Swoony Boy Alert! FOUR
Welcome back!! *pats chair* *gives you a cookie* It’s time for more swoony boys in fiction!
Swoony Boy Alerts are reoccurring posts in which we, and YOU, awesome reader, swoon together over our favorite male characters. Congrats and tackle hugs to our last swoony boy post winner, Miranda, who won a copy of If I Stay and Where She Went by the awesome Gayle Forman, and to Meg, who won a copy of Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor for her contribution to this weeks post. HUGE thanks to everyone who emailed with your swoon and suggestions, the response was overwhelming.
Up this week: Four from Divergent by Veronica Roth.
A little background on Divergent: In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.
By Meg:
I am crushing something major on Four from Divergent. I’m talking weak-kneed, googly-eyed swooning over here. Sure he’s good looking (tattoos, full lips, beautiful dark blue eyes, perfect hair, and did I mention tattoos?), but it’s so much more than that. He’s smart. I mean adorably borderline genius smart. He’s cautious, rugged, passionate and just the right amount of dangerous. He’s a perfectly written character who leaves you wanting to know everything about him.
Four is a smooth talker, and with lines like these, you can’t help but let out a girly giggle.
“Fear doesn’t shut you down; it wakes you up. I’ve seen it. It’s fascinating.” He releases me but doesn’t pull away, his hand grazing my jaw, my neck. “Sometimes I just want to see it again. Want to see you awake.”
and…
“Okay.” He laughs shakily in my ear. “Why is your heart racing, Tris?”
I mean really? REALLY?? *dreamy sigh*
He’s not perfect, which is probably another reason I love him, but he’s pretty darn close. With as beautiful as he is, the quality that draws me in the most is his strength. Everything about him screams, MAN. Even when he’s afraid, he’s brave, and he can calm (and excite) Tris with just a brush of his fingertips.
I fell hard for Four from the very beginning, and I needed a little ‘picsperation’ while I read, something to drool over. This is my Four. (christina: Because Summit has acquired the film rights to Divergent, we’ll soon (2015) see Four on screen*gaspswoonfaint* of course I had to share my dream Four, as well)
christina: Four’s path seems pretty clear to us as a reader: he’s strong, broody and intense, a major hard ass, and totally serious business about readying the initiates. He distances himself, oftentimes coming off as cold or indifferent, BUT BUT BUT (and here’s the difference between Four and a lot of other male leads who MUST PROTECT BECAUSE YOU’RE SUCH A DELICATE PETAL OMG) he KNOWS Tris can take care of herself. And while it might seem like he’s doing everything he can to keep her away, he’s really doing everything he can to protect her. And of course we have the reason he’s called Four…. but that’s sooper sekrit so you’ll have to read to find out.
Another great line:
“What’s your name?”
“Um…” I don’t know why I hesitate. But “Beatrice” just doesn’t sound right anymore.
“Think about it,” he says, a faint smile curling his lips. ” You don’t get to pick again.”
If you haven’t read this book, I just… I might have to break up with you. In fact, we loved it so much in my house (even my husband!) that I somehow ended up with three copies.
AND because it’s so important that you discover the awesome that is Tris and Four and the world that Veronica Roth has created, we’re giving one away. Leave me some swoon over Four, tell me that my choice for movie Four WINS (or even share yours), and if you haven’t read, for the love of god EXPLAIN YOURSELF (!). We’ll announce the winner next week when we swoon again and maybe… just MAYBE, have something super duper awesome exciting to give away.
