Finished: 15 Feb 2017
Summary
A companion volume comprising of 4 exclusive novellas told from the perspective of Tobias Eaton. Each story chronicles his journey to becoming a part of Dauntless as well as the first time he meets Beatrice Prior.
Review
As a fan of the Divergent trilogy, it is a no-brainer that I would have this in my collection. Compared to several negative reviews I’ve seen, I did enjoy these 4 stories told from Tobias’ point of view though Tobias had never really been one of my favorite characters in the book.
It was a treat to be able to see the back story of Tobias’ character and see where his hatred for his father came from. Having only been given the insight during his fear tests, there wasn’t a lot to go on about this dark chapter in Tobias’ life. In The Transfer, we are shown the rigid behavior of Marcus Eaton, his father, who is set in the ways of Abnegation. Having a reputation to uphold, we are given a first-hand account of what Marcus does to Tobias when he deems his son’s behavior unacceptable. This story lays the foundation for the reader to understand why Tobias decided to defy his father’s wishes and join Dauntless.
In The Initiate, we are given an insight into Tobias’ journey to becoming a part of Dauntless. Much like Tris’ journey, Tobias had his obstacles and resident baddies to overcome. In many ways, I felt that Tobias and Tris’ journey were very similar and it was nice to see that Tori was a part of both their experiences.
I had initially believed that Tobias didn’t know that his mother was alive following the events of Insurgent. But in The Son, Roth rearranges our beliefs and shows us that before Tris came along, Tobias had knowledge of his mother’s existence. This story gave more context that helped link the events of the trilogy together.
Roth satisfies our curiosity in The Traitor when we are given a glimpse into Tobias’ head when he first meets Tris. It also chronicles the time leading up to the attack on Abnegation.
On a whole, Four: A Divergent Story Collection works as a prequel to the Divergent trilogy. So, if you haven’t read the trilogy, I’d recommend to start with this book – it gives a better understanding when you go on to the first book.
Rating
