So far, 2026 has brought many surprises, and one of them was a new Divergent book. A 15-year-old series suddenly has new stories to tell. Or are they old ones? The Sixth Faction by Veronica Roth is a new Divergent series, a duology to be exact, that tells Tris’ story once again, but not quite the same way.
Title: The Sixth Faction Author: Veronica Roth Series: The Sixth Faction #1 Publication year: 2026 Length: 16 hours Genre: Dystopian, YA, Mystery Pace: Fast Story focus: Plot
Beatrice Prior is a girl from Abnegation who never really fit in. In her world, everyone belongs to a faction. A decision all have to make when reaching 16, and her Choosing Ceremony is fast approaching. There she’ll have to choose between staying with her parents or leaving her family behind for a new faction. But disaster strikes at the Ceremony, leaving a dead boy behind. Later, when her selfless Abnegation-perfect twin brother chooses to abandon their family for another faction, Beatrice doesn’t have the courage to make the same choice, so she stays in Abnegation. A decision she regrets immediately.
Let me just get a few things out of the way. No, The Sixth Faction isn’t a completely new story. No, The Sixth Faction isn’t a “fixed” version of Divergent. And no, The Sixth Faction isn’t a continuation of Divergent. The Sixth Faction is an alternate version of Divergent. Think of it like the new Star Trek movies (the Kelvin Era) compared to the original Star Trek. Or how Andrew Garfield’s The Amazing Spider-Man compare with Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man. Same story, different universes. And I’ll be the first to say it, I’m down for a Divergenverse… Diververse… Diverse…a Divergent Universe – there has to be a better way to mingle both words. If Spider-Man has one, why not Divergent as well?
I’m going to go over the similarities and disparities between The Sixth Faction and Divergent. I can’t help it. I read The Sixth Faction immediately after rereading the Divergent series. And even if I haven’t, this isn’t a new story to me, so it’s hard to look at it alone. Also, the majority of the readers will have read or seen the Divergent series, and I know they’ll be curious how both books compare because I was one of them. That being said, I’ll try my best to focus solely on The Sixth Faction for now.
I was very excited for this book and had no idea what to expect. I wanted to be surprised, and I was. Not only by the plot, but also by how the story is told. This time we have not one but three POVs. I’m not spoiling which ones. And they are a great addition. While I love following Tris, she gives a limited vision of the city. Since the population is so segregated into different factions, the scope of what we get to see is very limited. But this time, the world grew. This fenced city became bigger and fuller than before. The factions are more fleshed out than just a motto and some colours. We also know more about how they exist in the city. How they move. Where they hang out. And who they are.
We get to see Abnegation initiation for the first time. And that’s not the only one. Apart from a rule here and there, I actually wouldn’t mind doing that initiation myself. One hour of meditation every morning with the sunrise before anyone else is awake? That sounds like my kind of vacation. Where do I sign up?
Since Tris chooses to stay in Abnegation, we spend more time in the faction and learn more about how it works. The leaders of the faction are part of the government and also have access to the Memory Vault. Basically, a computer where all the important memories are stored, so they have a record of their history. It reminded me a lot of The Giver by Lois Lowry. It works similarly, but they don’t erase everyone else’s memories to make them happy. As the name suggests, it’s just for safekeeping.
This memory-saving technology exists thanks to the transmitters and receivers introduced into everyone’s minds when they turn 16. Before the Choosing Ceremony, every teen is subject to an aptitude test, where these tiny transmitters are injected, creating a simulation that will tell which faction is more fitting for each one. And those transmitters stay in the brain forever and allow access to different parts of the brain according to what the factions need. In Abnegation, it is access to memories. In Candour, it is disabling the ability to lie. And in Dauntless, it is to induce fear.
And fear was what met everyone at the Choosing Ceremony. A sudden attack by the factionless left behind a boy dead. Killed by lethal weapons in a city that doesn’t use that kind of ammunition. After private Ceremonies held at each faction headquarters, Beatrice is left with a bad choice and a determination to unravel the mystery of why that boy is dead and who killed him. This time, a mystery is at the centre of the story.
While Divergent and The Sixth Faction share some scenes for the pleasure of the OG readers, the new book stands on its own. If you’ve never read Divergent or know nothing about it, you can read The Sixth Faction without a problem. I’ll envy you though, because I would love to experience this book without knowing anything. Even though I still adored recognising some scenes and characters, it would be so much fun to be surprised all over again. Speaking of which, Roth did surprise me! Don’t you think for a minute that knowing Divergent meant I knew everything that was coming up. I’m still a bit in shock about that ending. But I’ll put my feelings on hold because the continuation is still 4 months away (The Last Testimony comes out in February 2027).
Tris and Four do meet. They get together. And that’s not a spoiler since in every book with a romance, the romantic interest is so obvious it can be spotted a mile away on a foggy morning. However, that’s not the only thing that stays the same. Most of the characters are returning characters, and it’s interesting to see how they now relate and get to know each other. It’s as if there’s a written fate. Things that are always meant to happen, even if a little differently. Tris meeting Four. Tris being friends with Cristina. And so, independently of how the story develops, they will always meet.
In past newsletters, Veronica Roth has shared how she views the sci-fi part of Divergent to be underdeveloped. The serums aren’t fully fleshed out and basically do whatever is needed for the plot. I never felt there was something wrong with it or a lack of cohesion, but this new way of accessing the brain feels better and thought through. The transmitters aren’t just a means to an end. They will make a bigger impact in the story. I can already smell some hints of what might come in the final book. And I’ll be slightly disappointed if they turn out to not be real.
These new transmitters, paired with a mystery from the start of the book, make the story feel more meaty. While I love Divergent, it does feel like a coming-of-age high school drama, but make it dystopian and violent. The book just follows Tris trying to pass Dauntless initiation. But in The Sixth Faction, there is much more. The different POVs also help to make the story more lively. It’s not just the world inside her head that matters. It’s the whole city. All the factions.
And all these big and small changes make for a completely different book. I had no idea where the story was going. It was recognisable. The plot of Divergent happens in The Sixth Faction as well, but there are so many differences that can take the story somewhere new. And even if it doesn’t, simply exploring more of the world and adding more information, it creates a stronger story, more complex, and more interesting. I just finished reading the book, and I want to read it again to be immersed once again in this world and see anything that I might have missed.
Veronica Roth set up a really interesting story with more avenues to explore than ever existed in Divergent. And now, after publishing 9 more books, she is a better author and more capable of leading this story to its full potential, and I’m here for it. Is The Sixth Faction just a money grab? It is, in the same way the prequels to The Hunger Games are. It’s living and working off the success of Divergent, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t a good book. The world-building is better and bolder. The stakes are higher from the start. I had an amazing time filled with nostalgia and squeals every time I recognised a character. And I can’t wait to see where this new story is going.
Goodreads | The Storygraph | Literal | Fable
