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A review by verymom
The One by Kiera Cass
A few spoilers are herein:
The first book was okay if you have Twilight levels of tolerance for YA nonsense (and I do!) Books two and three were... oof.
It’s supposed to be a dystopia where there are strict caste systems. A royal family rules over a reorganized USA called Illéa, which is also(?) under... some kind of global(?) Chinese rule. The politics are barely sketched in as backdrop, so I’m a little confused, even after three books.
In a "Bachelor" style contest, girls from all castes are selected to compete for the prince’s hand in marriage. There is supposed to be a "Hunger Games" aspect too, but I’m not sure it really came through. The main character is bafflingly named: America Singer.
After almost no consequences to the various rebel attacks throughout the series (aside from creating situations where America could cozy up with Prince Maxon in safe rooms because this castle cannot defend itself at all), a bunch of people start dying in book three. None of the deaths have any impact whatsoever, because the author doesn't seem to understand profound loss.
Badly handled deaths:
- As a direct result of America Singer's ridiculous plan to sneak the heir of Illéa out of the castle, a boy named Micah literally dies and she barely seems to care. Granted, this was a very minor character, but when America asks Micah's friend about his death, the friend (who is supposed to be close and even motherly to the boy) was just like, “Shrug! He died doing what he loved!” Which was dying on a street. At a super young age.
- The author handles grief a tiny bit better when America's father dies, but only marginally; the primary focus is still on the love triangle. I'm not sure what purpose his death provided the story or the plot other than to let America sort through some clues and discover her father was part of the rebellion. This information, like so many things in this series, doesn't actually go anywhere, making the death of a loving character feel pointless. America barely reacts to her father's death and is soon laughing with her sisters and running back to Maxon at the palace.
- After the mean-for-no-reason character, Celeste (another girl in the princess contest), experiences one of the very few actual growth arcs in the book, she's shot in the head by one of the rebels. Even though America and Celeste bonded after Celeste chose to be more vulnerable about her motivations and behaviors, America barely spares a thought for her and doesn't react at all to her friend's violent death, even though she witnessed it.
The first book was okay if you have Twilight levels of tolerance for YA nonsense (and I do!) Books two and three were... oof.
It’s supposed to be a dystopia where there are strict caste systems. A royal family rules over a reorganized USA called Illéa, which is also(?) under... some kind of global(?) Chinese rule. The politics are barely sketched in as backdrop, so I’m a little confused, even after three books.
In a "Bachelor" style contest, girls from all castes are selected to compete for the prince’s hand in marriage. There is supposed to be a "Hunger Games" aspect too, but I’m not sure it really came through. The main character is bafflingly named: America Singer.
After almost no consequences to the various rebel attacks throughout the series (aside from creating situations where America could cozy up with Prince Maxon in safe rooms because this castle cannot defend itself at all), a bunch of people start dying in book three. None of the deaths have any impact whatsoever, because the author doesn't seem to understand profound loss.
Badly handled deaths:
- As a direct result of America Singer's ridiculous plan to sneak the heir of Illéa out of the castle, a boy named Micah literally dies and she barely seems to care. Granted, this was a very minor character, but when America asks Micah's friend about his death, the friend (who is supposed to be close and even motherly to the boy) was just like, “Shrug! He died doing what he loved!” Which was dying on a street. At a super young age.
- The author handles grief a tiny bit better when America's father dies, but only marginally; the primary focus is still on the love triangle. I'm not sure what purpose his death provided the story or the plot other than to let America sort through some clues and discover her father was part of the rebellion. This information, like so many things in this series, doesn't actually go anywhere, making the death of a loving character feel pointless. America barely reacts to her father's death and is soon laughing with her sisters and running back to Maxon at the palace.
- After the mean-for-no-reason character, Celeste (another girl in the princess contest), experiences one of the very few actual growth arcs in the book, she's shot in the head by one of the rebels. Even though America and Celeste bonded after Celeste chose to be more vulnerable about her motivations and behaviors, America barely spares a thought for her and doesn't react at all to her friend's violent death, even though she witnessed it.