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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