Divergent

Divergent is set in a dystopian futuristic Chicago. Everybody is divided into factions based on their personality traits. At 16, they are tested and can chose the faction they would like to join. Though if they don't make it in, they become "factionless" Beatrice Prior starts out in the selfless "Abnegation", but decides to join the brave "Dauntless". There she must pass through a series of sadistic initiation rites just to get in. They have to jump from trains, fight each other and participate in brutality.
The brutality reminds me of the Hunger Games. Why is it that female writers tend to create these brutal dystopian worlds?
In this story, we learn that some people are "divergent" and do not fit directly into any of the factions. These people are also more difficult to control. She soon learns that the factions have drifted from their idealistic beginnings and become much more self absorbed. On of the erudite leaders has developed a scheme to control the minds of the dauntless to destroy abnegation and control everybody. Luckily, she and her friend are divergent and can fight the control. They eventually find her mother (also divergent) and family, and work to turn off a zombie army of dauntless.
The book also has some romance, lots of violence, and just about every trope from the "world is about to end, but one person can save it" genre. The did manage to make three movies from the trilogy. Though they tried to split the last book into two, but had the movie bomb and just stopped. Oops! I could see why. This book is not porely written and works well when the genre is in vogue, but is nothing special in itself.