REVIEW: The One (The Selection #3)

The One (The Selection #3), by Kiera Cass
Published May 6, 2014
Publisher: HarperTeen
Format: hardback, provided by the publisher
Genre: young adult fantasy/romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble
 
Rating: 5 STARS

(From Goodreads) The highly anticipated conclusion to Kiera Cass's #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series, The One will captivate readers who love dystopian YA fiction and fairy tales. The One is the perfect finale for fans who have followed America's whirlwind romance since it began--and a swoon-worthy read for teens who have devoured Veronica Roth's Divergent, Ally Condie's Matched, or Lauren Oliver's Delirium.

The Selection changed America Singer's life in ways she never could have imagined. Since she entered the competition to become the next princess of Illéa, America has struggled with her feelings for her first love, Aspen--and her growing attraction to Prince Maxon. Now she's made her choice . . . and she's prepared to fight for the future she wants.

Find out who America will choose in The One, the enchanting, beautifully romantic third book in the Selection series!

Series enders have not been kind to me lately. I get it - finales are tricky for both the readers and the author. In all the previous books, dramatic situations, love triangles and bad decisions can all be put aside in our minds because the final book is still ahead, so everything has a chance still to be put to rights. But, once that last book comes out, you realize you're down to only 350 pages to clear everything up. The author has to answer to fans while maintaining their professional integrity. Authors - you are rock stars.

Perhaps this is why there are several series in which I've read all but the last book. I'm simply scared to finish it all up in case things don't go my way. I don't want it to taint the rest of the series, particularly if I've enjoyed all the previous books. So, it was with great trepidation that I cracked the spine on The One. And, when I was done, the main thought in my head was...

THANK YOU, KIERA CASS. THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU.

I have to admit - given the state of affairs in the Maxon/America/Aspen love triangle at the end of The Elite, I was nervous. America seemed pretty screwed either way you looked at it. The king was pissed at her. Maxon was pissed at her. The public was pissed at her. And, she couldn't get a minute to talk to Aspen about any of it. The Selection was down to only four girls and rebel attacks were escalating.

I loved that the excitement started pretty much immediately. America is anxious to get back in the game, so she's stepping up her seduction skills, and the claws come out among all four girls still left in it because of it. For Maxon's part, he seems like he does still prefer America, yet it's obvious that he's also still keeping his options open, particularly with Kriss.

Thankfully, America seems to make up her mind what she REALLY wants fairly early on in the book. Where the stress and angst for me came in was when she decided it was a good idea to not tell anyone about it. ARGH! She doesn't even tell her ultimate choice, which was just... ARGH! The fact that America couldn't get outside of her own head for even a short while so that she could think objectively about her situation made me stabby.

The two guys, on the other hand, keep seeking out opportunities to come to a final decision about their feelings for America and to figure out her feelings for them. Her moments with Maxon were so sweet. The sexual tension between the two of them was off the hook, too. America's moments with Aspen were rushed and nostalgic. It was obvious they still cared about each other quite a bit. Both guys love America and would do anything for her. Lucky girl.

"Break my heart. Break it a thousand times if you like. It was only ever yours to break anyway. I'll love you until my very last breath. Every beat of my heart is yours."

Finally we get a lot more information about the two camps of rebels in The One. We've been dancing around their motives and actions through two books, so it was awesome to get more insight into both the northern and the southern rebels, and even meet some of them. In addition to the bride wars going on in the castle, there's quite a bit of subterfuge and military strategy involved in this book. I loved how America threw herself into the thick of things without hesitation. She was really brave and selfless.

And, in the end, there's a final showdown between the Illeans and the rebels, and WOW. It did not disappoint. Characters were injured. Characters died. And yes. There was a wedding. I was so blown away by how everything ended up being tied together - I didn't see a lot of it coming, even though it had been building since book 1.

The One is a perfect example of exactly how a series finale should be done. Not everything goes smoothly. Many aspects of the plot aren't ironed out until the very VERY end. Not every character makes it. But, I can honestly say, it's been a long time until I've felt this satisfied when it was all over.

REVIEW: The Elite (The Selection #2)

The Elite (The Selection #2), by Kiera Cass
Published April 23, 2013
Publisher:  HarperTeen
Format: hardback - I own
Genre:  YA dystopian
To Buy:  Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Rating:  4.5 STARS

(From Goodreads) Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.

I pre-ordered The Elite a little more than a month ago. I wanted to make sure I had it in my grubby paws the day it came out. So, it's little wonder that it took me less than 24 hours to read it from cover to cover. I finished it only a few hours ago, so the book hangover is still going strong. Perhaps now's not even the best time to write a review with all the feels still so fresh. Then again, maybe it's the perfect time.

The Elite starts just a week or so after the close of The Selection. Things between America and Maxon are good, despite the constant presence of Aspen in the castle. What kind of great book would this be, though, without conflict and drama? It doesn't take long before the proverbial shit hits the fan and America's and Maxon's supposed perfect future is completely thrown for a loop.

There is no "second book syndrome" here. Oh no. On the contrary. Without the burden of backstory and world building, we're thrust into the story immediately. To say that it was gripping was putting it mildly. I started The Elite while I was waiting for my car to be inspected. I was actually irritated when it was done, because I knew that I would actually have to put it down for the 15 minutes it would take me to get home!

The main focus of The Selection was, well, on The Selection. That isn't the case in The Elite. The thrust of the story is on America's seemingly impossible choice between her childhood love and the new feelings blooming for the prince of her world. Truly, America waffles back and forth several times during the course of this book, for, what I thought were very good reasons. I can't imagine it's an easy choice to make, no matter which "team" I'm on (which would be Maxon's, by the way).

Aspen is safe, comfortable and a sure thing. He claims to have never stopped loving America and that he still wants to marry her. He says he supports and understands her continued involvement in The Selection, however, his support seems to have a limit. He has a lot of confidence in his feelings and abilities, but not in America's.

Then there's Maxon. He's the prince, for goodness sake. He's romantic and noble and seems devoted to America, despite having five other girls to entertain as well. But, then, that's the real problem, isn't it? He still has to pretend he's interested in the others, which gives America pause. That and her lack of confidence in her own abilities.

I felt so much frustration as I was reading The Elite. It's that good bookish frustration you get when the characters you love are doing things that are stupid. You can see the disastrous results from their poor choices coming a mile away, yet you're powerless to stop it. All three of our main characters did things like this in The Elite, and it made me nuts! It also made me want to keep reading page after page to see if they were going to be able to right their wrongs.

The only thing that I felt was missing was the lack of new information about the rebels. They weren't mentioned much, and I was hoping for more about them. I have a feeling, though, that their presence will play a key part in the last book.

The ending, although not a cliffhanger, left me wanting so much more! There are so many questions to be answered, new conflicts to be explored, and so many threats to my favorite characters' happiness. Waiting a whole year to find out what happens is going to be so difficult!

Check out my review of The Selection.

GIVEAWAY: Two Novellas from HarperTeen Impulse!

It's giveaway time again!

I love novellas. While not essential to the overall main story arc, they do add so much extra depth to the characters we already know that I consider them necessary reads in the series that I really love. Impulse is the arm of HarperTeen that's dedicated to short stories and novellas, and recently they have offered two novellas from two of my favorite series. And, now I'm offering them to you, too!

Wow - it's like, the purple cover parade! :)

The Prince (The Selection #0.5)
I read The Selection last year and absolutely loved it. You can check out my review here. I'm totally and completely on Team Maxon at the moment, so learning that The Prince (The Selection #0.5) is told from Maxon's POV made it a must-read for me.

Die For Her (Revenants #2.5)
Anyone that's been hanging around my blog for any amount of time knows what a total fangirl I am about Amy Plum and her Revenants series. Check out my reviews for Die For Me, Until I Die and If I Should Die. Yup - 5 stars for every one. Owning Die For Her is a no-brainer. Plus, it's told from Jules' POV, and after Vincent and Kate, he's my favorite character. Any extra insight into his psyche is a plus.

So, up for grabs is a copy of both these e-novellas. You will get The Selection right away and a pre-order for Die For Her (due out April 2). As long as you have a way to read e-books, keep going and fill out the Rafflecopter. Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book #127 - The Selection (The Selection #1)

The Selection (The Selection #1), Kiera Cass
dystopian, romance, contemporary fiction
327 pages
Started 11/14/12
Finished 11/17/12
4 STARS

And my cover fetish strikes again. Have you ever seen a drop-dead gorgeous cover in the store, and without even checking out the dust jacket or Goodreads review, you find yourself in the checkout line just biding your time until you can get home and gaze lovingly at it? Ok - maybe that was just me.

America Singer is lower on the social totem pole, and she's in love with a boy who's even lower than her. Then, she gets the chance of a lifetime - she is selected to be one of 35 girls in the running to marry Prince Maxon, thus becoming princess of Illea. Her boyfriend dumps her, so America figures she has nothing to lose. And, no one is more surprised than she when she actually starts to care for the prince.

The cover didn't disappoint this time. You know - sometimes these things are hit or miss. I found The Selection really entertaining. Illea and its structure was fascinating. And a little depressing - I sincerely hope that our future society is nothing like this one.

America is strong and capable and sensitive. And kinda stupid - I mean, usually a girl can tell the difference between falling in love and indigestion. It's a little unbelievable that Mer couldn't. Other than her utter ignorance when it came to Prince Maxon, I really liked her.

This was one of those books where you aren't quite sure who you want the girl to end up with in the end because you like both boys. Aspen, although a complete idiot, really seems to live and breathe America. If he wasn't so caught up on his macho need to provide for his woman, he would be so perfect. And, it's obvious that America loves him. But, then there's Maxon, who is so much more than what meets the eye. He, too, loves America, and I think if she would stop being so blind, she would see that she cares a lot for him too. And, America would be a perfect princess for Illea. So, who should she be with? My vote right now is for Maxon. Aspen had his chance. You snooze, you lose, buddy.

I immediately put The Elite (The Selection #2) on my wishlist. I can't wait to see what happens with the northern and southern rebels. I'm sure there's a deeper story there. And, of course, who Maxon ultimately chooses as the winner of The Selection.