A review by aelinwhitethorngalythynius
The Selection Series 1-5 Book Set by Kiera Cass

5.0

The first book was absolutely amazing! I loved the characters, they were so well developed that they felt real. I will point out for people deciding if this is appropriate for you or your children that they ask America if she is a virgin and tell her not to refuse the prince of anything (they never do anything more than kiss though, and she wants it every time). Kriss, Celeste, Marlee, America, and Maxon are incredible characters. Marlee has an affair a guard and is canned(hit on the palms 15 times with a whip publicly) with Love it!
Book 2 picks up where the first left off, Maxon has narrowed his selection down to the elite (6 girls) Maxon and America’s relationship grows, but at the same time America and Aspens does too. Aspen wants her back and will do whatever he can to win over her heart. There’s no explicit romance which is wonderful, a few make out senses but nothing is described really. Again wonderful novel!
Book 3 ties into book 2 and Maxon must choose a wife, he wants America, but she is scared, not of him but if the position as queen. The romance isn’t very explicit (America does try to look appealing to Maxon for which she is called a slut). She tells him she wants to wait and he agrees, but he can’t wait forever. Eventually Maxon finds out about Aspen and Americas relationship, and threatens to send her home. He does not, however, and at the end marries her.
Book 4 takes place 20 years later, America and Maxon have children, Eadlyn their oldest who will take the throne and she has a twin brother Arhen, a 14 year old brother Kaden, and 9(?) year old brother Osten. Marlee has children too I don’t know how she raised such awful kids she is amazing!!! The country is in a state of unrest so Maxon has a proposition for Eadlyn, host a Selection. She hates the idea but eventually agrees. One of her 35 suitors is Marlee’s son Kile. She develops feelings for Kile early on but doesn’t know if they are romantic feelings. There is also Hale, Henri, Fox, Ean, and Henri’s translator Erik. Eadlyn soon realizes she loves Erik. The romance is not bad, Eadlyn mentions that her dad thinks that sex, love and babies are for duty only. She kisses Kile a few times and things get kind of long but not bad. Also a boy touches Eadlyn and tries to kiss her when she doesn’t want it, he’s sent home immediately.
I’m disappointed in book 5, Eadlyn must make a decision about who to marry, she has eliminated most suitors and is down to only a few (Kile, hale, fox, Ean, Henri) Eadlyn and Erik’s relationship seems very forced, and I think Kile is a better match for her, a boy, Marid tells Eadlyn that if she doesn’t marry him he will make the country hate her even more. After her mother suffers from a heart attack her father steps down and Eadlyn takes the place as queen. She decides that she has to speed up the selection if she wants to avoid persecution over Marid. She narrows it down to two boys after hale and ean come out as gay(