Author: Kiera Cass
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Dystopian
Source: HarperCollins Australia. Thank you!
Goodreads | The Reading Room
The Selection changed the lives of thirty-five girls forever. And now, the time has come for one winner to be chosen.Review by Nara
America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon's heart. But as the competition approaches its end and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she'll have to fight for the future she wants.
From the very first page of The Selection, this #1 New York Times bestselling series has captured readers' hearts and swept them away on a captivating journey... Now, in The One, Kiera Cass delivers a satisfying and unforgettable conclusion that will keep readers sighing over this electrifying fairy-tale long after the final page is turned.
*No spoilers for any book in the series :)*
I'm going to make the conservative estimate that about 80% of people who read this series were first hooked by the covers. My god, the covers are pretty. The crowns, the dresses, the colour schemes, the font...*flails*. Ehem, anyway, let's move on to discussing the actual book.
I feel like, for the first 50-60% of the book, I spent the majority of the time either being frustrated with America's indecisiveness or being slightly annoyed at Maxon for what seemed like no reason in particular. Then I thought about it for a while, and I realised that strangely, I was annoyed at Maxon on America's behalf. You know, along the lines of "if you love America, freaking send everyone else home" etc. On the other hand, I can understand Maxon's predicament. If America loves Aspen, then what would Maxon be left with? So when I wasn't vaguely annoyed at Maxon, I spent my time feeling like I wanted to shake some sense into America. You know, along the lines of "STOP DELIBERATING AND FREAKING CHOOSE MAXON" etc. (yes, I'm Team Maxon. Get out of here, all you Aspen lovers! :P)
Despite this series being a dystopian one, the main focus is most definitely on the romance. More specifically, the love triangle. Or love hexagon/thing, I suppose, if you include all of the members of the Elite as well as Aspen. There are some threads of the plot to do with the gathering rebellion and the unrest of people in the lower castes and such, but really, if I were to give this book one genre, I'd probably give it romance. Actually, let's make a new genre: "dystopian romance" #totallylegit
The latter half of the book was considerably more enjoyable than the first, with there being quite a few more interesting events, including some rather surprising deaths *dramatic look*. There was a lot more involvement of the rebellion, which is probably why I found it more engaging (I do like some romance, but tend not to like it dominating too much in books).
Overall, The One was a pretty solid conclusion to the series. The romance was nicely resolved, with the "Selection" of the "One" from the "Elite" ;) and the final scenes were suitably fluffy. Now onto the novellas!
Liked it
Ratings
Overall: 8/10
Plot: 3/5
Writing: 4/5
Romance: 3/5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 5/5
