WATTMAG Issue #3

BOOK REVIEW: Transparent by @Gatubellina

Transparent by Gatubellina

"You were true to your word...thus proving your candor traits. You were brave, unafraid, and incredibly selfless; an extraordinary blend of dauntless and abnegation." - Transparent  

If you've ever read Divergent, you'll understand that divergence is dangerous and possibly fatal. Getting more than one result on the aptitude test can get you a life of secrecy, lies, and will end in death if discovered by others. Some would call it their end, Sage Stronghold would call it his beginning.

Transparent, the first of Gatubellina's Transparent trilogy, tells the story of Sage Stronghold, a candor-born teen who has always found himself to be truthful, brave, and incredibly selfless. Once his divergence is proven through the aptitude test, Sage escapes to dauntless, the only faction he believes he will truly be able to fit in with. Going through dauntless training is hard enough, but the real challenge is lying to loved ones, putting up an act around his new friends, and keeping his secret in the deadliest faction of all. The book revolves around the inner and outer struggles Sage deals with by hiding his divergence, while also entertaining the reader with humor, a cute romance, and a steadily moving plot (not to mention providing viewers with fantastic media of the characters). 

The book does a great job of drawing readers in, from a professional and neat cover, to the amazingly written story itself. Transparent is one of those rare reads that actually make you feel the emotions of the main character, all while dealing with your own emotions from reading the story! Every heartbreak, painful experience, and joyous moment is exceptionally described, giving both the story itself and the characters more depth. 

The most underrated yet amazing part of the story is the fact that all the characters (except for two or three) are original, yet have the feel of a canon character. In fact, I had to check to see if some of the secondary characters were from Divergent! All of them were extremely realistic and had distinct personalities, making it feel as if they were actual people. For me, this is the reason that Transparent was so enjoyable and captivating.

Aside from being well-written, the best aspect of the story is the different themes presented. Transparent's most commonly seen topics are morals and moral values, and how they affect your choices in life. This, along with themes like fighting for justice, evil, making sacrifices, etc., gives the book a more mature vibe, and makes you feel like you could be given an assignment to write a literary analysis essay on it. While Transparent is a great read for an audience looking for a book with deeper meanings in it, it does have a very light-hearted nature to most chapters, and aside from the sad parts, has an overall pleasant tone. I give the author credit for managing to write like that!   

Transparent is a one-of-a-kind book, and there isn't any Divergent fanfiction on Wattpad that I would choose over it. The plot, the characters, the twists, turns, and adventures in it are as original you can get for a fanfic, and I can guarantee you'll love it if you read it! So, if you want a book that satisfies your ~Divergent needs~, go to Gatubellina's page and read the Transparent series!

Do you have a completed fanfiction book you think we should review? Comment it below and you might see it in a future issue!