Veronica Roth Has Surprised Everyone With a New ‘Divergent' Book - And She Explains Why (Exclusive)

One of the biggest exciting pieces of news on BookTok recently was Veronica Roth announcing a new Divergent novel, titled Sixth Faction.

However, her new fantasy dystopian novel, Seek the Traitor's Son, was released on May 12, 2026, kick-starting a new book series called The Burning Empire.

In Seek the Traitor's Son, Elegy Ahn suddenly finds herself with a new destiny, one that she didn't ask for or want. She and one of the most ruthless Talusar generals, Rava Vidar, are destined for something big. One will lead their people to greatness, and the other to destruction, but neither of them know who will do which.

All they know is that one man is at the center of their fates, and it's a man Elegy is told she will fall in love with. Theren's life has never been one that he has had any control over, but will doubts about him affect the side that he finds himself on?

Roth chatted with us about the development of Seek the Traitor's Son, as well as how she creates the book boyfriends we all wish we could have.

It turns out that the work on Seek the Traitor's Son has been a long time coming, and you can tell in the depths of the world-building.

"I started writing Seek the Traitor's Son in September 2019, and I wrote 10, not fully complete, drafts," Roth shared as we talked about the inspiration for the new dystopian romance, "They were bits and pieces, and it was really experimental. I just kept playing with the genre and the characters. It came together in pieces."

While the world-building took its time, it turns out that the interior with Elegy and Theren was where the story really fell into place. Roth just needed to figure out how to put them into a backdrop that was both interesting and dynamic, "I knew there was this tension between them that wasn't hatred, but something else. I was curious about that and setting up a love story that begins with profound failure and rebuilds after that."

Yes, for those who have wondered, Theren is a bisexual man in this world, and it's something that many fans have praised Roth for. While this wasn't necessarily intentional, it did come organically, purely because Theren "has chemistry with everyone."

Roth made it clear that she doesn't define her characters. Instead, she listens to them and how they interact, "This seems like an important part of the way that he's relating to people, and there's no reason for me not to include it. I just remain open and pay attention to why my instincts are telling me about the characters."

But if you think that her book boyfriends are the ones you'd want in the real world, that's probably not the case. After all, they are a little bit "moody" for most.

I had to ask how she goes about creating these book boyfriends, though, because they are well-crafted and layered, and she shared, "They're often an exaggeration of something that we find appealing in real life, such as the stereotypical alpha male character in romance is an exaggeration of confidence. You wouldn't actually want to be bossed around by a man like that in real life, but you enjoy the fantasy of reading about it, because it's this quality that is quite appealing in real life."

Theren's exaggeration is that of sensitivity and emotional intelligence, with Roth going on to explain, "I really like that tension in him of someone who can take care of business, but is also preternaturally aware of the people around him."

It's not just the male characters we find ourselves connecting to in Roth's worlds. Elegy is formidable as she figures out what she believes and wants in Seek the Traitor's Son, and many of us fell in love with Tris' development throughout the Divergent series. These women can tackle problems without becoming Mary Sues, and I wanted to understand how Roth finds balance in that.

"I don't think I always have a plan, so it feels important from the start to have rules," Roth admitted, "A rule I set for myself with Divergent is that Tris would always have agency, which is not what real life is like for a teenager. I think reading about a teenager who controls their destiny, even if they're leading to their own downfall, is very interesting."

While she's no longer as strict about things as she was during the Divergent series, it is something she still thinks about, and much of that stems from the female characters she read growing up.

"I would read these female characters who were passive and just being ferried along by the narrative. I just prefer something else. I want them to be flawed, because the character doesn't have to be perfect in order for you to like them."

Of course, the big news for Divergent fans is that there is a new duology coming up, starting with The Sixth Faction. This is an alternate universe, and Roth wouldn't delve too much into the spoilers, just sharing that Tris "makes a different choice that's not what you would expect."

While some may claim that Roth is simply going back to something that makes her money, it's got nothing to do with that. I got to ask Roth about why she chose to revisit the world of Divergent, and a lot of it is to do with the negativity she's received over the years, admitting, "I took that to heart, and maybe not everyone would, but I'm an anxious person."

"My strategy of ignoring them in order to protect myself was not working," She continued, "So I thought a better way to deal with it would be to lighten the load, and the best way that I knew how to do that was to make something new in an alternate universe."

There is another layer to it, though. After all, writing the novels was a positive experience for her, and she wanted to "enjoy Divergent again, and celebrate it."

The first Divergent book was her debut, and it quickly put her on the map of authors to read. It would go on to be developed into movies starring Shailene Woodley and Theo James, and it's a world that many readers are still exploring, and it's time for Roth to "feel more positive about it."

Don't expect more after this. There probably won't be more alternate universes where Tris chooses each faction - even though, arguably, she could - but never say "never."

As I had the Seek the Traitor's Son audiobook queued up on my Spotify, ready to go after the interview, we also chatted about the development of the audiobook, which Roth shares is "a totally different art form."

Yes, she had some say in who did the voices for this audiobook, the same with others.

"Whenever they send me the email asking what I think about the voices, I send the most detailed description of what these characters sound like. My audiobook producer is very patient with me," Roth went into explaining the development process, "Generally, when you listen to an audiobook adaptation of your work, you're listening to someone else's interpretation, and it expands your understanding of what you wrote. In Seek the Traitor's Son, they sound exactly like I thought they would. It's spooky."

There was a serendipitous moment with the audiobook creation. After around 10 different auditions for each character, everyone agreed on the same actors. The fates did not divide.

Seek the Traitor's Son is now available in stores and on audiobook platforms. The Sixth Faction is slated to be released on October 6, 2026.

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This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 12:00 PM.