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Divergent #0.2

Four: The Initiate

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The Initiate provides readers with a glimpse into Tobias's Dauntless initiation experience, including an epic game of late-night Dare; his first tattoo; the beginning of his passion for training new initiates; and his nascent understanding of the danger of being Divergent.

30 pages, Unknown Binding

First published July 8, 2014

407 people are currently reading
42899 people want to read

About the author

Veronica Roth

50 books462k followers
Veronica Roth is the New York Times best-selling author of When Among Crows, Arch-Conspirator, Poster Girl, Chosen Ones, the Carve the Mark series, and the Divergent series. She lives in Chicago, Illinois with her husband and dog.

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5 stars
11,896 (44%)
4 stars
8,643 (32%)
3 stars
5,065 (18%)
2 stars
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1 star
312 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 817 reviews
Profile Image for Federico DN.
1,015 reviews4,015 followers
August 30, 2025
Action!

“Four” is accepted in Dauntless and must begin his faction training; but the journey is not easily paved, as a fierce competition arises between the various candidates, not to mention, some troubling test results that could potentially jeopardize his life.

This was good, more entertaining than the first entry. In this little installment we get to see the faction fights and the beginning of Four’s deadly rivalry with Eric, meet some new cool characters like Zeke and Shauna, cameos by Jeanine and Evelyn,

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PERSONAL NOTE :
[2014] [40p] [Dystopia] [YA] [Almost Recommendable]
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★★☆☆☆ 0.1 The Transfer [2.5]
★★★☆☆ 0.2 The Initiate
★★★☆☆ 0.3 The Son
★★★★☆ 0.4 The Traitor
★★★☆☆ 0.1-0.4 Four
★★★★★ 1. Divergent
★★★☆☆ 1.5 Tobias Tells the Divergent Knife-Throwing Scene
★★★★☆ 2. Insurgent
★★☆☆☆ 2.5 The Path to Allegiant [1.5]
★★★★☆ 3. Allegiant
★★☆☆☆ 3.5 We Can Be Mended [2.5]

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¡Acción!

"Cuatro" es aceptado en Osadía y debe comenzar su entrenamiento de facción; pero el camino no es fácil de transitar, por la feroz competición que surge entre los distintos candidatos, sin mencionar, algunos resultados preocupantes en las pruebas que potencialmente podrían poner en peligro su vida.

Esta estuvo bien, más entretenida que la primera parte. En esta pequeña entrega podemos ver las peleas de facciones y el comienzo de la mortal rivalidad entre Cuatro y Eric, conocer algunos copados personajes nuevos como Zeke y Shauna, cameos de Jeanine y Evelyn,

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NOTA PERSONAL :
[2014] [40p] [Distópico] [Joven Adulto] [Casi Recomendable]
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Profile Image for Sannie Hald.
592 reviews8 followers
July 22, 2014
Old review: stop rating before reading

EDIT: You may now start rating as it has been published!
Profile Image for Ida.
137 reviews241 followers
November 3, 2017
"I may have chosen Dauntless as a haven, but I’m not just surviving here, I’m excelling. I stare at Eric’s blood on my knuckles and smile."

We get to know the full story behind the Four - Eric feud, and it goes far deeper than I had imagined.

description

Where Tris never really felt or acted like someone from abnegation, Four truly struggles with the changes and how to simply interact with others.

“It’s okay to not be okay, you know.”

The Initiate follows Four through a series of events, like his first time drinking, getting his first tattoo, making friends, training and fighting. You also get more insight in some of the characters that appear in the Divergent series, like Amar, Zeke and Shauna.

description

I liked this short-story a lot, mostly because of Fours internal struggle and character building!

"I am not Tobias Eaton, not anymore, never again. I am Dauntless."
Profile Image for ☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣.
2,520 reviews19.2k followers
February 18, 2020
Q: “Guess you were born Dauntless.” (c)
Q: It never even occurred to me that I could be one of them, or that I should try to be. ...
It’s camaraderie and friendship and flirtation, and none of it is familiar to me. (с)

Running wild. Jumping free. Getting 'train legs'.

Some social-mingling with the 'Dauntless-born' (in soul only) Four.

Q:
“Joining a faction is about more than getting through initiation, you know...
For most of the Dauntless, they meet their best friends during initiation, their girlfriends, boyfriends, whatever. Enemies, too. But you seem determined not to have any of those things.” (c)
Q:
In her free hand is a silver flask. It explains a lot. (c)
Q:
Abnegation-born, Abnegation result, in a Dauntless haven. (c)
Q:
“So we have a masochist in the chair tonight. Lovely.” (c)
Q:
I know that for every good thing that comes along, there is always a cost. What is the cost of being Dauntless? (c)
Q:
If I’m going to become Dauntless, I’m going to do it on my terms, even if that means that a part of me will always be a Stiff. (c)
Profile Image for Mariah Roze.
1,056 reviews1,057 followers
February 5, 2017
I really enjoyed this part of the book, Four by Veronica Roth. I do wish there was more development in the extra characters in the story. I wish I knew their histories and backgrounds more, but I understand that Four was an introvert and didn't interact with them much, so it makes since that he wouldn't know this information about them. Also, in Divergent some people did not make the cut, some were hurt outside of the designed fights, some left to become factionless, etc. and in this book none of that happened. I wish a little bit of this would have happened just to keep it even more interesting.
Profile Image for Aishu Rehman.
1,077 reviews1,040 followers
August 20, 2020
This book is a great book. It's cool that they have four's POV and his life story. Also in the book it Talks about how four became a dauntless and why he is. It's just good to read about how he felt when he was divergent and how he felt when he meet tris. It's also another great book to add to the divergent if you really like it.
Profile Image for ♥ℂĦℝΪՖƬΪℕÅ.
230 reviews3,958 followers
August 15, 2019
4 I am Dauntless ★'s


“While wounds heal, they don't disappear forever—I carry them everywhere, always, and that is the way of things, the way of scars.”


“Abnegation-born, Abnegation result, in a Dauntless haven”

OH, THIS WAS SOOO GOOD!!! It's even a bit longer than The Transfer which is always a good thing am I right? I can't get enough of Four's POV and I love all this back story. It shows a whole other side to him which makes me love him all the more. Like his initiation and how he trained hard every day and every night he'd go into the fear simulation. I loved glimpsing the struggles he had connecting with others and watching him learn how to interact. It's actually pretty heartbreaking to see. But when your only real interaction is with an abusive father...you have to adjust, and learn how to navigate in this new life (alcohol helps lol). I really love that we got some insight into some other characters that only make an appearance in the Divergent series such as Amar😭, Zeke, and Shauna♡. I really liked Amar's character, he was such a great guy and he generally cares about Four. Such a tragic end. Zeke and Shauna are adorable, I love them! Shauna was cool and I love the whole dynamic with Four teaching her to fight. We also finally get the whole story behind Four and Eric's hostility toward each other. It runs darker than I ever dreamed. Ugh, what a bastard!! I hate Eric so much more now if that were even possible. Anyone up for a little game of DARE? Four gets his first tattoo!

On to #0.3 The Son Woohoo!

“I may have chosen Dauntless as a haven, but I’m not just surviving here, I’m excelling.”
Profile Image for Sarah.
3,356 reviews1,232 followers
Want to read
March 6, 2017
Do yourself a favour and don't buy this ebook if you don't want to waste your money.

As of 10th September it will cost you £1.99 for this ebook but if you wait until January you can get this and 4 other short stories (all priced at £1.99 each when purchased separately) in one print bind up that is currently available to pre-order for just £4.99 (versus the £9.95 it would cost you for the 5 ebooks!!!)

Four: A Divergent Story Collection contains all of the following short stories:
1. The Transfer: A Divergent Story
2. The Initiate: A Divergent Story
3. The Son: A Divergent Story
4. The Traitor: A Divergent Story
5. Free Four: Tobias Tells the Story
Profile Image for Prabhjot Kaur.
1,112 reviews216 followers
May 27, 2021
The Initiate is even better than The Transfer. Four and Eric's initial story is told and how their feud started. Four's struggles and Four's emotions and Four's development and Four's first tattoo and Four's first drink and Four Four Four.

I also liked the insight into other characters. Honestly, I liked everything about it.

Not Four but Five Stars.
Profile Image for Sofia.
233 reviews8,889 followers
October 24, 2020
One thing this novella doesn't explain is why the other initiates don't know Four's real name. Even if he gave "Four" as his name when introducing himself, how did he know he had four fears back then?
Profile Image for Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile.
2,395 reviews912 followers
March 1, 2025
An interesting look into the initiation process. You see Four starting to form his own identity outside of his father and Abnegation. Also has a fun cliffhanger regarding Four’s mother.
Profile Image for Norah Una Sumner.
880 reviews516 followers
January 3, 2016
“How to Be Dauntless: An Introductory Course,” she says. “Lesson one: It’s okay to hug your friends here."

I really liked this one.It was a bit longer than the previous short story and we get to read about Four's initiation and how he handled it.Amar is such a cool character,I really liked him and the fact that he really cared about Four.And...Four gets his first tattoo!

description
Profile Image for Sydney | sydneys.books.
864 reviews146 followers
July 11, 2014
APRIL 16, 2014 REVIEW:

I have mixed feelings about this. Mainly because of the author. Yeah, she completely ruined me. The ending of Allegiant <<<<<<< Cleaning 10000 year old outhouses.

Seriously though.

But there will be none of the characters that died in the Divergent trilogy (hopefully!) so i think i may okay but seriously: Veronica Roth<<<<<<<<< Justin Bieber

JULY 10, 2014 REVIEW:
Profile Image for Francisca Viegas.
204 reviews90 followers
April 5, 2015
«The Abnegation say, in hushed voices that the problem with many Erudite is their selfishness, but I think it is their arrogance, the pride they take in knowing things that others do not.»


I loved that I got an insight on some characters we don’t really get to know well in the Divergent trilogy, like Amar, Zeke and Shauna - however, I was expecting more.
Four was fully committed to his initiation - so immersed in it that he didn’t really do anything else.
«“See, I spend a lot of time trying to figure out what your deal is, so I’ve been asking around. Turns out you’re in here every morning and in the fear landscape room every night. You never spend time with the other initiates. You’re always exhausted and you sleep like a corpse. (…) Joining a faction is about more than getting through initiation, you know,” Amar says.»

Amar was a lovely character in Allegiant, and I had always wondered what his story and mainly, his relationship with Four before he was supposedly killed was like. He was funny and protective of him, and I ended up really enjoying their exchanges.
«“Let’s see which of your four fears comes up first,” he says. “You know, I’m getting kind of bored of them, you might try to show me something new.”
“I’ll work on it,” I say.»

We also get to see him getting his tattoo, and learn the motivations behind them, as well as the reason for the body part choice.
«I want to have some kind of reminder that while wounds heal, they don’t disappear forever - I carry them everywhere, always, and that is the way of things, the way of scars.»

Also, Four finally understands that not everything is black and white, and that even though his father did hit him and treat him very badly, he might also have tried to protect him. This leaves him conflicted.
«It feels strange, to know that he must have been trying to protect me. Like he’s not quite the monster I imagine, the one I see in my worst nightmares.»

The one thing that did not come out as believable to me was his fight with Eric, and mostly because of how it was described.
«My eyes are blurry with half a dozen different kinds of pain. I didn’t know it came in so many varieties, like flavours, acid and fire and ache and sting.»

I mean, honestly? You’ve told us over and over again how you suffered through constant beatings from your father, and only now are you discovering real pain? In a fight that hasn't even taken up a whole of five minutes? Shouldn’t he be used to pain by now?
Profile Image for Carmen de la Rosa.
613 reviews364 followers
May 27, 2018
The Initiate sigue a Cuatro a través de una serie de eventos, como la primera vez que bebe, se hace su primer tatuaje, hace amigos, entrena y pelea. Entramos en las profundidades de cómo Cuatro desafía su iniciación, cómo atraviesa las tres etapas: el entrenamiento físico (peleas y todo), la simulación del miedo y finalmente el paisaje del miedo. Cuando se da cuenta de que es un Divergente (los Divergentes saben que solo están en una simulación y no es real cuando se les inyecta el suero), trata de ocultarlo, de lo contrario, Jeanine podría descubrirlo. Pero Amar, que también era un Divergente, es asesinado por los Eruditos (por miembros de Jeanine) mientras buscan a rebeldes divergentes.

Conocemos la historia completa de la disputa entre Cuatro y Eric, y va mucho más allá de lo que había imaginado.

También obtienes más información sobre algunos de los personajes que aparecen en la serie Divergente, como Amar, Zeke y Shauna. Ojalá supiera más sobre sus historias y antecedentes, pero entiendo que Cuatro era introvertido y no interactuó mucho con ellos, así que desde entonces no sabría esta información sobre ellos. A diferencia de Tris nunca se sintió o actuó como alguien de abnegación, Cuatro realmente lucha con los cambios y la forma de simplemente interactuar con los demás.

Cuatro está trabajando duro todo el día y la noche para encajar en Osadia e incluso está ayudando a Shauna con las lecciones de lucha. Lo único que quería Cuatro era sobrevivir en el intrépido complejo, pero se dio cuenta de que estaba sobresaliendo.
Me gustó mucho esta historia corta, ¡principalmente por la lucha interna de Cuatro y la construcción del personaje!
Profile Image for Just Josie.
1,112 reviews194 followers
January 29, 2020
3.5 stars

“I am not Tobias Eaton, not anymore, never again. I am Dauntless”.

Four is going through his time as an initiate, and seeing some of his insecurities, and his fears gives me such a bigger insight into this character. This time in his life was a big part of building his character and I really enjoy these little snippets of his life.

Read: 29/01/2020
1st rating: 3.5 stars
Genre/sub-genre: Dystopian/YA
Cover: 3 stars
POV’s: Single -1st person (Four)
Will I recommend: Yes
Profile Image for Sharon Mariampillai.
2,257 reviews93 followers
May 18, 2025
May 2025 Short Review
Amazing Read

This was an incredible read. This is the second short story in the Four: A Divergent Collection and a novella that is part of the Divergent trilogy. I loved rereading this story. I really enjoyed reading and experiencing how the Dauntless training was like 2 years prior to the events in Divergent. I thought it was incredible to see Four’s transformation from being focused on not making friends and surviving initiation to becoming more approachable with the other Dauntless initiates. I feel sad about Amar. I loved this story. Overall, an amazing read.

August 2014 Review
I love reading from Four's POV so much. I loved this read because I am getting more insight of what is going on in his mind. It was very different seeing Four go through his Initiation process is so amazing. It is so different than Tris's which is cool to see from a different perspective. I love learning more about Four! I love Zeke and Shauna they are so cute. I also love Amar.
Profile Image for Dana.
440 reviews303 followers
August 7, 2014
The second installment in the Four quartet of novellas was a decent read. However I did find my mind wandering at times, it just didn't hold my attention as well as "The Transfer". It's been a while since I have read the Divergent trilogy and I might have enjoyed this story more if I remembered all the characters from before. 3/5
Profile Image for Howard.
1,995 reviews114 followers
November 21, 2023
4 Stars for Four: The Initiative: Divergent, Book 0.2 (audiobook) by Veronica Roth read by Aaron Sanford.

I really enjoyed getting back into the Divergent world. It was great getting to learn Four’s backstory.
22 reviews3 followers
August 27, 2014
The Initiate
4 Star - Four is learning to be himself, in a world that is not wanting to accept him.

This short has Four training, making friends, making enemies and standing out as the toughest sob there is.

I enjoyed this short because of the struggle Four deals with in learning how to interact with others, it is kind of sad, but has a real world understanding of what happens with the struggle one has when trying to venture into interactions with others, when the only previous relationship was to that of a an abusive person.

Four pushes himself to the point he must walk away at one point, as he is really finding his own boundaries and limits in this one.

Written for fans of Four, he makes friends and enemies here.

"His eyes are glassy and unfocused. His blood is bright against his skin. It occurs to me that I did that, it was me, and fear creeps back in, a different kind of fear this time. A fear of what I am, what I might be becoming." - pg 81
Profile Image for Bren fall in love with the sea..
1,905 reviews445 followers
July 27, 2019
I am all in on anything Divergent. I loved The initiate. It is a collection of stories told completely from Four's POV and it really does fill in the blanks on alot.

I loved reading this and I'd suggest any fan of the series check this one out. There are several other short little books in the Divergent series but this one is up there as it is told completely by Four and you will not be able to put it down.
Profile Image for Ali.
104 reviews4 followers
Read
May 16, 2023
I missed the Divergent vibes (book 1 I mean)
It was sweet to be back to initiation and all that
Profile Image for ℓуηη_σƒ_νєℓαяιѕ.
492 reviews67 followers
December 8, 2016
Why doesn't Goodreads allow us to do half stars?! 'Cause my actual rating is a 4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this one. We get to see Four as he goes through his initiation, growing stronger and surer of himself. He makes some friends in Zeke, Shauna, and Amar, who I absolutely love. (And curse Eric and Jeanine Matthews. I hate them. Like really hate them). It's great to see Four becoming the man we know in the Divergent series. Oh, and he also begins to understand for the first time that there's something different about him, same as Amar, and that bad things happen to those who are different if it's found out. Excellent little story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 817 reviews

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