Review: The Selection by Kiera Cass

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Review: The Selection by Kiera Cass

I’ve decided to stop rating by stars. Books are so subjective that I feel like an ass trying to put a quantifiable numerical rating on them. So:

Rating: I had a lot of problems with this book, and yet I want to read the next one. Go figure.

 

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 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

Let me start by saying both the premise and the cover are gorgeous. A dystopian twist on The Princess and the Pea? I’m all about it. Unfortunately, the only things this book really has going for it are the premise and the cover.

I know it’s unfair of me, but I kept comparing this dystopian to the Hunger Games. Actually, it’s NOT unfair, considering the blurb for the book describes it as The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games, so it’s the book’s fault, I guess. The first portion shows how life in Illea, a country strictly divided by caste, is for our protagonist, America Singer (that name makes me CRINGE, btw). The caste part of this book is very interesting. Or at least, it could have been. In Illea, Ones are royalty and Eights are basically the dregs of the earth and everybody else falls on the spectrum between them. America and her family are Fives, meaning they are in the caste of artists and performers. The boy America loves, Aspen (oh God that name), is a Six. This is No Good. Marrying down is a bad thing. The castes don’t mix on pain of death.

Or at least, not really. The biggest problem I had with this book is how low the emotional stakes are. I didn’t feel like bad things were going to happen. America talks a lot about all the hardships she and her family face, but they really don’t seem that hard. She says they’re hungry sometimes, but every time we see the Singers they are eating. Yes, it’s very sad that her little brother is forced to be an artist instead of a soccer player, like he wants. Katniss is over in the corner rolling her eyes at you, thinking, Boohoo, can’t be a soccer player. Come talk to me when you literally have to SHOOT SQUIRRELS to stay ALIVE, little boy.

This is a dystopian. I expect severe hardship, suffering, grit, a totalitarian government, and horrendous oppression. All those things are hinted at in The Selection, but never taken as far as they should have. When America is chosen to be one of the girls sent to live in the palace and maybe become Prince Maxon’s royal lady love, she decides to go because A) her sweet and stupid boyfriend Aspen tells her to and B) her family will receive money if she does. This is good conflict on paper. She’s in love with Aspen, he is poor and lowly, her family desperately needs money. If she goes, her family gets fed, but she’ll lose the love of her life. If she stays, she’ll be with Aspen, but her family will starve.

The problem? Her family isn’t starving. Her boyfriend takes himself out of the picture. Goodbye stakes. Even when she goes to the palace, the conflict is very low. She’s more upset about boy, boys, boys. The sketchy “rebels” are not remotely threatening, and Prince Maxon’s explanation of their motives is entirely too vague. Again, I must compare it to The Hunger Games. When Katniss is in the arena, the stakes are complicated, but also pretty freaking clear. If she doesn’t win the Hunger Games, she will die and her whole family with also probably die. But then there's that nice boy with the bread and the little girl who reminds her of her sister. Can she kill them and still live with herself? Are there bigger things worth dying for? There you go.

So yes, America goes off to the palace to compete for the hand of Prince Maxon. In my eyes, this is where the plot picked up a little. The writing still had its problems– I didn’t truly get what she was fighting for, the dystopian land wasn’t dystopian enough, the godforsaken NAMES– but I found myself turning the pages more quickly here. I know lots of people had problems with Maxon as a character, but he was actually the first person in this book I liked. He’s stiff, naïve, goodhearted, and slightly strange. He trusts in America way too quickly and with no reason, but I forgave him for that.

I had issues with America. Particularly in the beginning. She was bland and slightly catty for no reason. So bland she actually says things like “I hated war” in her narration. Of course you hate war. It’s war. This is the sort of sentence that a character should never go out of their way to say, because it's a waste. I actually came to like her more throughout the book, mostly in her scenes with Maxon. She feels underdeveloped, as do all the other contestants, particularly Marlee. I also expected the cameras to be a bigger issue here. They are essentially on a dating reality show, and yet they were hardly ever filmed. This is a dystopian! Everything should be pushed to the nth degree here. And yet it wasn’t.

The plot is also somewhat aimless. Every now and then there’s a rebel “attack” which mostly amounts to things bouncing loudly against the palace walls. We get to know America’s maids, who actually provide most of the heart and pain of narrative, which this novel sorely needed. There’s a little (though easily anticipated) twist near the end, and then… well. Let’s just say this book is more of a first act for an over-arching narrative than a complete novel in and of itself. There wasn’t a climax here. It was mostly setup for Book Two.

And yet, I read it through. Maybe it was because I started to like America more and more as the book went on. Maybe it was because of Maxon. Maybe it was just because I wanted to know what happened, or I loved the premise so much I kept hoping it would deliver. It improves, no doubt about it, but I’m not sure it’s as good as it could be. The execution was not great. Some of the dialogue doesn’t feel very real, but then other times it was pretty great. The book had its moments, even if they weren't quite enough.

I’ll pick up the sequel. I have a feeling the proverbial sh*t will finally start hitting the fan in that one. I’m hoping the dystopian elements get more dystopian and my brain will stop reading King Clarkson as Kelly Clarkson (unlikely). But we’ll see.

NOTE: This review is my opinion and my opinion only. Lots of people LOVE this book, and I can see why. I don’t want to discourage you from trying it. It’s a very popular book that’s been read by tons of people, regardless of my feelings. If you loved it, feel free to tell me why you did, and why I’m a big bully for thinking naming a red-haired girl with a good voice America Singer is pretty cheesy.

Top Ten Most Anticipated Books of 2013

hosted by Broke and Bookish

My previous TTT's: Ten Worst Ways to End a Book, Top Ten Literary Characters I Want to Marry, Top Ten Books I'd Want on a Deserted Island, Top Ten Books/Authors I'm Thankful for

This is a list of all the books that make me weak-kneed with desire. Books whose releases I've marked down on my calendars. Books that, if you happen to possess an ARC, I will gladly push you in whichever body of water is nearest to steal.

1.      Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan

 

IT’S OUR PRECIOUS AND WE WANTS IT. I seriously, seriously loved Unspoken, despite the utterly heart-wrenching way in which it ended (Sarah, you know what you did). Unspoken was hardly your typical supernatural thriller, taking place in a quaint English village where some spooky magic-like things are happening.It struck a perfect balance between hilarious and Gothic-ly creepy. I want the sequel, like, yesterday so I can make sure all my beloved characters are okay and Sarah isn’t torturing them too badly (this is unlikely). Unfortunately I have to wait till August.

2.      Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

 

Cinder and I recently had a whirlwind affair in which we fell violently in love, so I think it's just wrong that I have to wait even a second to read its sequel, Scarlet, book two in the Lunar Chronicles. I love fairy tales, I love cyborgs, I love futuristic societies (especially in places like CHINA and PARIS!), and I LOVE these books. Scarlet is based on Little Red Riding Hood and I'm sure it will be awesome.

3.      The sequel to Defiance by C.J. Redwine

 

Defiance, the epic dystopian tale of a boy and a girl struggling to do the right thing/be in love/defeat their super evil totalitarian leader and the mythical beast threatening to murder them all, was one of those books I was just not expecting. It was incredible. The book was pulsing with fast-paced action and devastating emotion. It was soul-crushing in the best way possible. I love the two main characters and I’ve got to know what happens next.

4.      The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson

 

The Crown of Embers was one of my favorite reads of the year. This magical series, starting with The Girl of Fire and Thorns, features a strong female protagonist, a very deep fantasy world, and one of my favorite love interests of all time (oh Hector… sigh). I loved its unique focus on religion and the way it depicts the complexities of royal and political life. Plus The Crown of Embers was just SO romantic. It left off at a very tragic cliff-hanger-y juncture that left me weeping and cursing the heavens. Fall 2013 can’t come soon enough.

5.      The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd

 

 A YA Gothic horror book about Dr. Moreau's daughter? Sign. Me. Up. I've heard amazing things about this book, and having read the H.G. Wells novel it's based on, I've got very high expectations.

6.      The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson

 

 The Name of the Star is a hilarious, suspenseful, ghostly mystery set in London. It combined all my favorite things: quirky humor, English history, romance, and DEAD THINGS (said in a totally non-creepy way). It's sequel The Madness Underneath can't come soon enough. I myself am starting to feel the Maureen madness waiting very impatiently for this book.

7.      Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

 

Shatter Me is a powerful and beautifully written dystopian, full of romance, suspense, and action- not to mention a psychologically fragile heroine who can KILL with just one touch. It had some of the best prose I read all year, and best of all, there was Warner. I love him for the conflicted, tortured, smitten jerk-face he is. I can't wait to see what sort of awesome X-Men-like things Juliette is getting up to and what in the blazes will happen next.

8.      Splintered by A.G. Howard

 

I'll let the synopsis speak for itself (also that crazy gorgeous cover):
This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

9.      Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger

 

LOOK at that cover. I think it's fabulous. I can't wait to read about a girl who goes to finishing school... to learn to be a SPY in an alternate steampunk Victorian world! Yes please. And the main character is named Sophronia, which is an excellent sign of excellence, in my opinion.

10.  Just One Day by Gayle Forman

 
I wept my way through both If I Stay and its sequel, Where She Went, both of which are touching, heart-wrenching portrayals of love and loss. Forman is a world-class writer and I have no doubt her next book will be sublime.

11. Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Yes, I know it's supposed to be ten. No, I don't care. I have to include the Grisha Trilogy because it is glorious. I am a pan-shipper of this series, as in, I ship every character with every other character because I love them all. This world is richly imagined, luxurious, magical, and beautiful. It is based on eighteenth century RUSSIA, which anybody who knows me will know is basically my favorite thing (my friend and I once spoke in Russian accents for an entire evening. Once you start, it's very hard to stop). Just knowing there are ARCs of Siege and Storm floating around is making me tense and jealous and oh-so-excited.

EDITED TO ADD
12. Drachomachia by Rachel Hartman

I can't believe I forgot this! I LOVED Seraphina. It was not only one of my favorite fantasies of the year, but one of my favorites EVER, and definitely the best depiction of dragons I've ever come across. I'm in love with the character Seraphina and want so badly to read about her again.

Books that are coming out in 2013 that I fully intend to read but have been REMISS in reading their prequels and so cannot honestly put them on this list:
 Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Shades of Earth by Beth Revis

The third Divergent Novel by Veronica Roth (I KNOW, I KNOW, I’m a bad YA book blogger)

What about you? Which books are you DYING to read? Leave your links to your own TTT, I'd love to know!

I'm also doing a Holiday Giveaway where I'm giving away 13 great books. If you've got a US/CA address you could WIN THEM ALL!

Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Interested in reading this book? You should be, because it's awesome. Well, you're in luck, because I'm GIVING AWAY a copy, along with twelve other books!

Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Rating: ★★★★ 1/2 

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

WOW. CINDER. I sat down to read it Saturday morning and finished it by ten that night. It was a passionate, whirlwind affair, we fell violently in love, and I’m just not ready to leave Cinder and the rest of New Beijing behind.

If you can’t tell, I absolutely loved this book. I love any kind of fairy tale update, and this is by far the most original one I’ve ever read. Cinder takes place in a future where cyborgs are second-class citizens, androids make up most of the servant class, and a terrible plague is devastating the Eastern Commonwealth. Not to mention the looming threat of the horrendously creepy Lunars, the inhabitants of the moon, and their evil Queen Levana.

By far the best thing about Cinder is the world Meyer has created. This future feels very real and so fun. The idea of turning Cinderella into a cyborg with a metal foot and a retina display (including an awesome thing where a little light goes off when people are lying) was brilliant. Cinder herself is great and sympathetic lead character. She’s a talented mechanic (since she is, in fact, about 36% machine). That’s how she meets the oh-so-attractive Prince Kai, heir to the throne, who needs to get one of his androids fixed. Naturally, he’s throwing a ball. Kai is sweet, smart, and totally overwhelmed by all the responsibility of being Emperor-to-be. It makes sense he’d be drawn to a pretty and mysterious mechanic, especially if he doesn’t know she’s cyborg.

PRETTY SPANISH COVER!

Kai and Cinder’s developing relationship is cute and natural. Perhaps there’s a hint of insta-love, but this is a fairy tale, after all. Even if it is a sick, twisted one with hover crafts and evil murderous queens who live on the moon and can make you see things that aren't there using only her BRAIN. All the fairy tale ingredients are present: a wicked stepmother, two stepsisters (one of whom is not so wicked), a pumpkin which is actually an old orange car, and a ball. Yet it’s the parts where Meyer deviates from the formula that are the most fun. The subplots of the letumosis plague, the social aspects of having cyborgs in society, and of course the Lunars were what made this book. Iko the android is actually the most vivid character of the bunch, which, considering she’s a machine, is fascinating.

 

The plot is filled with fun twists, even though the big reveal at the end I saw coming a MILE away. I read this in a day, not wanting to part from Cinder and Kai and the delightful Iko for even a second. A lot of Cinder’s life is totally heartbreaking, but she’s always plucky and never feels sorry for herself. This book contains a lot of setup, as it’s the first in a series of four, but I didn’t think this was a problem at all. I love where the books are headed. You meet a character near the end who you’ll instantly recognize as another denizen of fairy tale land, and I positively squealed with glee.

I guess my only true critique was how obvious that final “twist” was, though that didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the reveal. Basically I would sell my right foot for Scarlet, book two in the Lunar Chronicles, and yes, that is a hint to anyone one out there  lucky enough to currently possess an ARC. YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND ME.

Review: Easy by Tammara Webber

Interested in reading this book? I'm giving away a copy, along with twelve other books!

Review: Easy by Tammara Webber
Rating: ★★★
 
A girl who believes trust can be misplaced, promises are made to be broken, and loyalty is an illusion. A boy who believes truth is relative, lies can mask unbearable pain, and guilt is eternal. Will what they find in each other validate their conclusions, or disprove them all?

When Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend to the college of his choice, the last thing she expects is a breakup two months into sophomore year. After two weeks in shock, she wakes up to her new reality: she's single, attending a state university instead of a music conservatory, ignored by her former circle of friends, and failing a class for the first time in her life.

Leaving a party alone, Jacqueline is assaulted by her ex's frat brother. Rescued by a stranger who seems to be in the right place at the right time, she wants nothing more than to forget the attack and that night--but her savior, Lucas, sits on the back row of her econ class, sketching in a notebook and staring at her. Her friends nominate him to be the perfect rebound.

When her attacker turns stalker, Jacqueline has a choice: crumple in defeat or learn to fight back. Lucas remains protective, but he's hiding secrets of his own. Suddenly appearances are everything, and knowing who to trust is anything but easy.


I have conflicted thoughts about EASY. On the one hand, it didn’t make quite the impression on me I was expecting from all the hype. On the other hand, I read it straight through, very much wanting to find out what happened.

Also: IT’S NEW ADULT. I love New Adult because I happen to be one. This is a book set on a college campus dealing with the kinds of issues college-aged kids deal with: rape, relationships, sex, careers, classes, etc. The college world was believable and fun to read about. The heart of the subject matter is sexual assault, and I have to say that Webber explores this issue with a pretty deft hand.

The first scene is Jacqueline escaping a near-rape. It’s a powerful way to open a book, and yet it didn’t impact me like it should. I think the problem was Jacqueline. It took me a long time to connect to her, and I never felt her as deeply as most heroines. I felt like there was a bit of distance between her and me. I didn’t feel her trauma. Most of her anxiety in the ensuing pages is about her ex-boyfriend, her economics class, and figuring out the mystery of Lucas, the guy who saved her from Buck the would-be-rapist.

Jacqueline repeatedly says her passion is music, and talks about how she tutors local middle school students to play the upright bass. But we never see a scene of her playing or tutoring. I never believed she was a musician; it didn’t affect the way she saw things at all.

It took me a while to grow into Jacqueline, but by the end I started to get to know her. A little late, but the book really improved as I read. Some of the characters really popped, like Erin the roommate. She was the best. Lucas was a little too perfect: he draws, he’s a taekwondo master, he’s a straight A student, SPOILER THAT WASN’T A SURPRISE an economics tutor, handyman, barista, tattooed soulful man with a tortured past. Of course, he was swoon-worthy. Their flirting was so much fun. I actually loved that he lied to her, and that they actually did have arguments. I loved the way he supports Jacqueline and cares for her. The love scenes (for sure mature content) were wonderful and made me weak at the knees. Despite my issues with their characters, I loved their romance.

Oh, I so don’t want to sound this negative. I really didn’t hate it, guys. It has a powerful message about women taking control of their lives and not becoming victims. It just got to a slow start for me. A lot of obsessing over a useless ex-boyfriend and not failing econ class. Jacqueline frequently says she’s trying to forget the assault, but I don’t get the impression she’s really struggling with it. She struggles more with not thinking about Lucas or her ex. Once the book really started dealing with the trauma of sexual assault, I liked it a lot more. Jacqueline begins to take more control. She learns self-defense and how to stand up for herself. There are points that made me want to cheer and shout “GIRL POWER!”

But then there’s also a scene where a male character calls a young woman an “alcoholic skank” to her face and it is played as a victory. It was just one moment in a book otherwise filled with good messages, but it hit me wrong. In a book that taught how horrible it is to put blame on rape victims, to claim they were asking for it, to call them sluts, it was just so weird to me that the author would think it appropriate to use a derogative sexual term for laughs.

I also thought the other girls on Jacqueline’s floor were quick to judge when they thought she was hooking up with two different guys. This is college. That is hardly a shocking thing. Nobody on my floor sophomore year would have blinked if someone hooked up with two different people in two weeks. The less-than-stellar reactions of the Greeks to the rape claims were realistic, however. I enjoyed the way Webber portrayed all the different ways people think of rape.

But like I said, the latter half of the book really picks up. There’s action and heartbreak. We get to know the characters better. A scene where a teacher basically monologues all of Lucas’ background is a little convenient, but it’s certainly a powerful story. And like I said, the romance. It is steamy. It is beautiful. It made me fan my myself and reach for the cold water.

This book takes a very healthy view of female sexuality and at times it was just fun to read. There are also resources for sexual assault victims at the back of the book, which I liked. This book felt supportive. It was trying to reach out to girls who feel like their voices have been silenced, and that's always worthy.

In the end, I liked it. It’s well-written, intelligent, and has a very worthy subject matter. It’s no Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, which will stick with you for the rest of your life, but I think it’s worth a read. I won't be thinking about it tomorrow, and I’m not sure it deserves all the hype it’s gotten, but it may be just me.