. I admit it. There is a certain "fun factor" in them that you don't get in regular books. I know it's a dumb argument but it's what I tell myself.
Anywho, Divergent is the story about Beatrice on her 16th birthday as she must choose what life to live. In an alternate Chicago (it's in Chicago, but I assume the rest of the country is something similar as well), everyone belongs to one of five faction: Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On you're 16th birthday, you must choose if you are staying in your faction with your family or starting a new life in another. Beatrice chooses the later, moving from Abnegation to Dauntless. However, during the "aptitude test", she finds out that she should belong to three factions, making her Divergent. For some reason this is bad and she must work her way through initiation without being killed and without letting anyone know her secret.
I heard of this book because of the Hunger Games and I have to say, other than the basic premise of female lead in an alternate America, it's not much like it. First and foremost, Tris (she changes her name) actually does shit. She fights, she gets beat up, she kills. She does what she has to to survive and it that means putting a bullet into another person's head, she will.
And what would a story be without a love connection? Thankfully, instead of the triangle crap and people fighting for another's heart, Tris finds her man early on and he sticks with her. I can live with a relationship. Not that bullcrap of werewolves and vampires fighting over an ugly girl. There is no love drama. Not yet. It is the first in a planned trilogy, with the second not coming out until next year, so I can't say that it won't turn into a triangle but I'll be pissed at that when and if it happened.
Sadly (kinda), I actually really liked this book. It has a lot of comparisons to Hunger Games but I think people forget that Hunger wasn't the first story to involve an America that is divided amongst it's people. It has a surprisingly good amount of action and just enough love that the ladies will be happy. It does get a bit repetitive and the story does stall a few times but this is the first novel from writer Veronica Roth so those are things I can forgive for now. On top of everything else, Summit has already obtained the rights to make a movie outta this, so I'm sure it will be ruined and I will be making fun of it in a few years but for now, I'm impressed.
A great, quick read and worth picking up. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea but it is good tea none the less.