Book Review: Four: A Divergent Collection by Veronica Roth (no spoilers)

Book: Four: A Divergent Collection
Author: Veronica Roth
Publication: July 8th, 2014
Source: Local Library
Read: July 29th-August 1st, 2014
Summary (from Goodreads):

Two years before Beatrice Prior made her choice, the sixteen-year-old son of Abnegation’s faction leader did the same. Tobias’s transfer to Dauntless is a chance to begin again. Here, he will not be called the name his parents gave him. Here, he will not let fear turn him into a cowering child.

 Newly christened “Four,” he discovers during initiation that he will succeed in Dauntless. Initiation is only the beginning, though; Four must claim his place in the Dauntless hierarchy. His decisions will affect future initiates as well as uncover secrets that could threaten his own future—and the future of the entire faction system.

 Two years later, Four is poised to take action, but the course is still unclear. The first new initiate who jumps into the net might change all that. With her, the way to righting their world might become clear. With her, it might become possible to be Tobias once again.

 From #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth comes a companion volume to the worldwide bestselling divergent series, told from the perspective of the immensely popular character Tobias. The four pieces included here—The Transfer, The Initiate, The Son, and The Traitor—plus three additional exclusive scenes, give readers an electrifying glimpse into the history and heart of Tobias, and set the stage for the epic saga of the Divergent trilogy

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My Thoughts:

I do have to admit that Four is an incredibly difficult novel to write a non-spoiler review on. That is probably why I have put off writing this review for so long. I'm going to split the review up to talk about each individual novella since this book was in essence four different stories. 

The Transfer

This is the first story of the Divergent Collection. This story unveils more about Four's past, his fears, and his childhood. It was raw and emotional. I could feel my heart beating as Tobias jumped on the train, jumped off the train, and went through his fear landscape.  It also relays the known, but interesting story of how Tobias Eaton becomes Four. This novella was beautifully written and full of action. I enjoyed seeing bits and pieces of the initiation Tris goes through also.

The Initiate

The Initiate was probably my favorite story of the collection as Four went through the initiation process. I enjoyed the action and adventure of this story. I enjoyed seeing that Four is vulnerable. He isn't as tough as the front he puts on. I loved Four's interaction with his fellow initiates and his rise to being a well-known transfer within Dauntless. 

The Son

The Initiate was followed by my least favorite story, The Son. This story shared the background between Four and Evelyn. It was interesting to learn about Evelyn and see many emotions that Four had kept hidden. I still found this story be interesting, exciting, and important to the book, it just wasn't my favorite. 

The Traitor

This story was the one I wanted to savor. If you don't know the ending of Allegiant, the emotions I felt reading this story would be hard to understand. Having Tris be in this story meant everything to me. This story is the one I held the most special and savored the most. The emotions I felt reading this story were real. 

Overall I loved Four. I thought Four was a great addition to the Divergent series and I can see myself rereading Four in the future. If you are a fan of the Divergent series I highly recommend reading Four.