The Crown (Selection #5)

                Hello happy readers!  Last week I finished the Selection series with The Crown (Selection #5) as stated in my monthly challenge wrap-up but life has been in my way and I haven’t had a chance to type up my thoughts before now.  That’s right I have went from being super behind and having not read any to finishing the whole series the last couple of months!  Score!  So now I’m ready to share my thoughts on the final book as well as my thoughts on the series as a whole.

Rating:  4.5 Stars

                So if you remember from my review of The Heir (review) I didn’t really enjoy it as much as I did the first three books in the Selection series.  It wasn’t bad but Eadlyn just didn’t pull me in as much.  Plus while it was a gender reversal the selected guys didn’t have to go through nearly as much as the girls did to prove they could in fact handle it.  I went into The Crown a bit worried yet still optimistic as she had started to grow on me a bit more towards the end.  And it paid off because I did really enjoy this one. 

                Eadlyn started to make me feel for her struggle more and I saw her as more than a spoiled brat.  So huge plus there.  I could see in this more that she wanted more than to be powerful and stand on her own and not rely on a man, which I did respect from the start.  She wants to rule because she wants to help her people, even if she is a bit out of touch with them.  Also her harsh exterior has something soft and warm inside and some of the things that made her seem harsh were practical things designed to compensate for her being a female leader taken a bit too far.  Things came more into light.  Basically I’m saying I really came to enjoy Eadlyn and care for her. 

                As for her selected.  Well this is where things got real tricky.  I still with they had to preform like the girls did, tasks and such to prepare them and equality and all, but I enjoyed getting to know more of them.  I was conflicted in the first one because I was really liking a couple of different ones for different reasons.  I thought I knew which one I wanted her to end up with and I could see it playing out but at the same time I was kind of rooting a bit more for another.  Still as we get to know the guys was spot on.  Some you know while it wouldn’t work out you will always be able to count them friends which is a huge plus to have people leave on good terms.  Some not so much. 

                 Boy drama for sure.  Still we also have many things to deal with in way of the people, politics, family issues and lots of personal struggles.  The Crown gave us a wrap up to Eadlyns selection and figuring out her heart but more than that it worked out some more political issues.  The first trilogy set up some serious changes and for a long time things have been well and peaceful but as with life nothing is able to stay that way forever and changes must continue to be made.  While I liked the way the original books ended and could see and love the happily ever after feel, seeing years later how while it was like that it also had its hardships and such.  It brings it back into reality and shows there is more.

                 I enjoyed this final book and the selection series as a whole with a minor stumble in The Heir.  Still this one brought me back up and I’m so glad to have finally caught up and finished this series I have heard so much about over the years.  I do recommend anyone who hasn’t read the series yet but has been lingering to go ahead and give it a try.  

The One (Selection #3)

                Hello happy readers!  So quick heads up there is still a giveaway open for the SIGNED copy of The Last Star by Rick Yancey until 6/6 here so don’t forget to enter!  Now back to matters, you may have noticed that I’ve been working my way through the Selection series by Kiera Cass.  I have finished the original trilogy now and the bind-up of novellas and now plan to finish the newest two books in the series.  Today I’m going to be reviewing The One (Selection #3) and Happily Ever After the novella bind-up so there will be spoilers for the first two books just be warned. 

Rating: 5 Stars

                So when we left off we found out that the founder wasn't as awesome as we first thought, rather vindictive to his own family really.  He created the caste systems and after a bout of misunderstanding, anger, and hurt feelings America pitched dismantling the castes as her 'per project' on air to all the country to see.  As one can imagine the king was not pleased.  She was almost sent home but a raid by the rebels forced America and Maxon into a safe room together for the night where they could get some things cleared up between them and give Maxon a good story for his father to let her stay.  Things aren't that easy though because now she has broken Maxon's trust and he wants her to earn it back.  Things both inside and outside the palace are heating up as America gets closer to being the one, something she never thought she could want and now as she is close to losing it, him really, she will have to stop sitting back and waiting and fight for what she wants.

                This series I marathoned pretty closely back to back mostly listening in audiobook form.  I only ever got upset with America in this one finally for a few of her 'agh' moments.  At the time I remember remarking that I was so irritated with her at one point near the front but as time has let things sit I realize it was less annoyance at her and more my desire for things to go my way quickly in the story.  America did some things I wasn't thrilled about sure but the same personality traits I liked in the first two books are what got me upset in this one.  She is the same character who is coming to terms with her past and her present and understanding what it is she wants and who she wants to be.  That said I also had a few moments of annoyance with Maxon as well but that is par for the course when mix-up and misunderstandings keep popping up and interfering with what you want to happen.

                That said I was really excited to meet Georgia and August and learn more about the rebels and the country and where it stands overall.  There is much more going on than a simple selection and Maxon has more to worry about than choosing the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with and also with how he can save his people.  Neither task is made simple with interference by pretty much every outside force imaginable.  Violence erupts and we discover more and more that leaves everything in question.

                Overall as a series I really enjoyed the ride and the way things from all the books would come back into play or something I remembered thinking it was important coming back up later proving me right.  Lots of things happened.  Emotions run high and things are intense.  Overall while I found the series as a whole somewhat predictable I didn't find myself caring because it was still fun and while I knew what to expect how it got to those points were always interesting. 

                Now for Happily Ever After, the novella bind-up.  I dove into this directly because I knew it contained a story of where everyone was as well as scenes after The One.  I read the novellas totally out of order but that was okay.  I think my favorite, pun intended, might have been The Favorite followed by the after scenes and even the scenes from Celeste.  None of them are necessary to enjoy the series by any means they only add to them and give a better sense of some of the characters and I have to say The Queen may have been the most interesting one just to have that glimpse.  The Guard was my least favorite of the stories and it wasn't that I disliked it but more that I like Maxon more and even seeing Aspens side of some things didn't change much for me so it didn't really add much for me. 

                That's all for this I look forward to continuing on and finishing the last two books, the final one should be arriving via Amazon this week.  I would love to hear your thoughts on the first three books and how everything played out.  How everything ended?  Did you see it coming?  Were you rooting for it? Tell me in the comments below.

                Until next time…