I don't think it's any surprise that I love meself some YA! I think I was introduced to a blurb about The Selection series in Newsweek...kidding it was an issue of Seventeen I was reading at the Dentist? Whatever it doesn't matter, all you need to know is that its awesome! A Dystopian America that's now a smaller fragile absolute monarchy and has a caste system??? Uh yes please!
The series (originally a trilogy) is narrated by America Singer, a 5 (there are 8 castes) who lives in post WW3 (could be WW4 I honestly don't remember) Illea province named Carolina. As Artists, 5's are 3rd from the bottom in the caste system. I would equate them to the typical American family today, not well off, but they feel the struggle of staying afloat throughout the year. As per tradition with all the Princes of Illea a selection is held, where 35 girls throughout the kingdom compete for his hand in marriage. Kinda like The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games with less bloodshed and roses. The girls are eliminated from 35, to 6 which is the second book The Elite and then finally to 3 which is book #3 The One. Cass also wrote 2 eBook novellas titled The Prince (Maxim's POV) and The Guard (Aspen, America's ex-boyfriend and newly minted palace guard's POV).
So when the original trilogy was done, I was really satisfied with how it all ended, which made me excited, but not at the same time for book #4 The One. It sat on my "to read" shelf for a little bit, and it took me awhile to actually pick it up and read it, but it wasn't bad. It took some getting used to mostly because Eadlyn is a snobby richer version of America. I did find myself rooting for her in the end though. The book starts off just like the original book, stubborn girl doesn't want to be in the selection but here she is hosting the search for her very own husband; Only because her father would like to quell the masses who now hate the king after he abolished the caste system. I know, it really is a lot to take in and all within the first chapter, but if you loved the original 3 you will for sure get over how Eadlyn acts and love the continuation!
Cass kept the format somewhat similar to her original, just with a bit of gender reversal and reversal of process for you the reader. I enjoyed reentering that whimsical, yet still uncertain future that awaits our country which by the way could totally happen. (Because the USA is invaded by China when we couldn't repay our debt. Yeah that's the future everyone. And they use us as slave labor, fun times!)
There's not really much else to say about this book because its really the same thing as the original Selection. Not that I disliked it at all, because my inner 15 year old did a zillion and one happy dances when I heard there was going to be a continuation of this series. Personally I'd like to see this be made into mini-series, purely for the fashion that was described in the book, as well as the scenery. Also anyone else read this series and wonder where everything is? I imagine that Angeles the capitol of Illea is LA and that they live in some Hearst Castle type palace, but since it's LA its probably more like the Spelling mansion. Like I said before this book can pretty much be for anyone. Although I know a lot of people will and probably do hate the concept. Sometimes you read the classics and sometimes you read a CW soap opera written in novel form. Hey its one way to get teens to read!
The series (originally a trilogy) is narrated by America Singer, a 5 (there are 8 castes) who lives in post WW3 (could be WW4 I honestly don't remember) Illea province named Carolina. As Artists, 5's are 3rd from the bottom in the caste system. I would equate them to the typical American family today, not well off, but they feel the struggle of staying afloat throughout the year. As per tradition with all the Princes of Illea a selection is held, where 35 girls throughout the kingdom compete for his hand in marriage. Kinda like The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games with less bloodshed and roses. The girls are eliminated from 35, to 6 which is the second book The Elite and then finally to 3 which is book #3 The One. Cass also wrote 2 eBook novellas titled The Prince (Maxim's POV) and The Guard (Aspen, America's ex-boyfriend and newly minted palace guard's POV).
So when the original trilogy was done, I was really satisfied with how it all ended, which made me excited, but not at the same time for book #4 The One. It sat on my "to read" shelf for a little bit, and it took me awhile to actually pick it up and read it, but it wasn't bad. It took some getting used to mostly because Eadlyn is a snobby richer version of America. I did find myself rooting for her in the end though. The book starts off just like the original book, stubborn girl doesn't want to be in the selection but here she is hosting the search for her very own husband; Only because her father would like to quell the masses who now hate the king after he abolished the caste system. I know, it really is a lot to take in and all within the first chapter, but if you loved the original 3 you will for sure get over how Eadlyn acts and love the continuation!
Cass kept the format somewhat similar to her original, just with a bit of gender reversal and reversal of process for you the reader. I enjoyed reentering that whimsical, yet still uncertain future that awaits our country which by the way could totally happen. (Because the USA is invaded by China when we couldn't repay our debt. Yeah that's the future everyone. And they use us as slave labor, fun times!)
There's not really much else to say about this book because its really the same thing as the original Selection. Not that I disliked it at all, because my inner 15 year old did a zillion and one happy dances when I heard there was going to be a continuation of this series. Personally I'd like to see this be made into mini-series, purely for the fashion that was described in the book, as well as the scenery. Also anyone else read this series and wonder where everything is? I imagine that Angeles the capitol of Illea is LA and that they live in some Hearst Castle type palace, but since it's LA its probably more like the Spelling mansion. Like I said before this book can pretty much be for anyone. Although I know a lot of people will and probably do hate the concept. Sometimes you read the classics and sometimes you read a CW soap opera written in novel form. Hey its one way to get teens to read!
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