Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Book Review: The One by Kiera Cass


The One (The Selection #3)

Kiera Cass


Review of The Selection
Review of The Elite (The Selection #2)

Publication Date: June 5th 2014

Publisher: HarperTeen


Pages: 325

Genre:  Fantasy-esque, Dystopia-esque, Romance, Young Adult

For the four girls who remain at the palace, the friendships they’ve formed, rivalries they’ve struggled with and dangers they’ve faced have bound them to each other for the rest of their lives.

Now, the time has come for one winner to be chosen.

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 realises just how much she stands to lose – and how hard she’ll have to fight for the future she wants.
Yes. This one is the best one. I can't believe this is the same writer as the first book, she has improved so much for me. Although maybe gulping both this and The Elite one right after each other on the same day could be coloring my view.

The highlight of this book for me (I'm sure it's not true of everyone) is not the romance but instead the friendships and politics of the book.

On top of that Cass manages to show growth in almost every single character still around in this final book. The final four girls left, aside from America, are the side characters where it's the most obvious. It makes me want to go re-read the first book again just to remember how they were when they had started and truly appreciate what they've grown into. America herself grows tremendously as well, from a girl who just wanted to marry the boy of her dreams to the girl who wants to make a difference.

It's hard to talk about this book without revealing all. I laughed. I cried. I almost missed my bell to go to class because I became so absorbed. I am glad I gave this series another chance after a rocky start. I think the first book is a poor introduction to all of the non-romance parts that this series has to offer, but on the other hand it was a good set-up for things to come.


One thing that's true however is that The One is a different book than The Selection. Lucky for me that was a good thing.



This is a fantastic end that cleans up the loose ends of the previous book and ends at a place that feels comfortable and finished. This series is good. It is a fantasy story based in a possible future of our own world. It is a princess story that doesn't shy from the politics of the situation. And it is a love story that plays out dramatically, but realistically.

4.5 Bookmarks

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've heard so many people raving over this book and now I start to wonder if it's really worth reading! Maybe I should borrow this from the library.? haha! Thanks for the review! It's nice to know that you loved it :D

Sam said...

@Jillian: Yeah, I used to think the series was really over-rated when I had only read the first book (and because love triangles REALLY don't do it for me) but the focus really shifts to a good place during the second and finally the third book. The writing also improves I think. This last one though.. I think it really shows how much work Cass had been doing in the first two books to prepare for this one. That's what I admire the most.

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