The Selection Series by Kiera Cass

The Selection Series

by Kiera Cass

• Fiction, Coming of Age, Dystopian, Futuristic, Romance
• 11-20 age range
• published April 24th, 2012 by Harper Teens
• available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, AbeBooks
• Overall Rating ★★★★★

Summary

     "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."-Goodreads

Overall Review

     Honestly, I wasn't expecting much from this series, seeing as it's the kind of books that I do everything in my power to avoid. The "girl meets boy, changes her life for boy, they fall in love, get married and live happily ever after" type book. Typically, I'll put down books if they follow this general plot, but I couldn't ignore all the positive reviews. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that I couldn't put the book down and read all 5 books in a week! I loved the series and am sad that there are no more books to come. I am however hoping that a movie will be coming along soon. I'm hoping that by the time a movie version of The Heir comes along, I'll be able to audition for Eadlyn. (Who I wish with every bone in my body to be!)

     However, it is my absolute hate for ALL things romance that causes me to give the series four stars instead of five. I did love this book though and think all teenagers or others that love YA should read it. The writing was good, and most of the characters seemed relatable. Personally, I relate most to Eadlyn, a strong, independent, caring girl in line for the throne, that believes that men will slow her down or distract her from her duty. If you're looking for a book to read and you just can't decide, the Selection series should definitely be on your radar. No matter what it seems, this is not your average romance novel with girly girls who'll give up their life for someone they just met. (For goodness sake the first time America and Maxon meet America yells at him.) I wish I could be more like the strong independent, and brave women in this story. To be honest, I cried multiple times PER book, an impressive feat seeing as the only other book I've cried about is Allegiant.

 Individual Ratings 

*Spoilers ahead!! Read at your own risk.*

The Selection: ★★★★★ 

• Sturdy character development
• Relatable characters
• Interesting and unique plot

The Elite: ★★★★★

• Interesting plot
• Annoying love triangle *cue eye roll*
• (Mostly) Characters stay true to themselves

The One: ★★★★★

• Brave, independent heroine
• America stops being STUPID (Seriously America get a grip!)
• Shows the consequences of rebel attacks through main character deaths (I know it's sad, but do you want a Breaking Dawn situation where there's a lead up to a big battle only to end it with a handshake? Huh, HUH????)

The Heir: ★★★★★

• Shows that women can lead the country too (Go Eadlyn!!)
• Displays that no matter how good the cause, people won't change if they don't want to
• Eadlyn is a strong independent woman who doesn't need a man!
• (Eadlyn in general because she's my favorite character and I wish she was real because I would no doubt 150% be BFFs with her!!)

The Crown:  ★★★★★

• True love is a force to be reckoned with (EW! Why must all good characters fall in love?!)
• Even the "best" people, can have ulterior motives (I'm looking at you Marid!)
• Some rules are made to be broken

Character List

*Spoilers ahead!! Read at your own risk.*

• America Schreave: Main character, wife of Maxon and mother of Eadlyn, Ahren, Kaden, and Osten, formally America Singer, formerly a 5
• Maxon Schreave: Beloved prince of Illéa, husband of America,  father of Eadyln, Ahren, Kaden, and Osten, son of King Clarkson and Queen Amberly
• Aspen Leger: Ex-boyfriend of America, palace guard, wife of Lucy Leger, formally a 6, became a 2 when he became a guard
• Amberly Schreave: Queen of Illéa, wife of King Clarkson, mother of Maxon, formally a 4
• Clarkson Schreave: King of Illéa, husband to Queen Amberly, father of Maxon
• Eadlyn Schreave de Koskinen: First female heir of Illéa, daughter of America and Maxon, sister to Ahren, Kaden, and Osten, wife of Eikko
• Ahren Schreave: Husband to Camille, brother to Eadlyn, Kaden, and Osten
• Kile Woodwork: Selection participant, son of Marlee and Carter, brother to Josie
• Eikko Koskinen: Prince Consort of Illéa, husband of Eadlyn

About Kiera Cass

     "I am a graduate of Radford University with a B.S. in History. I grew up in South Carolina and currently live in Christiansburg, Virginia with my electrical engineer hubby, car-obsessed son, and princess-loving daughter. I'm a #1 New York Times bestseller, woohoo! I'm also a valued customer at my local cupcake shop.

Things I hate:

When people fail to use turn signals, flying, salads.

Things I love:

Office supplies, boy bands, desserts." Kiera Cass's Official Website

Lindsay Versus the Marauders

Lindsay Versus the Marauders by J.S. Frankel, published June 26, 2014, was given to me for free by J.S. Frankel in exchange for an honest review.

Lindsay Fleming has been an outcast since she came out to her all of her friends about liking girls. But one night, after the most humiliating moment of her life, it all changes. She meets mysterious Jo and they go on a mission to regain what belongs to Jo's planet. As they travel through the universe tracking down Turkel, an evil thief, will they become friends or will Jo continue to shut everybody out? Join Lindsay and Jo as the travel the universe to find out.

What I  Did Like:

Jo, Lindsay, The Plot, Originality

What I Didn't Like:

Insta-Love, Turkel, The Writing

Insta-Love:

I feel the characters were not given enough time to bond they just fell in love. There wasn't any growth or anything just BAM they're dating. I feel they could have been a good couple over time but the insta-love was one the reasons I gave it 3 stars instead of 5.

Jo:

Jo is a tense, uptight girl fighting to gain back the three pieces of the jewel that powers Jo's planet in exchange for her people's forgiveness. She is mysterious and has closed everybody out due to the fact she has never been loved.

Linsday:

Lindsay is a young women faced with the challenge of being different from everybody else. She is unique but traumatized because she thinks liking girls is the reason her mother died.

Originality:

Frankel created an intense and unique novel with realistic characters. They treat most situations as actual adults would.

The Plot:

I feel that the storyline holds the reader's attention and once you start reading, you can't stop. The only problem was that the plot dragged on a little bit, while I prefer fast-paced books.

Turkel(the bad guy):

Turkel is a good main villain, but he had the potential to be more. I would like to know what went wrong and caused him to be a pirate. What's his background, was he abused, did his parent's not care about him? This information like this would make him a better villain.

And Last but Not Least:

The Writing:

I feel like the writing really dragged the story down. Frankel wrote the word "said" a lot instead of more descriptive words like exclaimed or wondered. Also he could have described more which really would have improved the story. This is a big reason that this book got 3/5 stars, not 5/5.

About the Author:

"J.S. Frankel was born in Toronto, Canada, many moons ago and managed to scrape through high school and university, earning a BA in English Literature and leaving no book unopened during his time at the University of Toronto. Shortly after graduation, he moved to Japan in order to teach English to the hapless residents of whichever city he happened to be living at the time.

In 1997, he married the charming Akiko Koike and their union produced two rather interesting children. Frankel and his family make their home in Osaka where he teaches during the day and attempts to write YA fiction at night." - Goodreads.com.