“I am not Tobias Eaton, not anymore, never again. I am Dauntless.”
‘Four’ transports you once again into the world of the Divergent series but this time it tells the story of… wait for it… Four aka Tobias Eaton. I would have never guessed given the title and all. It is divided into 4 sections or chapters if you like, 3 of which are set before the first installment of this series, ‘Divergent’. The last section explores the first half of the Divergent novel but from Tobias’ point of view.
Now, I didn’t hate this book, but I didn’t love it either. I feel that I have to talk about how I felt about Four throughout the main novels to successfully review his character throughout this novel. I’m going to start by saying I never truly liked Four throughout the first Divergent novel. I felt he was too disconnected and distant which didn’t allow me as a reader to connect with him. He was not yet a crucial character which I understand and I can say that I enjoyed his character more as the series progressed, he definitely developed and became quite a strong character within Insurgent and Allegiant. However through reading Four I began to understand his character and his values which I really enjoyed.
Another point that I would like that make despite this positive is that I actually began thinking throughout the book that his character was changed too much. So drastically that it didn’t really resemble who he was throughout the Divergent series. Once thinking this though I stepped back and realised the wonders that perspectives can do. It changes your whole understanding of the character. Four really opened my eyes to Tobias Eaton as a character and I respect that.
Writing is another thing I would like to touch on. I am in no way a professional in this field but I felt that Veronica Roth’s writing style was quite simple. However it is expected considering her target audience. It lacks depth and for me personally it was just a very quick read that didn’t really impact me in any means. The wording was questionable at time as well but not so controversial that I had to literally put the book down and just grimace. For example that time both Tom Riddle and Snape used the word penetrate. *Shudders*
Whilst I was reading this book though, I was hit with a weird sense of déjà vu. I couldn’t quite place where I had read something like this before, not just similar but almost exactly the same. And it hit me about half way through the book. I have read something almost exactly like this but on Wattpad. It seriously felt like I was 13 again, reading a Fanfic in the early hours of the morning. This is in no way an insult though don’t get me wrong. Your girl only read the premium quality stories on Wattpad so it is really a compliment.
I really wish that I read this 3-4 years because I know I would have loved it. Over the years though my reading tastes have changed and matured and I no longer enjoy the Divergent series and story.
Some parts I liked and enjoyed and I did read the whole thing but I personally just didn’t find it to be a great book overall. It had its moments and it was ok considering it was a prequel novel as such, I’ll give it that.
I would definitely recommend to those who still love the Divergent story and it’s characters but it just wasn’t my cup of tea so to speak.
Rating: 3 Stars
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