I have a huge, almost to the point of embarrassment, literary crush on Tobias Eaton or Four, whichever name you prefer, Veronica Roth‘s Divergent series. He’s easily my next favorite character next to the protagonist, Tris. So, needless to say, I became excited when I heard that there will be four short stories about Four.
The said stories are mostly set before the events in Divergent and the first of the e-shorts, The Transfer, tells about Four’s move from Abnegation to Dauntless. It runs parallel to the first few chapters of Divergent with Tris also transferring to the same faction.
The Transfer is a strong opening for the mini-series, which serves as a prequel of some sorts for the Chicago-based dystopian. Readers may already know Four’s backstory, yes, but hearing it told from his more detailed point of view was interesting.
The e-short also offers answers to some questions readers may have had from the first book like his aptitude test result. Of course, we all know that Tobias got Abnegation but it wasn’t explained how exactly he got that. He just plainly told Tris that he got Abnegation, and if I’m being totally honest, I thought it was a lie; I thought that he got an inconclusive result, too.
What probably struck me most in this short story was the details of Tobias’ relationship with his father, Marcus. It explains much about the depth of his fear of his father. Reading that part of Four’s story will make readers understand why he felt so betrayed when Tris worked alongside Marcus in Insurgent.
The Transfer may sound redundant to some. It may also have offered fewer than expected insights on Tobias’ character and the few that were explained in this story weren’t necessarily secrets readers didn’t already know. It was an expanded and more detailed explanation about Tobias’ beginnings. It was a setting-the-scene story. But, overall, The Transfer was an enjoyable and interesting read. It reminded me of why I loved Four’s character in the first place that I didn’t really mind if some events seemed rehashed. Besides, there are three other Four short stories and I think as they progress, we’ll get to know more about this deep and secretive character.
Rated: 4/5
In Between Book Pages 
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