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ranforingus's review against another edition
3.0
Wow! This was an adventure for sure! It took quite some time to get into the story, but at long last it's over (and then I discovered that there's a fourth book ( -_-')
I just finished the third book so I'm still starry-eyed about the ending, and horrified about what happened just before that. Celeste did NOT deserve that fate!
I've grown to like this series (especially towards the end of the third book), but also hate it in a way so it's very confusing to write a review.
I love way the author makes the characters grow and develop, but at the same time our MC hasn't reallly changed much.
Perhaps she is the biggest problem I have with the series as a whole (discounting the next book(s) as I haven't read them yet of course).
America Singer is IMHO spoiled, bratty and indecisive as all hell. And don't you DARE call her pretty!
Throughout the story:
- She IS/WAS in love with Aspen (and after he broke up with her, she didn't let go. Fast forward to her meeting him again in the palace... BAM! Instalove! *sweatdrop O_o' ),
- She FALLS in love with Maxon and...
- Strings them BOTH along for the ride right up until the end.
To be fair, she was actually planning to tell Aspen that she'd let him go (in the third book! And only after her own sister had to tell her it was wrong to keep him hanging), but them she assumes he's going to confess to her again (it's beyond me why she would think that though...), so she gets angry and throws a bitch fit. And of course, conveniently forgets to tell him that from now on, she's only in love with Maxon.
Of course it leads to a confrontation with Maxon (because last-minute romantic drama) and excalates into a misunderstanding that could cost her a marriage.
She doesn't deserve Aspen OR Maxon. The fact that everything turned out to be happy-skippy is that the trilogy HAD to have a happy end. And I keep stomping my feet in frustration over HOW it got there! It didn't nicely segway into the developments. No, it just gets dropped onto you like a ton of bricks.
I need a distraction before I bash the keyboard so hard it breaks...
So let's move on to the boys in question.
Aspen is sweet, protective and has a hero-complex in that he always takes care of other people, even if it hurts him.
He breaks up with our MC, later sees her back at the palace and tells her he won't give up on winning her heart back. Until the very end he acts like a very overprotective brother. And it's been like that since the beginning, so I just can't really see him and America as a couple. He's a hard worker, she complains about her work all the time. He wants to provide for her, she is happy to let him do it for her.
*Sigh, I think I'm biased against out lovely MC, but I'm angry at her for how she treated her (prospective) BF's
Speaking of prospective BF's, here's Maxon...
Poor, confused, abused Maxon.
I understand that he's not perfect. Indeed, he has a host of personal (and emotional) problems. But none of them justify America's treatment of him. At every turn, she's comparing him with Aspen trying to see which one can make HER the happiest. And every time he tries to open up to her (and inevitably makes a misstep, because her emotional state is like a friggin MINEFIELD) she pushes him away in the worst way possible.
When we came to the argument at the end of book 3, I was completely rooting for the Prince.
He may have grown as an individual thanks to America, but he didn't deserve what she did to him. She broke his heart in the worst of ways. And given his difficulty with personal relationships because of what his father did to him, I'm about ready to strangle her.
But the minute things actually start to get dangerous, he's back up in the I-love-her-we-were-made-for-each-other-saddle....
(I can chalk it up to his issues, but I'm going to leave him alone. He's been through enough already. If he thinks he can be happy with her as his wife, I'm happy to leave him with her)
Phew, this seems to have turned out to be an America Singer-bashfest...
I can't help it, a lot of things about her (including all the above and her way of jumping to (the wrong) conclusions immediately) just rub me the wrong way...
Use your head dammit! And try to think of other people's feelings before you hurt them.
I've got a few points that I actually liked in this trilogy (which will probably feel a bit... flat after my tirade above, but we can try :D)
- I really liked the way the girls interacted with each other (even though the focus was only on the few that would stay until the end, it was fun)
- I also really liked Sylvia (I've got a soft spot for strict mentor-types, even though our sweet Mer dropped her like a used tissue the moment she was done with her)
- Maxon's backstory (the little we found out about it anyway) was heartbreaking. I can't help wanting to hug him and tell him everything is going to be ok. I have a weird fascination with broken characters, and the way he's written drops just enough hints that there is indeed something very wrong with him.
- I loved sweet Queen Amberly. She has a host of problems of her own, but manages to stay strong all the way to the end. And she's such a strong woman! I really admire her.
- The maids were also great, each with their own backstory and circumstances and all so eager to help... They've turned out to be very good friends for America, but I wish they'd slap her for some of her more ridiculous assumptions and reactions.
I think I'm done, writing it all out has calmed me a great deal. All in all, the idea behind the story was great, and the way the Selection was organized was weird, but alright.
The only thing I was sorely missing was some world-building... Telling someone that life outside the Palace for the lower castes is horrible isn't the same as experiencing it through the writing. Also the two factions of rebels were there, but we were so lacking in information that the assault at the end came as a genuine (but not completely unexpected) surprise.
I'd have expected some more eerie writing on the wall (that sent chills up my spine, I loved it!)
Now I think I'm all done, so now I can start looking out for the fourth book.
Can't wait to read it :D
Over and Out!
I just finished the third book so I'm still starry-eyed about the ending, and horrified about what happened just before that. Celeste did NOT deserve that fate!
I've grown to like this series (especially towards the end of the third book), but also hate it in a way so it's very confusing to write a review.
I love way the author makes the characters grow and develop, but at the same time our MC hasn't reallly changed much.
Perhaps she is the biggest problem I have with the series as a whole (discounting the next book(s) as I haven't read them yet of course).
America Singer is IMHO spoiled, bratty and indecisive as all hell. And don't you DARE call her pretty!
Throughout the story:
- She IS/WAS in love with Aspen (and after he broke up with her, she didn't let go. Fast forward to her meeting him again in the palace... BAM! Instalove! *sweatdrop O_o' ),
- She FALLS in love with Maxon and...
- Strings them BOTH along for the ride right up until the end.
To be fair, she was actually planning to tell Aspen that she'd let him go (in the third book! And only after her own sister had to tell her it was wrong to keep him hanging), but them she assumes he's going to confess to her again (it's beyond me why she would think that though...), so she gets angry and throws a bitch fit. And of course, conveniently forgets to tell him that from now on, she's only in love with Maxon.
Of course it leads to a confrontation with Maxon (because last-minute romantic drama) and excalates into a misunderstanding that could cost her a marriage.
She doesn't deserve Aspen OR Maxon. The fact that everything turned out to be happy-skippy is that the trilogy HAD to have a happy end. And I keep stomping my feet in frustration over HOW it got there! It didn't nicely segway into the developments. No, it just gets dropped onto you like a ton of bricks.
I need a distraction before I bash the keyboard so hard it breaks...
So let's move on to the boys in question.
Aspen is sweet, protective and has a hero-complex in that he always takes care of other people, even if it hurts him.
He breaks up with our MC, later sees her back at the palace and tells her he won't give up on winning her heart back. Until the very end he acts like a very overprotective brother. And it's been like that since the beginning, so I just can't really see him and America as a couple. He's a hard worker, she complains about her work all the time. He wants to provide for her, she is happy to let him do it for her.
*Sigh, I think I'm biased against out lovely MC, but I'm angry at her for how she treated her (prospective) BF's
Speaking of prospective BF's, here's Maxon...
Poor, confused, abused Maxon.
I understand that he's not perfect. Indeed, he has a host of personal (and emotional) problems. But none of them justify America's treatment of him. At every turn, she's comparing him with Aspen trying to see which one can make HER the happiest. And every time he tries to open up to her (and inevitably makes a misstep, because her emotional state is like a friggin MINEFIELD) she pushes him away in the worst way possible.
When we came to the argument at the end of book 3, I was completely rooting for the Prince.
He may have grown as an individual thanks to America, but he didn't deserve what she did to him. She broke his heart in the worst of ways. And given his difficulty with personal relationships because of what his father did to him, I'm about ready to strangle her.
But the minute things actually start to get dangerous, he's back up in the I-love-her-we-were-made-for-each-other-saddle....
(I can chalk it up to his issues, but I'm going to leave him alone. He's been through enough already. If he thinks he can be happy with her as his wife, I'm happy to leave him with her)
Phew, this seems to have turned out to be an America Singer-bashfest...
I can't help it, a lot of things about her (including all the above and her way of jumping to (the wrong) conclusions immediately) just rub me the wrong way...
Use your head dammit! And try to think of other people's feelings before you hurt them.
I've got a few points that I actually liked in this trilogy (which will probably feel a bit... flat after my tirade above, but we can try :D)
- I really liked the way the girls interacted with each other (even though the focus was only on the few that would stay until the end, it was fun)
- I also really liked Sylvia (I've got a soft spot for strict mentor-types, even though our sweet Mer dropped her like a used tissue the moment she was done with her)
- Maxon's backstory (the little we found out about it anyway) was heartbreaking. I can't help wanting to hug him and tell him everything is going to be ok. I have a weird fascination with broken characters, and the way he's written drops just enough hints that there is indeed something very wrong with him.
- I loved sweet Queen Amberly. She has a host of problems of her own, but manages to stay strong all the way to the end. And she's such a strong woman! I really admire her.
- The maids were also great, each with their own backstory and circumstances and all so eager to help... They've turned out to be very good friends for America, but I wish they'd slap her for some of her more ridiculous assumptions and reactions.
I think I'm done, writing it all out has calmed me a great deal. All in all, the idea behind the story was great, and the way the Selection was organized was weird, but alright.
The only thing I was sorely missing was some world-building... Telling someone that life outside the Palace for the lower castes is horrible isn't the same as experiencing it through the writing. Also the two factions of rebels were there, but we were so lacking in information that the assault at the end came as a genuine (but not completely unexpected) surprise.
I'd have expected some more eerie writing on the wall (that sent chills up my spine, I loved it!)
Now I think I'm all done, so now I can start looking out for the fourth book.
Can't wait to read it :D
Over and Out!
ngreads's review against another edition
3.0
Sigh…well, this is what I get for getting bored and getting a random romance hankering…I’ll be honest, I’ve been putting off this review, but here we go.
So…this is the epitome of a guilty pleasure. I struggle to look at this series with a critical eye because honestly? Look at it. It expects NOTHING from the audience. It screams: “I am here to be entertaining fluff, not much else. I don’t have much point, I’m not here to be deep, I am the bachelor in a post apocalyptic America. With a lead character named…America.”
It was exactly what I expected going in. Like eating a cheap cupcake, I knew it was going to be sweet, enjoyable, and ultimately not great, but fun enough that I might even go on to the others when I’m in the mood for it.
Also…I read this on ebook. And wasn’t paying attention to the page count. I’ve never had a climax abruptly sneak up on me the way it did in the first book before, so that was a surprise.
Couple other notes:
-really fast reads. Read all three over the course of a couple days.
-Maxon is a really cute love interest. I liked him.
-Aspen can die alone in a hole for all I care.
So…this is the epitome of a guilty pleasure. I struggle to look at this series with a critical eye because honestly? Look at it. It expects NOTHING from the audience. It screams: “I am here to be entertaining fluff, not much else. I don’t have much point, I’m not here to be deep, I am the bachelor in a post apocalyptic America. With a lead character named…America.”
It was exactly what I expected going in. Like eating a cheap cupcake, I knew it was going to be sweet, enjoyable, and ultimately not great, but fun enough that I might even go on to the others when I’m in the mood for it.
Also…I read this on ebook. And wasn’t paying attention to the page count. I’ve never had a climax abruptly sneak up on me the way it did in the first book before, so that was a surprise.
Couple other notes:
-really fast reads. Read all three over the course of a couple days.
-Maxon is a really cute love interest. I liked him.
-Aspen can die alone in a hole for all I care.
amchris's review against another edition
went through the audiobooks fairly quick. These were fine, not sure I'd recommend.
catschapters's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this series as a light romance read, I would describe the plot as a mix between the Bachelor and the Hunger Games. If you are looking for a fantasy read that is a guilty pleasure this series would be a good one. America Singer and Maxine Shrive frustrated me as a protagonists - I don' think I really related to her or him until the very end of the series but I was definitely intrigued by the history of their society and the caste system as well as the rebels.
I might pick up the companion reads that follow as a guilty pleasure read in the future.
I might pick up the companion reads that follow as a guilty pleasure read in the future.
hager87's review against another edition
4.0
There is no denying that Kiera Cass is talented gifted writer who has a way with words .. I finished these three books back to back ..
jordancsmith16's review against another edition
3.0
Yes, I reread the entire Selection original trilogy.
Yes, I slightly regret my choices.
I will say the positives of the Selection trilogy is that it does manage to suck me in even though it’s so, so frustrating. That’s a talent.
I will say the negatives is that overall, it’s a very imbalanced series. The third book has some of my favorite things (The contestants finally become friends! Celeste redemption arc! The rebels are real characters! America seems to finally know what she wants! The king dies!!) but it all happens so quickly that none of it is able to have an impact. The king and queen die off page, Aspen and Lucy’s relationship is thrown in there, Celeste is killed in the same book that she got her redemption arc in, and the happy ending is rushed in right after. None of it felt earned.
I appreciate the era that this original trilogy was published in, but I’m happy that more YA novels are stepping away from The Hunger Games model.
Yes, I slightly regret my choices.
I will say the positives of the Selection trilogy is that it does manage to suck me in even though it’s so, so frustrating. That’s a talent.
I will say the negatives is that overall, it’s a very imbalanced series. The third book has some of my favorite things (The contestants finally become friends! Celeste redemption arc! The rebels are real characters! America seems to finally know what she wants! The king dies!!) but it all happens so quickly that none of it is able to have an impact. The king and queen die off page, Aspen and Lucy’s relationship is thrown in there, Celeste is killed in the same book that she got her redemption arc in, and the happy ending is rushed in right after. None of it felt earned.
I appreciate the era that this original trilogy was published in, but I’m happy that more YA novels are stepping away from The Hunger Games model.
alinka_013's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.5
lanie_bug1's review against another edition
3.0
These books are great to get into reading if you like YA, but there are some issues. These books are like The Bachelor and The Hunger Games mixed together, and you can definitely tell being as the main character and her two love interests are the Walmart versions of Katniss, Peeta, and Gale. The writing is mediocre, and I have a bone to pick with the character names. The protagonist is named America Singer. You may wonder, what does she do? She’s a singer. I’d say the series stays pretty consistent throughout, but the first one is definitely the best. Overall, they’re fun and I like most of the characters.
mischulicious's review against another edition
5.0
Ich liebe diese Reihe - da kommt das kleine Mädchen in mir durch. Es ist eine wunderschöne Prinzessinnengeschichte, wobei die Prinzessin keine sein will und das Aschenputtel-Thema ist immer wieder ein Klassiker, den man aufgreifen kann.
Und Kiera Cass macht das auf richtig tolle Weise (jaha, da kommt meine romantische Ader durch). America ist eine tolle Protagonistin und sie war zu jedem Zeitpunkt glaubwürdig - das ist etwas, was mir oft fehlt (und mir selbst nicht immer gelingt). Gut, das Love Triangle hätte jetzt nicht sein müssen, aber ich glaub, das gehört dazu ;) Die Umstände, in der America aufwächst, das Kastensystem, was aus Amerika geworden ist und wie die Welt dort aufgebaut ist und nach welchen Regeln sie spielt - ich liebe es. Es ist alles ineinander schlüssig, es ist stimmig, glaubhaft. Okay, vielleicht nicht ganz, wenn man die kurze Zeitspanne bedenkt, in der das alles passiert sein soll - dennoch Hut ab, ich war wirklich beeindruckt (und hab die Buchreihe schon als Weihnachtsgeschenk vorgemerkt).
Long Story short: wenn ich jemals ein Literaturbesprechungsvideo mach, ist diese Buchreihe definitiv meine erste Wahl :D
Und Kiera Cass macht das auf richtig tolle Weise (jaha, da kommt meine romantische Ader durch). America ist eine tolle Protagonistin und sie war zu jedem Zeitpunkt glaubwürdig - das ist etwas, was mir oft fehlt (und mir selbst nicht immer gelingt). Gut, das Love Triangle hätte jetzt nicht sein müssen, aber ich glaub, das gehört dazu ;) Die Umstände, in der America aufwächst, das Kastensystem, was aus Amerika geworden ist und wie die Welt dort aufgebaut ist und nach welchen Regeln sie spielt - ich liebe es. Es ist alles ineinander schlüssig, es ist stimmig, glaubhaft. Okay, vielleicht nicht ganz, wenn man die kurze Zeitspanne bedenkt, in der das alles passiert sein soll - dennoch Hut ab, ich war wirklich beeindruckt (und hab die Buchreihe schon als Weihnachtsgeschenk vorgemerkt).
Long Story short: wenn ich jemals ein Literaturbesprechungsvideo mach, ist diese Buchreihe definitiv meine erste Wahl :D