Review: The Selection by Kiera Cass

The Selection by Kiera Cass
The Selection #1
Publisher: HarperTeen
Published April 24, 2012
Hardcover, 327 pages

Overview:

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.

Review:

I hadn't heard much about The Selection before I started reading it, but the synopsis reminded me a little of Princess Academy--a bunch of teenage girls are trained to become the princess, one of them will marry the prince, etc. What amazed me about The Selection was that while the basic structure of the plot has been seen before, the overall story was very fresh and original.

The Selection takes place somewhere in futuristic North America after a fourth world war. The United States have been recreated into the kingdom of Illéa, whose social structure is based around castes. Ones are royalty; Eights are the mentally unwell and homeless. The main character, America (named after the spirited fighters who tried to keep the country from collapsing) is born a Five: her family works as musicians and artists. She has fallen in love with a servant from a family nearby, a Six. I particularly enjoyed reading about the specifics of the different castes; for example, Fours and Fives can get along well because they're just above the serving class, but it's unusual for two people to get married from different castes. Not much is revealed about the lowest castes (Seven and Eight) or about Twos and Threes, but I suspect we'll find out more in future books. (There's a list of specific jobs contained within each caste, located here on the author's website.)

One thing I didn't like about this book was the character Aspen, America's secret boyfriend, a Six. The two can't have a public relationship because they're from different castes, so they sneak out to meet each other at night. Even though his circumstances are out of his control and he only wants the best for America, I thought Aspen came off as super possessive. What infuriated me more is that America lets him act this way, claiming his actions just showed how madly in love they were. For example, when her family urges her to apply for the Selection, she refuses; when Aspen begs her to apply, though, she agrees to it just to make him happy. Around Aspen, America is very passive; around everyone else, though, America is stubborn, fierce, and opinionated.

That relationship aside, I really liked the book. I loved the prince, Maxon, and his friendship with America. There's some mention of rebels from different parts of the country attacking the palace; I'm sure that storyline will be explored more in later books. I had a little bit of an issue with the ending--I thought it was rather abrupt, given the mass number of things that happen very close together in the last fifty or so pages. Regardless, I really enjoyed The Selection and will definitely be picking up the sequel when it comes out!

Overall rating: 4 of 5 stars.

Review: Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Published November 13, 2012

Hardcover, 304 pages

Overview:

Meant to be or not meant to be . . . that is the question. 

It's one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for the—gasp—wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she's queen of following rules and being prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that's also why she's chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB ("meant to be").

But this spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: to be thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts . . . from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love.

Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.

Review:

The first thing that drew me to this book (other than the gorgeous cover) was the idea of a class trip to London. I'm a huge fan of YA romances in foreign countries (like Anna and the French Kiss, 13 Little Blue Envelopes), so I knew immediately that I had to read this one. I thought the city of London was described really well in Meant to Be--the characters are always running down famous streets or checking out iconic landmarks.

I found the main character, Julia, extremely relatable--almost to a fault. She's a stickler for following the rules and can't bear to go anywhere without a book in her bag, but most of the time, she lets these things get in the way of being adventurous and having a little fun. Half the time I was rooting for her, half the time I wanted to throw the book at her head. The character Jason was much of the same way--sometimes I wanted to yell at him to stop being such a jerk, the other half I was grinning ridiculously at something he did or said. That's what makes their relationship so interesting--sometimes Julia and Jason can't stand to be in the same room with each other, other times they're unbelievably cute together.

Overall, the plot was entertaining enough to keep me reading. I thought I knew how everything was going to end up, but the twist of events at the end of the book took me by complete surprise. While some of the other events were a little predictable, I was very happy with how the book ended. Meant to Be is a really great choice if you're looking for a quick, light read with fun characters and a fantastic setting.

Overall rating: 3.5 of 5 stars.

The Book Blog

Hey guys!
I've been blogging for a while, and more recently I started making vlogs about books, so I decided it was about time to combine the two and start a blog about books. I'm hoping to update this blog more frequently than I do my book channel (which is about once a month) to keep up with what I'm reading. I'll still be updating my book channel, but this way I can still talk about reading in-between my videos. This is still a work-in-progress, but I'm excited to see where this blog takes me!

Cheers!
Teresa