Tag: HarperTeen

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

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

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

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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When you buy a book through the Amazon or Book Depository links above, I earn a small commission through each website’s affiliate program. All opinions are my own. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.