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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
I was drawn into this world so quickly. It's an adventure from the start. I couldn't put it down!
Very Pleasantly Surprised
I described this book as a cross between The Hunger Games and The Bachelor. If I’m being honest I did not take reading this book seriously, thinking I would give up due to disinterest in a few chapters. I was utterly shocked when I quickly became addicted, abandoning tv time with my husband and opting instead to read (much to his dismay.) America is a great protagonist - witty, kind, and ballsy. She will make an excellent role model to any young girls reading this book. Prince Maxon is an absolute dream. I’m extremely excited to see what the rest of the series holds
I described this book as a cross between The Hunger Games and The Bachelor. If I’m being honest I did not take reading this book seriously, thinking I would give up due to disinterest in a few chapters. I was utterly shocked when I quickly became addicted, abandoning tv time with my husband and opting instead to read (much to his dismay.) America is a great protagonist - witty, kind, and ballsy. She will make an excellent role model to any young girls reading this book. Prince Maxon is an absolute dream. I’m extremely excited to see what the rest of the series holds
At the start of my quest to reread all my middle school dystopia favorites is The Selection. I'm trying not to read any reviews and instead just go in blind with only my vague memories of loving these books. And honestly, I think that might be impacting my overall opinion a lot. If I didn't have fond recollections of The Selection, I don't think I'd be willing to give it as much leeway.
Is the writing good? No, not really. Is the world developed well? Not entirely. Is the concept of the book engaging? Yeah, a bit. Are the characters interesting? Depends on what you're expecting. For middle school me, it was all good. (12-year-olds can't identify good writing.) Current me thinks it's subpar, but not the worst thing I've ever read. At times it feels like Kiera Cass came up with her concept of a selection to find the next princess, thought of a few major scenes she wanted to write, and then formed the rest of the story around that. But most of the time it makes sense.
The world does feel a little loose, like Cass didn't plan it out well enough before starting to create her characters and plot. I find that interesting, because the Selection process itself is thought and planned out, but the world around it really isn't. It's especially apparent in the rebel subplot, which is attempting to be mysterious but isn't really engaging me too much thus far. Ah well.
But even with all those issues, I still enjoyed the book. The process of the Selection interests and entertains me. I enjoy the concept of the book a lot, and I'm willing to keep reading. Onto the next one!
Is the writing good? No, not really. Is the world developed well? Not entirely. Is the concept of the book engaging? Yeah, a bit. Are the characters interesting? Depends on what you're expecting. For middle school me, it was all good. (12-year-olds can't identify good writing.) Current me thinks it's subpar, but not the worst thing I've ever read. At times it feels like Kiera Cass came up with her concept of a selection to find the next princess, thought of a few major scenes she wanted to write, and then formed the rest of the story around that.
Spoiler
(I mean, take the end of this book where Maxon sends home all but six of the girls because of safety concerns. It really just read as Cass realizing she had to wrap this book up soon and that her next book was titled The Elite, so it had to be about the Elite, so she had to get rid of everyone but the Elite. Definitely one of the sloppier parts.)The world does feel a little loose, like Cass didn't plan it out well enough before starting to create her characters and plot. I find that interesting, because the Selection process itself is thought and planned out, but the world around it really isn't. It's especially apparent in the rebel subplot, which is attempting to be mysterious but isn't really engaging me too much thus far. Ah well.
But even with all those issues, I still enjoyed the book. The process of the Selection interests and entertains me. I enjoy the concept of the book a lot, and I'm willing to keep reading. Onto the next one!
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is book is AMAZING it is so lovable and Slay!!
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
If I’m being honest, I’m not sure how I feel about this book. It’s obviously not a literary masterpiece, it definitely reads like a middle school novel, however, I don’t think it’s complete trash like some of the other reviews do.
The pacing is quite strange, the climax of this book occurs within the last 10% of the book, except it’s not much of a climax. Instead we’re treated to descriptions of everyone sitting around a room while we miss all of the action and are only treated with the aftermath of said action. The only reason we know this is the climax is because it’s the major turning point of the novel, or what’s left of it.
A lot of the characters are lacking depth, and you don’t really become attached to them, more told to like them due to the main characters feelings for them.
Despite this, I can’t bring myself to give them less than 3 stars. The story was easy to read, the premise simple, and would make a good book for those just starting to read books in the YA category.
The pacing is quite strange, the climax of this book occurs within the last 10% of the book, except it’s not much of a climax. Instead we’re treated to descriptions of everyone sitting around a room while we miss all of the action and are only treated with the aftermath of said action. The only reason we know this is the climax is because it’s the major turning point of the novel, or what’s left of it.
A lot of the characters are lacking depth, and you don’t really become attached to them, more told to like them due to the main characters feelings for them.
Despite this, I can’t bring myself to give them less than 3 stars. The story was easy to read, the premise simple, and would make a good book for those just starting to read books in the YA category.