Tag: Dystopian

January Reading Wrap Up | My Disappointing and Vampiric Start to 2020

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January is typically a great reading month for me, but that was certainly not the case this year. Unfortunately, my reading is off to a bad start in 2020. I only completed two books last month, mainly due to me getting sick for the last week and a half of January. Nonetheless, I wanted to share what I did read with you so that I can chronicle my reading as part of the #MyYearofRereading Project. While I may not have read much, I absolutely adore the two books I was able to complete.

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The two books I read in the month of January are The Eternity Cure and The Forever Song, both by Julie Kagawa. These are the second and third books in the Blood of Eden trilogy. I first read this series back in 2014, and I was due for a reread. If you enjoy young adult dystopian novels, I highly recommend this series. Julie Kagawa puts a spin on the typical dystopian plot by adding vampires to the mix. Our protagonist is Allie, a poor teenager who grew up in the Fringe of a vampire city. One night, Allie is attacked by a group of Rabids. A vampire named Kanin happens to be nearby, and he gives her a choice: either die by the Rabids or become a vampire herself. Even though Allie has always hated vampires, she decides to become one herself. What follows is an epic adventure filled with everything from a sweet romance to bloody scenes right out of a horror movie.

I’m so glad I finally made the time to reread this series. I will say that I wasn’t in love with the writing style this second time around. It did feel a bit young to me, and a bit cheesy as well. That being said, I love the Blood of Eden trilogy because of the characters and the adventure aspect. Kagawa is able to cover so much ground in three books. It’s amazing to see how much each of the characters develop over time, and I especially love the evolution of my favorite villain, Jackal. His snarky comments and bad boy attitude are hilarious!

In the end, while I am disappointed I did not read more in January, I’m happy that I got to reread a favorite series of mine. I was able to read two books for the #MyYearofRereading Project to kickstart the year, and I haven’t added any new books to my collection. I hope that in February I can read a bit more, and try to catch up on my Goodreads goal.

What did you read in January? Share in the comments!

Book Review | The Crown (The Selection #5) by Kiera Cass

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The Crown (The Selection #5) by Kiera Cass

Published by HarperTeen on May 3, 2016

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopian, Romance

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 279

Source: Library

Goodreads: ★★

When Eadlyn became the first princess of Illéa to hold her own Selection, she didn’t think she would fall in love with any of her thirty-five suitors. She spent the first few weeks of the competition counting down the days until she could send them all home. But as events at the palace force Eadlyn even further into the spotlight, she realizes that she might not be content remaining alone.

Eadlyn still isn’t sure she’ll find the fairytale ending her parents did twenty years ago. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and soon Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more impossible—and more important—than she ever imagined.

REVIEW

The fifth and final book in The Selection series is here, and I made sure to reserve it at my library so I could read it as soon as possible. I was excited to discover how the series would conclude, and who, if anyone, Eadlyn would choose as her husband. Unfortunately, The Crown fell flat for me, and I’m quite disappointed with it. Let me share why with all of you.

I’ll begin this review with the things I did enjoy about this book. First, I am beyond happy that Kiera Cass finally includes some characters in this series that are not heterosexual. The lack of diversity in this series thus far was one of the biggest drawbacks for me, and I’m so glad Cass not only included some LGBTQIA+ characters, but she also gives a quick explanation of how these characters are treated in Illéa both historically and currently. It is disappointing that one of the characters is written in a stereotypical manner, but it’s great we finally got this inclusion nonetheless.

In addition, I did enjoy the overall ending of the series. Eadlyn ended up with the boy I thought she would, and I think she made a great choice. I also liked finding out more about America’s siblings, and seeing Grandma Singer. However, that’s where my enjoyment of The Crown ends.

My first critique of this novel is the writing style. The quality of writing throughout this series changes with every book, and it is at its weakest point in The Crown. Eadlyn’s first-person-perspective is more colloquial than ever, including cringeworthy sentences such as “I followed his gaze, and he was right. It was seven ’til,” (p. 264). I do think that younger readers of this series will enjoy this writing style more than I do, because The Crown reads as if a teenager is telling you the story. For me, though, it is very annoying, and not the style I like to read.

Similarly, I became quite frustrated with the construction of the novel. Keeping in mind that The Crown is a work of fiction set in a dystopian world, I found that there is a lack of logic in the events of the book. The rest of this paragraph will include mild spoilers for The Crown. Please skip to the next paragraph if you do not want to be spoiled. An example of my frustrations is when Eadlyn takes over as queen for her parents. It makes no sense whatsoever for an 18-year-old girl, whom the general populace dislikes, to suddenly take over the throne when the current king is still alive and able to serve. Illéa is in distress and needs a strong ruler. Yes, this is a fictional world, but in ‘reality’ Eadlyn would never be allowed to suddenly take the throne. The same is true of Eadlyn and Josie’s magically mended relationship. Eadlyn absolutely despises Josie, and the feeling is somewhat mutual. However, when Josie shadows Eadlyn for just one day, the girls’ entire relationship changes. They become best friends and understand each other instantaneously. Again, this would never really happen, and because it did the book lost a lot of credibility for me.

Moreover, the epilogue of The Crown felt completely unnecessary to me. It is only half a page long, and instead of wrapping up the story or showing a glimpse of Eadlyn’s future, it included a series of cliché statements. Not one character name is mentioned, nor anything new learned. I would have really loved an epilogue that served a purpose, especially after the ending of the book. Perhaps Kiera Cass will write another one in the future.

Overall, I’m very disappointed with The Crown. If you’ve read The Heir and want to find out what happens, I recommend just looking up spoilers for this book and calling it a day. I don’t think it’s necessary to read this book, and I honestly wouldn’t recommend this series. I’m very glad that I read it, because it receives so much praise that I think my thoughts provide something different from the mass opinion. If you do enjoy The Selection, I fully understand why, and I’m happy you can get fulfillment out of these books. At this time I don’t think I will be picking up any of Kiera Cass’s other books in the future.

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Book Review | Homecoming (The 100 #3) by Kass Morgan

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Homecoming (The 100 #3) by Kass Morgan

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers on February 24, 2015

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian

Format: Paperback

Pages: 340

Source: Library

Goodreads: ★★★★

Weeks after landing on Earth, the Hundred have managed to create a sense of order amidst their wild, chaotic surroundings. But their delicate balance comes crashing down with the arrival of new dropships from space.

These new arrivals are the lucky ones—back on the Colony, the oxygen is almost gone—but after making it safely to Earth, GLASS’s luck seems to be running out. CLARKE leads a rescue party to the crash site, ready to treat the wounded, but she can’t stop thinking about her parents, who may still be alive. Meanwhile, WELLS struggles to maintain his authority despite the presence of the Vice Chancellor and his armed guards, and BELLAMY must decide whether to face or flee the crimes he thought he’d left behind.

It’s time for the Hundred to come together and fight for the freedom they’ve found on Earth, or risk losing everything—and everyone—they love.

REVIEW

I was beyond excited to finish The 100 trilogy by reading Homecoming! This book picks up immediately after Day 21 closes out, with the Colonists on the dropship crashing down on Earth. I really appreciated that the author includes a lot of quick recaps in Homecoming, so that if you forgot the details of the first two books you get a refresher in this one. While these reminders were included a bit too much throughout the novel, they were very helpful. If you’ve read the first two books in the series and it’s been a while, don’t hesitate to jump right into book three!

Moreover, it took a while for me to get into the story, which I found surprising. However, because Homecoming is such a quick read, once I was about 100 pages into the novel the rest flew by. I did really enjoy the inclusion of new characters, and as always I had no idea what was going to happen next in the story. Morgan is great at crafting intricate plot lines that don’t reveal themselves until everything comes together in the end.

The ending, however, was a bit of let down for me. While I like the way the trilogy wrapped up, I was left wanting so much more! I would have appreciated an epilogue to include more of an explanation for something that happens and to check in on the characters. Similarly, the ending was quite cheesy and some things worked out a bit too easily. I’m able to look past a lot of the cliché moments in this book because the characters do go through intense challenges and are going through things I can’t even imagine experiencing. Thus, I think the cheesy moments are understandable in an otherwise bleak world.

All in all, I am happy with how The 100 trilogy concluded, and if you’ve read the first two books I definitely recommend picking up this last one. While this is more of a 3.5 star read for me, I did bump it up to a 4 star rating because I enjoyed it so much. I’m so glad I gave this series a read, as it’s one of my favorite young adult dystopians thus far. I will be watching the television show at some point, and hopefully getting my own copy of this trilogy so I can reread it in the future!

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Book Review | Day 21 (The 100 #2) by Kass Morgan

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Day 21 (The 100 #2) by Kass Morgan

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers on September 16, 2014

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian

Format: eARC

Pages: 320

Source: NetGalley

Goodreads: ★★★★

No one has set foot on Earth in centuries — until now.
It’s been 21 days since the hundred landed on Earth. They’re the only humans to set foot on the planet in centuries…or so they thought. Facing an unknown enemy, Wells attempts to keep the group together. Clarke strikes out for Mount Weather, in search of other Colonists, while Bellamy is determined to rescue his sister, no matter the cost. And back on the ship, Glass faces an unthinkable choice between the love of her life and life itself.
In this pulse-pounding sequel to Kass Morgan’s The 100, secrets are revealed, beliefs are challenged, and relationships are tested. And the hundred will struggle to survive the only way they can — together.

REVIEW

I jumped right into Day 21 immediately after finishing the first book in this series, The 100. This book picks up shortly after the first leaves off, with the 100 realizing that they are not the only people on Earth as they originally thought. I still enjoyed this book immensely, but found a few flaws in it.

First, the writing felt a bit watered down to me in this second book. I loved how rich the writing is in The 100, but Day 21 feels like it was adjusted for a younger audience. I also found two continuity issues in this book, which detracted from my overall rating. For example, in Day 21 Clarke mentions that the only mammal she’s ever seen before is a deer, but in The 100 Clarke saw a rabbit. These continuity issues were very small, but still quite noticeable, especially when reading the books back to back.

Similarly, Day 21 was much more predictable than the first book. I found that a bit disappointing, but thankfully was still wowed at the end of the novel. Morgan tied everything together once again, and I found myself on the edge of my seat. What I really love about this series is how addicting the books are. Because we follow four characters, I am constantly turning pages to find out what will happen next. The twists and turns are my favorite part, and I wish I wasn’t able to predict many of the moments in the book.

My final critique of Day 21 is the back and forth moments of some of the characters. For example, Clarke can’t seem to decide whether or not she wants to forgive Wells and be friends with him. One minute she hates Wells and never wants to see him again, while the next Clarke forgives him. This got a bit annoying, especially when Bellamy goes through a similar battle later in the book. He jumps to a conclusion really quickly, just to change his mind a moment later.

Nonetheless, I still really enjoyed this book and am ready to pick up the third book in the series. While Day 21 is more of a 3.5 star rating, I bumped it up to a 4 because I love it so much. The cliffhanger ending is just amazing, even though I did see it coming. If you read The 100, I highly recommend continuing on with the series. You’ll want to see what goes down in this book for sure!

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Book Review | The 100 (The 100 #1) by Kass Morgan

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The 100 (The 100 #1) by Kass Morgan

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers on September 3, 2013

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian

Format: eARC

Pages: 336

Source: NetGalley

Goodreads: ★★★★ 1/2

No one has set foot on Earth in centuries — until now.

Ever since a devastating nuclear war, humanity has lived on spaceships far above Earth’s radioactive surface. Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents — considered expendable by society — are being sent on a dangerous mission: to recolonize the planet. It could be their second chance at life…or it could be a suicide mission.

CLARKE was arrested for treason, though she’s haunted by the memory of what she really did. WELLS, the chancellor’s son, came to Earth for the girl he loves — but will she ever forgive him? Reckless BELLAMY fought his way onto the transport pod to protect his sister, the other half of the only pair of siblings in the universe. And GLASS managed to escape back onto the ship, only to find that life there is just as dangerous as she feared it would be on Earth.

Confronted with a savage land and haunted by secrets from their pasts, the hundred must fight to survive. They were never meant to be heroes, but they may be mankind’s last hope.

REVIEW

If you enjoy young adult dystopian novels, you need to pick up The 100! This book was sitting on my Kindle unread for over a year, and I can’t believe I didn’t read it sooner. I want to start out this review by saying that I have not watched the television adaptation of The 100, though I have heard the book and show are very different. Nonetheless, I highly recommend giving this story a chance if it at all sounds interesting to you.

The 100 takes place three hundred years after nuclear winter forced humans to escape to outer space in hopes of keeping humankind alive. Humans now live on a spaceship called the Colony, but this is a temporary solution, and humans must return to Earth before the Colony breaks down. The issue is, no one knows whether Earth is safe, or if the radiation levels still make the planet uninhabitable. The Colony decided to conduct an experiment by sending 100 juvenile delinquents down to Earth to see if they can survive.

We follow four main characters in The 100. First is Clarke, a girl who was confined for treason. Next is Wells, Clarke’s ex-boyfriend and the chancellor’s son. He committed a crime just so he could go to Earth with Clarke. Our next protagonist is Bellamy, who fights his way onto the dropship living for Earth so he can care for his sister. Finally, we follow Glass, who escapes the dropship bound for Earth in hopes of starting a new life with her boyfriend back on the Colony. The 100 is written in the third-person, but each chapter alternates between these four characters. There are also a lot of flashback scenes to help us get to know more about each character and what he or she went through up to this point in life.

I absolutely loved this book! The writing is exceptionally well done. Morgan does an amazing job at weaving together the past and the present, and creating well-developed characters. At times this felt like a slow read and as if nothing was happening in the plot. However, this is simply because we change character perspectives, and Morgan does a fantastic job making everything come together in the end. Thus, The 100 is a real page-turner because I always had to know what would next happen.

Similarly, this novel is full of twists and turns that I did not anticipate at all. The 100 doesn’t have a clear plot line, so I never know what to expect. I am always a fan of books where the author can create shocking moments that are logical, but difficult to predict. Morgan does this extremely well, and when I closed the book I immediately wanted to continue on with the series.

The only reason I deducted a half-star from my rating is because of the weak world-building surrounding the Colony. There are three ships connected together, Phoenix, Walden, and Arcadia, but I never fully understood how they functioned. There are different classes of people based on the ship you live on, but this was never explained. The different ships even have their own accents. I just wanted to know a bit more about the Colony and how it came to be organized.

Otherwise, I loved everything about The 100, and highly recommend it. I would describe this book as a mix of Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century and The Hunger Games, so if that sounds like your thing I would go for it. I cannot wait to continue on with this series and see what will happen in the sequel, Day 21.

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Book Review | The Heir (The Selection #4) by Kiera Cass

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The Heir (The Selection #4) by Kiera Cass

Published by HarperCollins Children’s Books on May 7, 2015

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopian, Romance

Format: Ebook

Pages: 400

Source: Library

Goodreads: ★★★

Kiera Cass’s Number 1 New York Times bestselling Selection series has enchanted readers from the very first page. In this fourth romantic novel, follow Illéa’s royal family into a whole new Selection – and find out what happens after happily ever after.

Kiera Cass’s #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series has enchanted readers from the very first page. In this fourth romantic novel, follow Illéa’s royal family into a whole new Selection—and find out what happens after happily ever after.

Eighteen years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won Prince Maxon’s heart. Now the time has come for Princess Eadlyn to hold a Selection of her own. Eadlyn doesn’t expect her Selection to be anything like her parents’ fairy-tale love story…but as the competition begins, she may discover that finding her own happily ever after isn’t as impossible as she’s always thought.

A new generation of swoonworthy characters and captivating romance awaits in the fourth book of the Selection series!

REVIEW

I was a bit hesitant to jump into The Heir by Kiera Cass after hearing such hit and miss things about it from fans of The Selection series. This book takes place about twenty years after The One, with our main character being Eadlyn Schraeve, America and Maxon’s daughter. While Illéa’s caste system has been disbanded, the provinces are still in trouble. Maxon and America decide that Eadlyn should hold a Selection to provide entertainment for the country while they decide how to solve the political problems. Eadlyn is not a fan of this idea, but decides to go along with it for three months. Of course, the Selection brings more problems than solutions.

If you’ve been following my reviews of this series, you’ll know I have a love-hate relationship with it. I love that these are fun and fast reads, and that is definitely true with The Heir. I find Eadlyn to be a great character and first-person narrator. She is going to be the first woman ruler of Illéa, and has been training for the role her entire life. This makes Eadlyn very confident, knowing she is a powerful woman. While Eadlyn can be a know-it-all, she is actually very naive, and has built a lot of walls around her. I’m quite impressed with how well-developed her character is, and I’m excited to see her growth in the next book.

Unfortunately, there are quite a few things I did not like about this book as well. First, there are still grammatical issues in this series, which really need to be edited. Similarly, I found a few instances where big vocabulary words are used in order to enhance the writing, but they didn’t fit well with the story. The Heir is also extremely predictable, with the exception of a cliffhanger ending. I closed the book feeling as if we only got half of the story. I don’t think it is necessary to split The Heir and The Crown into two books.

Moreover, I also found that the side characters are written in a hot and cold way. I loved how we got to see how the original characters from The Selection are today, but I do want to know more about what happens to all of America’s siblings (we only learn about two of them). Similarly, we also don’t get to meet all of the young men competing in Eadlyn’s Selection. This makes sense at the beginning when there are 35 men, but when the book closes and there are only a handful left, I still don’t know all their names. I find this lack of detail a big weakness of the novel.

Let’s talk a bit about the societal aspects of this book. I am overjoyed that Cass finally alludes to the fact that people in Illéa can be something other than heterosexual. This topic is still not discussed, but it is at least mentioned. I can also tell that Cass is attempting to include a bit more female empowerment in this novel, as Eadlyn is an indpendant woman. However, it’s quite disappointing that female characters typically resort to being the ‘traditional’ woman, and I can see that happening to Eadlyn. I know this series takes place in a dystopian society, but this society is only a step away from our own, and when the series is written for young adults, I think it’s very important to read between the lines and see what teenagers are going to get out of the novel.

Overall, I think The Heir was a good installment in The Selection series. I do enjoy Eadlyn as a main character, and I liked seeing the characters from the original trilogy again. I do recommend this if you really enjoy this series, but otherwise it’s not a must-read. I will be picking up The Crown to complete my read of this series. I just need to know how our time in Illéa will wrap up overall!

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Book Review | Happily Ever After (The Selection 0.4, 0.5, 2.5, 2.6) by Kiera Cass

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Happily Ever After (The Selection 0.4, 0.5, 2.5, 2.6) by Kiera Cass

Published by HarperTeen on October 13, 2015

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopian, Romance

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 416

Source: Library

Goodreads: ★★★★

Meet Prince Maxon before he fell in love with America, and a girl named Amberly before she became queen. See the Selection through the eyes of a guard who watched his first love drift away and a girl who fell for a boy who wasn’t the prince. This gorgeous collection features four novellas from the captivating world of Kiera Cass’s #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series, as well as exclusive, never-before-seen bonus content.

This series companion is a must-have for any Selection fan, and includes:

The Prince
The Guard
The Queen
The Favorite
Exclusive new scenes from The Selection, The Elite, and The One
Introductions to each novella from Kiera Cass
A map of Illéa and other illustrations
And more!

REVIEW

After completing the first three books in The Selection series, I decided to pick up this bind-up of all the novellas and bonus content that goes along with the original trilogy. Happily Ever After should definitely be read after the first three books, and if you haven’t read them I would not read my review here today. I will be sharing my non-spoiler thoughts on each novella and story included, but there will be spoilers for the original trilogy. Because this is a bind-up, I will share my thoughts on each section individually, and give a star rating for each section.

The Queen | ★★

My biggest disappointment in Happily Ever After is The Queen. I absolutely loved the character of Amberly in The Selection, and this story definitely tainted her. The Queen takes place during Clarkson’s selection, and I liked seeing what another selection was like. It was also really interesting to learn more about Clarkson’s parents, and Honduragua where Amberly is from originally. However, I was extremely disturbed with the ending of this novella. I don’t want to spoil it, but it goes with one of the themes that really disappointed me with The Selection as a whole, and that is how women are viewed. It’s such a shame that women are seen as submissive to men in this world, and I think it’s quite damaging considering these books are geared towards young adults.

The Prince | ★★★

Thankfully, Happily Ever After improved immensely after the first novella. The Prince is from Maxon’s perspective and takes place right before his selection begins, and continues through him meeting all the girls. I liked reading from Maxon’s point-of-view, as I sometimes questioned his intentions in the original trilogy. I was disappointed that most of this novella is basically just a rewrite of scenes in The Selection. That felt like a cop-out to me, as it didn’t add too much to the story. I also felt like we weren’t fully in Maxon’s head, but skimming the surface of his emotions. Nonetheless, I did enjoy this novella, it just wasn’t amazing.

The Guard | ★★★★

I was really excited to read The Guard, which is from Aspen’s point-of-view. This novella has a lot of original content, which I really appreciate. I also loved how we got to learn a lot more about the palace in this novella, as we follow Aspen and some of the other guards and maids. Plus, I was happy to delve into Aspen’s mind to see if he had good intentions. I do wish Cass tapped into Aspen’s emotions a bit more, but this was a solid novella.

The Favorite | ★★★★★

My favorite novella in Happily Ever After happens to be The Favorite, which is from Marlee’s perspective. This novella takes place right after Halloween, when Marlee is caught with Carter, and sharse about the couple’s life together in the palace.  I absolutely loved learning more about their relationship and what went on behind the scenes. This novella is nearly all original content, and while it was quite cheesy, I just loved it.

Scenes from Celeste | ★★★★★

I was also eager to learn more about Celeste. She had such an about face in The One, and I found it quite unbelievable that she would change character so quickly. These scenes really helped me understand Celeste as a person. The scenes are quite sad, in a way, considering her ultimate demise, but they are very enjoyable and add a lot to the overall plot.

The Maid | ★★★★ 1/2

The Maid is a short story from Lucy’s perspective, and begins on the plane ride home from Carolina after America’s father dies. Surprisingly, we learn a lot about Aspen in this story, which I wasn’t expecting. I did like learning more about Lucy and Aspen’s relationship. Of course, it was a bit cheesy, but I’m letting that slide because this book is called Happily Ever After! I deducted a half-star because the story does lack believability.

After the One | ★★★★★

After the One is a short story that takes place two years after the end of The One. It is written from America’s point-of-view, and takes place during a birthday party for Maxon. This is the most adorable story ever, and while I could predict the ending of it, I still loved it a lot. I think this story sets up the next two books in the series well, and I’m excited to continue on with The Heir next!

Where are They Now? | ★★★★ 1/2

Where are They Now? checks in with the three other Elite and shares how they end up in life. I thought it was really interesting to see how being in the selection affected their lives. I felt like this was Cass’s chance to include more diversity into the series, and while she did do one thing that surprised me, I wish she went for it a bit more. Nonetheless, I felt satisfied with these scenes for the most part.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, I really enjoyed Happily Ever After. I don’t think it is necessary to read this book, but if you are a big fan of The Selection, or if you’re curious about what happened to the characters, I highly recommend it! I really loved learning more about Illéa, and I loved the map and illustrations included in this book. I’m so glad I decided to give it a read!

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Book Review | The One (The Selection #3) by Kiera Cass

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The One (The Selection #3) by Kiera Cass

Published by HarperTeen on May 6, 2014

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopian, Romance

Format: Paperback

Pages: 323

Source: Library

Goodreads: ★★★1/2

The time has come for one winner to be crowned.

When she was chosen to compete in the Selection, America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon’s heart. But as the end of the competition approaches, and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she’ll have to fight for the future she wants.

REVIEW

I was hesitant to continue on with The Selection after being quite disappointed with the second book in the series, but I had to find out what would happen! I’m so glad I picked up The One, because it is my favorite book in the series thus far. Originally, this was a trilogy, and so The One completes the original story of Prince Maxon’s selection. I was ready to find out if America would be the chosen one after all!

I was really excited when The One focused more on the politics of Illéa than the other books in the series. We get to learn more about the Northern and Southern rebels, and some really awesome action takes place. I still wish I knew more about this world, but I am very happy that the focus in this book was not just a love triangle.

My biggest critique of The One, however, is with believability. Yes, this is a dystopian novel, but I had a very difficult time believing everything that happens. For example, America tells the reader very early on in the book that she’s realized she won’t choose Aspen over Maxon, yet there is never an explanation as to why. I was glad her indecisiveness was over, but I had no idea why she made this decision out of the blue. There are several instances throughout The One like this, where I had to suspend disbelief in order to enjoy the story.

In terms of smaller critiques, I did notice that there were grammatical mistakes in this book that were fixed in book two. I’m guessing this is a copyediting issue, and perhaps the comma rules just weren’t followed this time around. I also deducted a half-star from my rating because there is a scene where a man slaps a woman without any sort of reason whatsoever. It is never okay for anyone to physically hurt another person, and in the specific scenario in the book it really bothered me. While this is a very small part of the book, it was quite shocking for me to read.

Overall, this is definitely the best book in the series so far, and a solid conclusion to the original trilogy. I really liked the ending of the book, and found it quite powerful. I do wish the cheesiness was toned down a bit, but in the world of Illéa with princes and ball gowns, I have to say it does fit the theme. If you read The Elite and you were unsure whether to continue on in the series, I definitely recommend doing so!

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Book Review | The Elite (The Selection #2) by Kiera Cass

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

The Elite (The Selection #2) by Kiera Cass

Published by HarperTeen on April 23, 2013

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopian, Romance

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 336

Source: Library

Goodreads: ★★1/2

The Selection began with thirty-five girls.
Now with the group narrowed down to the six Elite, the competition to win Prince Maxon’s heart is fiercer than ever—and America is still struggling to decide where her heart truly lies. Is it with Maxon, who could make her life a fairy tale? Or with her first love, Aspen?

America is desperate for more time. But the rest of the Elite know exactly what they want—and America’s chance to choose is about to slip away.

REVIEW

I picked up The Elite, the second book in The Selection series, right after finishing the first book. The story continues with America and Maxon on a date, just shortly after book one comes to a close. America is still struggling to decide whether she can fall in love with Maxon and one day become Queen, or whether she wants to be with Aspen after all.

At first I was really enjoying The Elite. The writing clearly matured, and the grammatical mistakes I noticed in The Selection were fixed. In addition, I was loving how the story was deepening. There are some really interesting twists and turns in this novel, and I enjoyed learning more about the politics of Illéa. Unfortunately, as the book continued I became more and more unhappy with the direction of the novel.

While I recognize that this series is heavy on the romance, it does bother me that the main plot of The Elite is the love triangle between America, Maxon, and Aspen. There is so much going on in this world, and yet all we get to focus on is America’s indecisiveness. I really enjoyed America’s character in The Selection, but in this book she became extremely unlikeable, and doesn’t act in accordance with her described qualities. For example, Cass tells us America is very stubborn. Yet America is very gullible, and believes what others tell her. She also can’t make a decision, so I’m not seeing this stubbornness executed in the story. Similarly, we are told America is intelligent, but America is constantly acting emotionally rash, and makes poor decisions without thinking. Her character just didn’t seem to be flushed out well.

Moreover, I did notice a few plot holes in The Elite, which greatly detracted from the quality of the novel for me. A small plot hole is when America and Kriss are talking in the gardens. Kriss makes a comment about how America and Maxon like to spend time in the garden, and America has no idea how Kriss would know that. America assumes Maxon told Kriss, but in the first book, America announces on the Report that she and Maxon spend dates in the garden. While this is a small continuity issue, it is a plot hole nonetheless.

The larger plot hole is one that I cannot discuss without spoiling part of the story. However, it is one that greatly affects the series as a whole. I spent a lot of time skimming through the book to see if I could find the answer to this otherwise gaping hole, and I even did an online search to hopefully solve the issue. No matter how much searching I did, it seems like I did find a huge plot hole, and that is really disappointing.

Overall, I felt very let down by The Elite. It started off really well, but then got progressively worse as I continued reading. I feel like this book focuses way too much on the love triangle, but what confuses me is that we could have a really great and solid story if the love triangle was resolved in book one. I also feel like the selection itself should have ended in the first book, so we could now focus more on the world and the politics in this dystopian society. I will still continue on with the series to see how the selection ends, but I was quite disappointed with this book.

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Book Review | The Selection (The Selection #1) by Kiera Cass

Posted on by Adventures in Polishland

The Selection (The Selection #1) by Kiera Cass

Published by HarperTeen on April 24, 2012

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopian, Romance

Format: Paperback

Pages: 327

Source: Library

Goodreads: ★★★

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn’t want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she’s made for herself—and realizes that the life she’s always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

REVIEW

I debated whether or not I wanted to read The Selection by Kiera Cass for a couple years, and I finally decided to give it a try after finishing a book that took me three weeks to read. I needed some book candy. In other words, I wanted to read something that I knew wouldn’t be the best book out there, but would allow me to indulge in something sweet. The Selection definitely fits that description.

I’ve heard this book described as The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games, and I agree with that categorization. In this book we follow teenager America Singer. She lives in a country called Illéa, which is geographically located in North America, post the Fourth World War. America comes from a poor family, and receives the opportunity to enter a competition in which one girl from every province in Illéa will vie for the chance to marry the prince. Of course, America enters the competition at the suggestion of her mom and secret boyfriend, and the story unfolds from there.

I really loved how fast-paced and fun The Selection is. I read this book in a 24-hour period, and really enjoyed the storyline. While the book is extremely predictable and a bit derivative of The Hunger Games, I had a fun reading experience. I absolutely love reading about books where a competition is at the forefront. There is just something about a good game that really excites me, and The Selection is no exception.

Unfortunately, I do have a lot of troublesome thoughts about this book. I recognize that this is a dystopian world, and it is purposefully written to be a world in which we would not want to live. However, I worry that a lot of young girls will read this novel and not take that into account. For example, women are subordinate to men in Illéa, and are required to conform to certain standards of beauty at all times. Chastity is extremely valued, and it is against the law to have premarital sex. Even more troublesome is the fact that all romantic relationships in Illéa are heterosexual. There is never a mention of anything but a relationship between a man and a woman.

As an adult reading this book, I can see this is a fictional world. A younger reader might associate Illéa’s customs with a guide on how to act, especially since women in America today are still struggling for equality. I mean, it would be a ton of fun to live in a palace and have beautiful clothes and amazing food. Wouldn’t it be fun to marry a prince, even if that meant being his submissive wife? If this was an adult novel, I wouldn’t have these same hesitations, but in a book aimed towards young people, I think it might do more harm than good.

Moreover, the writing in The Selection was a bit lacking for me. There are a plethora of sentences that end in prepositions, and while I recognize that a teenager is the narrator, I wish such improper grammar was limited to dialogue if it truly had to be included. There are also comma rule issues, which I know is a small detail, but one that I expect to be perfected throughout the editing stages of every published novel.

Nevertheless, I did really enjoy the characters in this novel. America is a very likable protagonist, and I was rooting for her from page one. She does have that cliché personality where she is different from all the other girls, but I think that works in this book. I also love Prince Maxon. He is a bit of a mystery, but always goes above and beyond to be a kind and caring person. I would love to read from his perspective at some point in the short stories that accompany this book series.

Overall, The Selection is the book candy I was looking for, and I immediately am continuing on with this series. Perhaps I am taking the book a bit too seriously when I look below the surface and see what effect it could have on society, but I am interested in hearing your thoughts if you’ve read it as well. I do recommend it if you’re looking for a fun and fast-paced read, especially if you love a good competition story as much as I do. Make sure to stay tuned for my thoughts on the other books in this series very soon!

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