The One (Selection #3) by Kiera Cass

Okay, so let me start this off by saying that I read this book in about a day. One. Single. Day.  I have been waiting so long for this book to come out and I was so excited when it did! I had pre-ordered it months in advance (much to the dismay of my boyfriend who thought I was crazy.. sorry not sorry), and was so excited when I got the email from Barnes & Noble that it had shipped.  Not only did I pre-order the book, but I pre-ordered a copy that Kiera Cass had signed herself.  How awesome is that? I was so excited!

Anyways, onto what I actually thought of the book itself.. If you have not read the first two books, I would highly recommend you do that first! You can read what I have to say on the first two here.

Of course, I'm going to start off with, I was SOOOO happy that they did finally end up together.  I really liked that Kiera Cass took her time getting them fully together and then threw in a little rift between Maxon and America at the very end to get you to think, dang maybe they won't end up together? I really enjoyed how she even made me like Celeste and feel bad when (SPOILER) she gets killed in the end. Another thing that I liked about the book was that America stayed true to her roots until the very end.  She fought for Aspen as a friend, and she stayed humble throughout the whole experience, not letting it change her for the worse.

Even though, overall I was happy with the ending, I feel that Ms. Cass could have done a little more with the rebel piece. The Southern rebels are mentioned, and attack the palace a few times, but they never really come into play after two appearances.  The Northern Rebels are the only ones that we grow to know and it's only their explanation of the Southern rebels that we get.  I really enjoyed that Maxon and American were sneaking around trying to help the Northern Rebels and change the way that the country is run.  I also liked that we got to know more about Maxon and the way he worked, but the book wrapped up a little too quickly.   Overall, it's a great, quick read and I really enjoyed it! It's not your typical fairy tale story about a girl coming into the royal family and falling in love with a prince, it runs deeper than that.

In case you get confused on who all of the Selected girls are, Kiera Cass has included a list on her website! Find it here. She has also announced a new novella called "The Queen" which will take us back to Queen Amberley's selection time. Read about it on Ms. Cass's website here.

Want to own it? Here it is on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

(Copyright, Kiera Cass 2014)

Quick Review:
Title: The One (Selection Book 3)
Author: Kiera Cass
Pages: 217 (ebook)
Recommended for: Young adult girls

The Elite by Kiera Cass (The Selection #2)

****SPOILER ALERT**** If you have not read The Selection by Kiera Cass, I would highly recommend that you DO NOT read this post. This is the next book in the trilogy and if you read what I have to say about this book then you'll know what happens in the first one.  Read what I have to say on The Selection here.

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Okay, since you are still reading, I am assuming that you have read The Selection. First of all... When I first picked up this book, I didn't realize that it was a trilogy. So when I came to the end and nobody had been picked I was upset. Now, however, I have come to terms with the fact that it is a trilogy and have read the next one in the series. The Elite was riveting. I could not put it down, and I think I finished it in a day. Now that the Selection has been going on for quite some time, Prince Maxon has narrowed down the Selection from 35 down to 6. We've gotten to know the girls pretty well and I know everyone dislikes Celeste. She really gets on my nerves. Doesn't Prince Maxon see what a conniving, backstabbing biotch she is? But onto America.. She hasn't decided if she's still in love with Aspen, or if she loves Prince Maxon... AND THEN Aspen shows up at the castle as a guard! Did not see that one coming. Of course it complicates things, forcing America to remember all the promises and secrets that Aspen and her shared. The other girls are now fighting even harder for the crown and America is forced to make some hard decisions. But just as America decides exactly where she wants to be a devastating and heartbreaking loss forces her to reconsider her choices.  The rebels are also fighting against the throne, throwing in some action packed scenes and making America think about what it would be like if she lost Maxon or Aspen. 
     I personally would love for America to choose Maxon. I think that he really cares about her and she knows it would really help her family out for her to be so powerful and rich.  I also think that with America as the Princess and eventually the Queen that it would make for some very interesting changes in the kingdom.  America has good ideas about changing things up and I think with Maxon's help they could really make it work, as well as create a beautiful life together. Aspen is a good choice and I know he would make it work with America and really work hard to provide for her, but I don't know if after the Selection she will be allowed to marry an eight.  Now that she has jumped to a three rank, I feel like nobody will allow for her to marry an eight. In the book I also like how supportive America's dad is of her. Especially during the scene where she tries to stand up for Marlee and her dad tells her how proud he was of her trying to do that. It brought me to tears. I am rooting hard core for America and I can't wait to read The One which doesn't come out until May 2014! Yikes, that's a long time to wait.
    Also, there is another Selection novella called The Prince.  I have not read this yet, but apparently it is from the point of view of the Prince and it's about the other girl in Prince Maxon's life before the Selection. Gasp! Wow. It's only 64 pages so I will probably download it on my nook and read it real quick and let you know what I think! If anyone has read it already, let me know what you think!
   Unrelated to the Selection novels but completely related to Kiera Cass, you should check out her YouTube Channel. She's so awesome and down to earth and she does some "interviews" with the Selection girls.  She dresses up as them herself and answers some questions as if she were them.  They are hilarious. You can watch them here, and here is Kiera Cass' YouTube Channel.

Thanks for reading!

Copyright © 2012, Kiera Cass.

Want to own it? Here it is on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Quick Review:
Title: The Elite (Selection Book 2)
Author: Kiera Cass
Pages: 323 (hardcover)
Recommended for: Young adult girls