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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Cute Twinkie read. Nothing particularly offensive, but nothing particularly meaty, either. America veers sharply into Mary Sue territory, but the "just be yourself" message is sweet. I just wish it were more subtle. Same with the foreshadowing.
Needless to say, I'm totally sucked in.
Needless to say, I'm totally sucked in.
2012 Rating: 4 Stars
2021 Rating: 2 Stars
Kinda minor spoilers TLDR:
This book is the "junk food" of all books. You just keep reading it, even though you know you're probably losing a few brain cells doing it. Everything is pretty much terrible in this book, but it's still a little fun to read it so you can laugh at how cringey it is.
It's like watching a train crash (but... not as violent). This is a fairly simple read. As long as you don't take the book or yourself too serious, it's a decent read if you're wanting something light-hearted to pass the time.
Recommended for age 16+ and fans of 'The Princess Academy', but 'The Bachelor' style with a bunch of catty and immature girls + extremely sappy romance(?) in general. If this does not sound appealing to you, please, just do not read this book. You've been warned.
---
For Christian/Conservative Readers who are wondering if they should read this book, I give minor spoilers below on the book's content.
Book Content w/ Minor Spoilers:
-There's 6 kiss scenes (More than a few a bit intense that made me even blush)
-2 uses of the "h**l"
-6 uses of the "d**n" (or it's variants)
----
Thought and Spoilers Below:
Plot: 3.5/5
'The Bachelor', but takes place in a dystopian America ruled by a monarchy with a caste-system. It's honestly just a grown-up version of 'The Princess Academy'.
------
Writing: 2/5
It was okay. Pretty juvenile. Passages that segued into America's thoughts were not done smoothly at all.
------
World Building: 1.5/5
-Info-Dumps galore. Constantly. It just doesn't stop
------
Characters' Rating: 1/5
Main Character, America:
Least favorite MC I have ever read.
Her whole POV summarized is...
"I love Aspen" - "I don't like Aspen"
"I don't like Maxon" - "I like Maxon" - "Sike"
"Aspen's back" - "I like Aspen and Maxon"
And, besides constantly thinking about food, that's it. Seriously.
And yes, I understand she's 17. However, she's incredibly immature for someone her age.
Side Characters:
I cared for no one in this book.
Maxon is sometimes funny, but then other times cringey or creepy. Still miles better than Aspen, however.
------
Overall Enjoyment: 2/5
As a teenie totter reading the romance, I ate it up. Reading it now.... It's pretty bad. However, I only cringed 19 times in the book! Much less than I would've thought.
Loved:
-That failed kiss scene makes me laugh every time I read it
Nitpicks:
-Chapter 2, Aspen and America '"romance". Just no.
-Chapter 3, America said she got five hours of sleep. Yet in Chapter 2, she said she had met Aspen at midnight and had spent hours with him
-Aspen and America have been talking about marriage. Why would it surprise America that Aspen was saving up money to do so?
-Chapter 5, dramatic fight between America and Aspen feels cheap and forced drama. It's on par level with "New Moon"
-I hate that books have a double standard of it being bad for males to hit a female, but it's almost romanticized for a female to slap a male. Please let this trend die.
-"My dear". Ew.
-I would've kneed Maxon too, he was acting pretty creepy in Chapter 12
-The fact that the country is trying to find the next Queen from a bunch of immature and catty teenage girls
-"I'm choosing me" cliche
-The love triangle
------
Notable Quotes:
-The upper castes would wear khaki and denim from time to time to change up their looks, but it was always in a way that took the material to a whole new level. As if it wasn’t enough that they could have pretty much whatever they wanted, they turned our necessities into luxuries.
-This was the man who was going to lead our country: the guy rendered useless by tears. It was too funny.
-I had spent the afternoon replaying what I’d said to Maxon. No wonder I’d never had any friends. I was shockingly bad at it.
2021 Rating: 2 Stars
Kinda minor spoilers TLDR:
This book is the "junk food" of all books. You just keep reading it, even though you know you're probably losing a few brain cells doing it. Everything is pretty much terrible in this book, but it's still a little fun to read it so you can laugh at how cringey it is.
It's like watching a train crash (but... not as violent). This is a fairly simple read. As long as you don't take the book or yourself too serious, it's a decent read if you're wanting something light-hearted to pass the time.
Recommended for age 16+ and fans of 'The Princess Academy', but 'The Bachelor' style with a bunch of catty and immature girls + extremely sappy romance(?) in general. If this does not sound appealing to you, please, just do not read this book. You've been warned.
---
For Christian/Conservative Readers who are wondering if they should read this book, I give minor spoilers below on the book's content.
Book Content w/ Minor Spoilers:
-There's 6 kiss scenes (More than a few a bit intense that made me even blush)
-2 uses of the "h**l"
-6 uses of the "d**n" (or it's variants)
----
Thought and Spoilers Below:
Plot: 3.5/5
'The Bachelor', but takes place in a dystopian America ruled by a monarchy with a caste-system. It's honestly just a grown-up version of 'The Princess Academy'.
------
Writing: 2/5
It was okay. Pretty juvenile. Passages that segued into America's thoughts were not done smoothly at all.
------
World Building: 1.5/5
-Info-Dumps galore. Constantly. It just doesn't stop
------
Characters' Rating: 1/5
Main Character, America:
Least favorite MC I have ever read.
Her whole POV summarized is...
"I love Aspen" - "I don't like Aspen"
"I don't like Maxon" - "I like Maxon" - "Sike"
"Aspen's back" - "I like Aspen and Maxon"
And, besides constantly thinking about food, that's it. Seriously.
And yes, I understand she's 17. However, she's incredibly immature for someone her age.
Side Characters:
I cared for no one in this book.
Maxon is sometimes funny, but then other times cringey or creepy. Still miles better than Aspen, however.
------
Overall Enjoyment: 2/5
As a teenie totter reading the romance, I ate it up. Reading it now.... It's pretty bad. However, I only cringed 19 times in the book! Much less than I would've thought.
Loved:
-That failed kiss scene makes me laugh every time I read it
Nitpicks:
-Chapter 2, Aspen and America '"romance". Just no.
-Chapter 3, America said she got five hours of sleep. Yet in Chapter 2, she said she had met Aspen at midnight and had spent hours with him
-Aspen and America have been talking about marriage. Why would it surprise America that Aspen was saving up money to do so?
-Chapter 5, dramatic fight between America and Aspen feels cheap and forced drama. It's on par level with "New Moon"
-I hate that books have a double standard of it being bad for males to hit a female, but it's almost romanticized for a female to slap a male. Please let this trend die.
-"My dear". Ew.
-I would've kneed Maxon too, he was acting pretty creepy in Chapter 12
-The fact that the country is trying to find the next Queen from a bunch of immature and catty teenage girls
-"I'm choosing me" cliche
-The love triangle
------
Notable Quotes:
-The upper castes would wear khaki and denim from time to time to change up their looks, but it was always in a way that took the material to a whole new level. As if it wasn’t enough that they could have pretty much whatever they wanted, they turned our necessities into luxuries.
-This was the man who was going to lead our country: the guy rendered useless by tears. It was too funny.
-I had spent the afternoon replaying what I’d said to Maxon. No wonder I’d never had any friends. I was shockingly bad at it.
3.5 ⭐️ Es un libro entretenido, el cotilleo te mantiene a la espectativa. No se quién es más indecisa en la vida, si America o yo
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
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:
Yes
Pretty decent. Not amazing, persay, but good enough. I love the fact that America didn't fall in love instantly with Aspen, and that she's gradually learning to love the prince.
What I liked:
- the premise of the selection was super interesting since it’s very old fashioned type event happening in a modern world
- the camaraderie between all the girls competing. There’s always one who has to be a b**** but I liked that they all weren’t horrible to another
- Maxon was sweet and the friendship that blossomed with America was cute
- I actually didn’t end up minding the love triangle and I think this is what is pulling me into the next book
I actually felt myself conflicted between aspen and maxon since I think a lot of their moments with America were cute
What I didn’t like:
- maxon saying “my dear”. Too me it felt stilted and unoriginal and a bit creepy instead of endearing
- America jumped to a lot of quick and weird conclusions immediately instead of just thinking about it for more than 5 seconds and always thinking it revolved around her. I am proud of her for standing up for what was best for her tho in the end.
- the writing…was not the best. It felt very short and I wanted way more detail than I got. It’s such an interesting world and it felt like nothing was really painted for me. I can’t really even tell you what americas iconic red dress looked like…
- can I have more on this history of this world please? It’s sounds interesting but I still have a slim grasp of it all.
Overall, it hooked me enough to read the next one. If you like a simple love story that includes competition and a triangle, this could be for you.
- the premise of the selection was super interesting since it’s very old fashioned type event happening in a modern world
- the camaraderie between all the girls competing. There’s always one who has to be a b**** but I liked that they all weren’t horrible to another
- Maxon was sweet and the friendship that blossomed with America was cute
- I actually didn’t end up minding the love triangle and I think this is what is pulling me into the next book
I actually felt myself conflicted between aspen and maxon since I think a lot of their moments with America were cute
What I didn’t like:
- maxon saying “my dear”. Too me it felt stilted and unoriginal and a bit creepy instead of endearing
- America jumped to a lot of quick and weird conclusions immediately instead of just thinking about it for more than 5 seconds and always thinking it revolved around her. I am proud of her for standing up for what was best for her tho in the end.
- the writing…was not the best. It felt very short and I wanted way more detail than I got. It’s such an interesting world and it felt like nothing was really painted for me. I can’t really even tell you what americas iconic red dress looked like…
- can I have more on this history of this world please? It’s sounds interesting but I still have a slim grasp of it all.
Overall, it hooked me enough to read the next one. If you like a simple love story that includes competition and a triangle, this could be for you.
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes