The Selection Series

Hello everyone! Having a good week?

Today, I'll be reviewing a series, discussing the pros and cons of the series. And this series is the deservedly popular (not trilogy, as I originally thought), The Selection by Kierra Cass. I apology for the length of this post.

About the Series: So far, The Selection has consisted of three books, The Selection, The Elite, and The One. I'm going to leave the cover blurb.
 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 the 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.


Throughout the series, America's affections grow, but she still can't bear to leave her first love, Aspen. The growing rebellion plays in this series as well, so it's not all about the love triangle.

Pros: Yes, this series revolves around a love triangle on the surface, but truthfully, it's much more than that. Kierra creates a intriguing new USA. It was a interesting concept: An Ester sent to a palace when she's in love with somebody else. America can be difficult, but overall, she turned out to be a great protagonist. She wasn't shy, but she wasn't a loose cannon either. I especially liked her relationship with her dad. It's funny how so many famous series keep parents as a side note, not important. But I loved it when she said that she wanted to make sure her father approved of whoever she married. Not something you see in many romances.

Most Disney movies portray princes to be lame. Either they don't explore their character at all or they make them sound overrated. The best Disney males in princess movies don't even start off as princes. (Kristoff and Eugene) As a result, I wasn't expecting to think much of Maxon, but I ended up loving him. There were some things I did make me hate him... for a little while. Of course, he wasn't a Peeta, but I loved how he loved America, despite how difficult she could be. He stood up for truth too and respected a girl's boundaries.

Cons: Though the love triangle wasn't horrible, America could be frustrating. It was mostly in The Elite, my least favorite book in the series. She would have a moment with Maxon and then have another with Aspen a few minutes later. She was on and off in a sick game. This happened in The Elite the most and a little bit in The Selection. It made me want to pull my hair out. Who do you really want, America? I felt bad for both boys.

Another thing is the content. There are definitely worse content-wise books out there, but this book did have a significant amount of kissing/making out. Honestly, I knew it was going to happen so I just skipped those paragraphs. They don't benefit to the story, if anything raise tension. They don't go all the way, but America does lie in bed for a night with someone. (I skipped that part entirely) It's completely wrong, but I will note that it is right after she find out they're getting engaged. (in The One) Only a couple of pages long, by the way

Another kissing scene involves Maxon kissing someone else. (The Elite) America says the girl is in a bra and if I remember correctly, he was shirtless. He gets punished by America, who hates him for a time afterwards and the scene is portrayed as horrible as it was. (Once again, I skipped it, though scanned a few words and read the aftermath.) In the end, he regrets it. He does give a reason for doing it that made me reconsider my first thought. (that he was a complete slime ball) It was still wrong though and was his lowest moment.

There are few mild cuss words through the three books, mostly h words and d words, and one b word. A little bit of violence here and there, as well, but nothing graphic or unnecessary. Something did happen in Maxon's past that strangely a lot like something in Divergent. I won't go into detail about that though. No spoilers.

A few characters did die and the effects of it wasn't realistic. It was like, "Okay, this person died. I wished (s)he was here. Moving on."

Conclusion: Turns out, I have a formed a new opinion of this series by summing all the "cons" up. And as good as everything was, the sexual content did go overboard and is the reason why I will not be buying the books. I was aware that most of the bad things would happen. You can see it coming and it isn't significant to the plot. I didn't hesitate to skip. So, if you do read this series, I would encourage to skip.

Through everything, I do think that the good outweighed the bad, making this book worth reading. America's relationship with her father made her instantly related to me. For the most part, America was very strong and wasn't trashy. She wasn't afraid to tell Maxon how she felt, (expect for one thing). She wouldn't let someone use her. In the end, she forgave someone who constantly hurt him through the first two books. I admired her a lot for that.

My favorite quote of this book was from Maxon when he said, "Break my heart. Break it a thousand times if you like. It was only ever yours to break anyway." (I didn't even have to look at the book. I have it memorized.) That quote sums up the message Mrs. Cass was trying to send throughout the whole series. With America's relationship with her father. With her love for Maxon and Aspen. With everything.

Unconditional love. Loving someone, despite their status, their riches, their past, their mistakes. Unconditional love means to love someone despite... everything. If they drive you crazy or hurt you. It's needing someone and at times, wishing you didn't. It's true love. Because sometimes we forget that true love is unconditional love. Sometimes, even when people are unfaithful, love can still go on. That's another thing I don't see often.

And The Selection portrayed that beautifully. I will pick up The Heir when it comes out. In the end, America does commit to someone. I'll leave you to decide if you want to find out who. BUT, I will repeat, please skip the sexual scenes. If I wouldn't have thought of skipping them, I wouldn't have read these books.