Review: The One by Kiera Cass

"Break my heart. Break it a thousand times if you like. It was only ever yours to break anyway." - Kiera Cass, The One

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR BOTH THE SELECTION, AND THE ELITE. (AND ALSO MINOR SPOILERS FOR THE ONE BUT I MEAN THAT SHOULD ALMOST BE OBVIOUS.)

Hello, friends! As mentioned in last week's review, this week's won't be as detailed as I might like, simply because it's been a full month since I read the two books back-to-back, and they kind of almost blend together. If you haven't already read the review for The Elite (or for The Selection, for that matter), you can do that here and here. Otherwise, buckle up for the ride!

America Singer almost got herself kicked out of the Selection--but she's back, and she's not ready or willing to lose to anyone. It doesn't matter that the king is out to get her, or that Maxon might have finally lost patience with her, or that she has suddenly found herself competing furiously with another girl for his love. She has made her decision. She is determined to win Maxon back.

But the country is getting restless, and with rebel attacks becoming more frequent and more dangerous, it's not just her heart on the line anymore--it's her life.

Probably my biggest source of relief for this book was that America finally chose a guy. Hallelujah! Now, the fact that she took the entire book to inform a certain someone of her decision was still frustrating--but it was a new frustration, so I'm okay with that.

I loved meeting the rebels in this book, and learning more about the differences between the two different rebel groups. The problem is, I don't think this book was really long enough to properly delve into it--I don't think we got the full potential of what could have been done with those story lines, and I'm really disappointed that the rebel characters didn't have more of an impact on the story.

ALSO. I was all for the four Elite girls becoming BFFs, but I felt it all happened rather...quickly. I loved Celine's change of heart, and getting to learn a little more about her as a character. But the shift that started slowly was rushed to completion halfway through, and I couldn't really appreciate the otherwise fantastic bonding scenes between them quite as much as I would have had the shift been more consistent throughout.

Overall, I loved a lot of things about this book, but none of them were done as well as I thought they could've been. I still gave it a solid 5, simply for its inability to be put down--and also the epilogue.

Final rating: 5 stars.


Until later,

- Justyne

Review: The Selection

WARNING: The following blog posts contain spoilers for the novel under review, ranging from mild to heart wrenchingly major. If you have yet to read this novel and dislike being spoiled, leave now and return upon completion.

If you HAVE read this novel (or just don't give a crap about spoilers), then continue on.

But don't say I didn't warn you.

~~

HELLO, FRIENDS! It's that time of week again! Today we'll be talking about The Selection, by Kiera Cass!

THE PLOT-Y BIT

Prince Maxon has just come of age, which means that it's time for the Selection--a competition between 35 girls to win his heart and, subsequently, the crown. It's the chance of a lifetime; one that America Singer wants nothing to do with. She knows what she wants--a future with Aspen, the love of her life, even if it means spending it in poverty.

Against all odds, she's chosen as the representative of her province, and is whisked into a world of ball gowns, fancy jewels, and life in a glittering palace. Nothing is what she imagined it to be--not even Maxon, who isn't nearly as stiff as he appears on TV. Slowly, she finds herself falling for him, realizing as she does that her ideals for the future are shifting, as well.

THE REVIEW-Y BIT

Do we have a tally going for the amount of books read in one sitting this year? No? Well, we should.

This year is quickly being filled with these kinds of reading experiences, and I am in no way complaining! Stories like these are the reason reading is so exciting! They're never intentional, of course--more of an oops-I-accidentally-read-300-pages-in-one-day-might-as-well-finish kind of experience. But that's also what makes them fun!

To be honest, I was a little iffy about this book going into it. Judging from the premise--a girl who competes against others for the prince's affections--it sounded a lot like The Bachelor on steroids. Still, I had heard good things about it, so I picked it up nonetheless.

Do you ever buy a book, intending to read it right away, only to leave it on your shelf for months, collections dust? And then, when you finally DO get around to reading it, the only thought going through your mind was, "Holy crap this book is amazing WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG??"

That. This book was that.

As cheesy as America's name is (Singer? Really?), I really liked her as a character. She knows what she wants out of life and is more than willing to fight for it. While stubborn at times, she's able to admit when she was wrong. And she's so full of compassion, I just know she would make a great queen. (She and Maxon have to get together. They must.)

Speaking of Maxon--God, how adorable is he? He's so socially awkward, yet at the same time so caring and kind and such a gentleman. He obviously cares about his people, too, judging from his quick actions to enforce a food bank type of system for lower caste families. He and America would / will make an amazing team--talk about a power couple!

I think Illéa's scoiety structure is super interesting. A lot of those dystopian-esque books take place way in the future, and even though this one techincally did (it takes place after WWIV), it didn't seem like it. Their technology was about the same as ours; not too advanced, but not described as a post-apocalyptic wasteland, either. It's just like ours, except...well, slightly different.

But that's what makes it so interesting! It parallels our society in a way that's so simliar that we can easily picture it and relate to it as easily as we can our own lives. It takes the things that are already wrong with our society--we're talking wealth distribution, homelessness, poverty--and emphasises them. It places further rules and restrictions, turning it into a bigger and more obvious problem.

Yes, there's something wrong in this imaginary world. But there's something wrong with our world, as well--all this book does is reflect on it and bring attention to it, in an interesting and compelling way.

STAR-Y BIT

This book earned a 5 star rating from me very quickly. Although it could have used some distance from the traditional topes we're used to in YA dystopians, it was still a great read!


What were your thoughts on this week's read? Be sure to discuss down in the comments!

Until later,

- Justyne