"The One" by Kiera Cass, Review

If you've been keeping up with my posts recently, you would know that during a recent trip to Foyles bookshop in London, I couldn't help but pick up the very last book in "The Selection" trilogy. Now that I began this series, I felt the need to fully commit to it, and so on my plane ride back home I tore through this novel ... And here is my review!

Out of the Selection Trilogy, this novel I would say is the heaviest since it is the most action-dense. A considerable portion of the plot focuses on America and Prince Maxon's journey to defeat the rebels, or at least come to an agreement to stop their attacks. During this book we also delve further into the political aspects of Illéa, since we see plans for the destruction of the castes. I found it very sweet how in this book, the relationship between the 4 remaining girls is given special attention. We see how they grow closer to eachother and build eachother up, coming together despite the growing pressures of the competition. One scene in particular that sticks out is one in which America accidentally walks in on Celeste crying, and there is a moment of bonding between the 2 girls as they understand one another better. I absolutely loved Celeste's character in this book! Once she put down her walls, it was refreshing to see how caring and loving she could be, dispersing protective/older-sister type energy. I truly grew fond of her sassy, sarcastic character.

The stakes are certainly high in this book as the competition comes closer to drawing to a close. There are moments filled with tension between America and Prince Maxon, some left me wondering whether they would ever work things out or if they would end their relationship for good. There are many sudden twists and turns sure to keep you hooked. Of course the book also has it's fair share of cute moments, Maxon and America dancing on the rainy rooftop being one of them. I've mentioned before that I have rather mixed feelings about America Singer's character. It quite annoys me how she often acts superior to the other contestants with an "I'm not like the other girls" attitude. Sometimes I can find her wild personality over the top and trying to hard to be "quirky" however a strong redeeming moment is when she spares a poor 'criminal' of his - very much underserved - life sentence in prison. After this I decided I was really on her side. This books is also refreshing in a sense because unlike the 2 prior novels, we get to see scenes taking place outside the palace grounds; this includes an action-packed mission involving America, Maxon and Aspen to venture outside the castle into the depths of a forest to deal with the Southern Rebels. I have to admit, at first I really couldn't feel any sort of chemistry between American and the Prince. In my opinion, their fights, which annoyingly continue going till the very end of the book, are too frequent for things to ever settle between them. However we do catch a glimmer of a moment when their relationship blossoms beautifully, so much that it left me feeling warm and fuzzy inside, I found it beyond adorable how America makes him feel "safe". And so it's devastating how quickly this all comes crashing down in a sudden turn of events. Keira Cass sure does not make America's journey to queenship easy. Many times it feels like the point of no return has been reached, and things can't get any worse. However I was left in awe at how deep Maxon's love runs, and somehow that is enough to mend things. Overall I would say it was thrilling to experience America's journey, which always kept me on edge wondering what would happen next. The ending definitely left a satisfying taste, however it would've been lovely to have the wedding developed further. I found myself feeling proud of the characters I've been following for these past 3 books, there has been growth and maturity in all of them, but particular Aspen.

While this Trilogy was exciting and fun, my criticism would be that the world did feel a little shallow, at times it was challenging to truly connect and immerse myself in the world of Illéa. That being said these books were easy to read and provided a sufficient amount of momentary entertainment and escapism. Perhaps not my favourite series of all time, but an enjoyable one nonetheless! And that brings an end to my reviews of "The Selection" trilogy.

Notable (and also pretty iconic) quote:

"Break my heart. Break it a thousand times if you like. It was only ever yours to break anyway"

Love,

Ann ❤️