The Selection Series by Kiera Cass Book Talk- Romance, Royalty, and Everything In-between…

The Selection (The Selection, #1) by Kiera Cass
Published by HarperTeen on April 24, 2012
Pages: 336

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The Selection- For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined...

The series then continues on with four more books-

The Elite
The One
The Heir
The Crown

I just finished reading all five books in the Selection series and I’m not sure how to feel…

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

This was the first series that I completely finished in a very long time! I fell in LOVE with it! From the very first book (The Selection) through the end of America’s journey in the third book (The One) and then all the way through Eadlyn’s journey with books four and five (The Heir and The Crown).

There’s alot of elements of this book I could talk about, but I really wanted to focus this book talk on the characters. They were such a large part of the book and I have alot of opinions I want to share!

All of the characters were so enthralling and so different from each other. Frankly, it made this series rise above similar books. If I had to choose, I think that my favorite character would have to be either May or Marlee. They both had smaller roles in the books, yet their personalities really shone through.

May was such a fun spunky character, and I got extremely excited whenever she would have a part. She was the ball of light in America’s darkness, and always turned every situation into something positive.

On the other side of it, Marlee really had to go through a lot during the whole Selection process. In the beginning, I thought that she would only be labeled as “America’s best friend,” but boy was I wrong! It broke my heart when Marlee and Carter got exposed, and then later caned. I was always wishing the best for her, and at that point, I thought she would never come back. I really feel like she got the short end of the stick.

She was put through so much but she still came out of it with a smile and always ready to support others. That’s why I loved her so much, she was just so genuine no matter the circumstances she was in.

Now let’s move on to a more controversial topic, Maxon v.s Aspen. *sigh* This has been a topic of debate for a long time now, and like any romance novel, it’s bound to cause some disagreements. Both characters had their strengths and flaws, but personally, I’m Team Maxon all the way!

This is most likely not that big of a surprise, but I thought that I would elaborate on why I’m Team Maxon. Although I am super happy they ended up together, Maxon did make a ton of mistakes that we really can’t overlook.

I’m sad to say that I was shaking my head through the ENTIRE book two. The little relationship with Kriss was super annoying, and it seemed like he was taking advantage of the fact that he had so many potential choices.

Nonetheless, he was always there for America, while Aspen was always on or off. It was just hard to imagine anything between Aspen and America, and I don’t think they were ever meant to be with each other. He broke up with America and sent her on her way, and yet he kept wanting her back and putting her in difficult positions.

Meanwhile, Maxon TOOK A BEATING for America and would sacrifice anything he could to make her happy, he still supported her when she was unsure of her feelings and never gave up. He was always ready to drop everything for her. That’s why I’m on Team Maxon.

I was super scared that they wouldn’t end up together (Still upset about The Hunger Games haha) but I was ecstatic when they did, and made the series a billion times better.

Finally, I wanted to talk about the second half of the series. Books four and five follow America’s daughter, Eadlyn, and her own selection, but now from the royal perspective.

Since spin-off books are usually not as interesting as the first,  I was surprised to actually enjoy these parts, even if it wasn’t as good as the first three.

Honestly, I didn’t really like Eadlyn. She was a bit selfish throughout her story, and most of the time she didn’t care about the boy’s feelings. For example, when she was on her first date with Hale, he began to open up and display his feelings.

Instead of being supportive and kind, she ran away but still expected Hale to forgive her. I understand she was upset with the whole selection process but that’s not an excuse to treat others in that manner.

Even though she did have pretty good character development, she still wasn’t my favorite character.

And then she ended up with Erik/Eikko… Although I think it was kind of obvious from the start, it was odd how all the romance happened so fast towards the end. But, even if the timing was off I don’t think I could imagine her with anyone else (apart from maybe Kile) and I’m glad she got her happy ending.

In general, I loved the diverse characters, and I enjoyed this series a ton! If you’ve made it this far, you’ve most likely read the books, so tell me your opinions. Did you like the series or the characters? Who was your favorite? Are you Team Maxon or Aspen? Did you like the last two books? I would love to hear what you think!

Anyways, I am excited for whatever Kiera Cass releases in the future, as well as any other books she’s written. This was an amazing series from top to bottom, and I may even come back for a reread! I’m so glad I read it! I hoped you liked this book talk, and I will talk to you soon. Keep reading!