{Review} The One by Kiera Cass
Labels:
ARC,
Book Review,
Dystopian,
Young Adult
·
Title: The One
Series: The Selection #3
Author: Kiera Cass
Published: 6th May 2014
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Dystopian Romance
Source: eARC provided by author for fair & honest review
Rating: 4/5
BLURB:
The highly anticipated conclusion to Kiera Cass's #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series, The One will captivate readers who love dystopian YA fiction and fairy tales. The One is the perfect finale for fans who have followed America's whirlwind romance since it began--and a swoon-worthy read for teens who have devoured Veronica Roth's Divergent, Ally Condie's Matched, or Lauren Oliver's Delirium.
The Selection changed America Singer's life in ways she never could have imagined. Since she entered the competition to become the next princess of Illéa, America has struggled with her feelings for her first love, Aspen--and her growing attraction to Prince Maxon. Now she's made her choice . . . and she's prepared to fight for the future she wants.
Find out who America will choose in The One, the enchanting, beautifully romantic third book in the Selection series!
It Has It's Flaws But This Series Is Incredibly Addictive!
REVIEW:
The story:
There is something oddly addictive about this series! On paper there are plenty of things that annoyed me about the entire series, most notably America's constant indecision over Maxon & Aspen and the lack of focus on the dystopian aspects & rebel activity. But despite these issues I just couldn't stop reading.
In this final instalment America tries to prove to Maxon that he should choose her over the remaining girls. She struggles to do as she's told and repeatedly breaks the rules as she learns more about the rebel activity. As the rebel attacks increase, the danger becomes more real, and America finally starts to see that she has the capability of making a real difference. Can America convince Maxon she's The One for him or does her heart still belong to Aspen?
The characters:
America can be quite a frustrating character at times, with inability to commit to Maxon or Aspen. She hasn't really changed all that much from the first two books in that respect. But I do love the fact that she's willing to stand up for what she believes in. I respected her for not being pushed and moulded into the perfect princess who just does what she's told.
Maxon will always be my favourite, I just love how forgiving and patient he is. He's also an intelligent character, which was a nice contrast to America's impulsive personality. Maxon wants there to see a change in the world, but realises that change won't happen overnight and needs careful planning. He's character has grown a lot since we first met him and he has started to develop into a stronger man that is capable of running the country.
I still have a soft spot for Aspen despite wishing he'd just disappear sometimes. I wanted him to be happy…just not with America! His loyalty to America is unwavering and I admired him for that, but I'll always be Team Maxon!
The romance:
The romantic storyline remains quite complicated, America is clearly in love with Maxon, but just can't seen to let Aspen go. It's somewhat understandable given their history, but I would have loved to of seen her commit to Maxon fully, rather than stringing Aspen along. Although it wasn't intentional, is did come off like she was keeping Aspen around incase Maxon didn't choose her. The scenes where Maxon & America are alone where some of the strongest in the entire book. There was so much emotion and passion between them.
The writing:
I was happy to see more rebel activity and talk about the cast system. Those parts of the story where so much stronger than the previous two books, although I still feel the dystopian elements of the story to be quite simplistic and underdeveloped. The ending was also a little too convenient, with everything wrapping up very quickly and neatly.
FINAL WORD:
If your after a deep and emotional dystopian story this probability isn't the book. It's based heavily on romance while the dystopian setting takes a backseat for the majority of the time. The Selection series is basically a slightly futuristic Royal Bachelor, and if you go into the series knowing what to expect, it can be a surprisingly addictive series!
CONTENT:
Sexuality: mild-medium / discussions of sex, some heavy kissing
Violence: mild / some minor war violence (no descriptions)
Language: mild
Drugs & alcohol: mild
Have you read this series? What did you think?
Team Maxon or Team Aspen?
(HA! like there's any choice?)
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I loved this series but I felt that the last installment could have been summed up a lot more quickly and that the concept of the war was thrown in at the last minute...I agree with you though it is an addictive series!
ReplyDeleteKatelynn
www.literarychameleon.blogspot.com
Yes I totally agree, there where some elements that seemed a little underdeveloped at the end there
DeleteYes and I totally agree with you! It has it's flaws but I just can't seem to stop reading. I was originally Team Maxon but like, pleeeaasee, she should've just stayed single and lonely haha. :P
ReplyDeleteHahaha that's the best response to which team ever lol! She just took waaaay to long to figure out what she wanted, maybe she did need some alone time - now that I think about it she was never really single since she first started dating Aspen all those years ago :D
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