The Crown (The Selection #5)

Title: The Crown (The Selection #5) 
Author: Kiera Cass
Genre: YA Dystopian
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 10/10

The Crown follows the events of The Heir, and we are once again swept up in Princess Eadlyn’s tumultuous life.

Following the Queen Mother’s heart problems, Eadlyn is thrust headfirst into the position of Regent of Illéa. Now not only does she have to navigate her own Selection, she also has to rule a country that seems to hold great dislike for her while her father stays by her mother’s side, and her brother has run away to get married.

Faced with the prospect of imminent rebellion in her beloved country, Eadlyn has to make some tough choices — both in her personal life, and in her public one, as Regent, and learn that sometimes in life, compromise is a must... and that others, a firm hand and steely determination is what is needed. Alliances are tested and truths are exposed as she tries to hold on to control of her own life.

I really enjoyed this last instalment to Cass’ series. Eadlyn’s journey felt true and relatable; her struggle to find a viable balance between her duty and work as a monarch, and her own heart and desires is one that is easy to relate to. And the way Cass presented Eadlyn throughout the novel made her an easy narrator to root for — an important factor, considering it’s a first-person narrative.

It was also nice that Cass managed to keep a level of uncertainty regarding Eadlyn’s chosen suitor from the Selection. Until it happened, we are kept unsure of whether or not she will actually go through with what her hearts wants her to — or if she will yield to the responsibility her birth has placed on her.

Cass presents an engaging novel about finding strength in yourself, learning to trust your instincts and be true to your heart. Eadlyn’s age and gender are never a problem in the novel, despite others trying to make it one. Cass’ protagonist is a spunky, take-no- prisoners kind of princess, who has no time for anyone’s thoughts on what she should or should not be allowed to do because of her age or the fact that she is a girl; she takes to her tasks with gumption, and proves that a woman can rule just as well — if not better, in fact — than a man, and be very happy while doing so.

Special mention to Cass’ excellent handling of the LGBT+ community representation in this novel. Until books are no longer advertised as ‘LGBT’ if the main character is queer, there will always be the need for better representation in literature, and especially in Young Adult Lit. The way Cass added it in here was both surprising and tastefully done. The characters weren’t defined by their sexuality, and were allowed storylines outside of it; their romance wasn’t rushed and neither one of them died — always a decided plus. 

Cover Love: The Crown

The cover for the last book in Kiera Cass's The Selection series, The Crown hit today, and, keeping up the tradition of stunning covers, here's another beauty:

What do you think of Eadlyn's new look?

The Crown is due May 3rd 2016.

The Heir

Title: The Heir (The Selection #4)
Author: Kiera Cass
Genre: Dystopian
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 10/10

"Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she'd put off marriage for as long as possible.
But a princess's life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can't escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests.
Eadlyn doesn't expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn's heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought."

***

I had forgotten why I loved these books so much. Cass' writing is like a breath of fresh air in the sameness of YA today.
I was a bit wary, because historically, I don't deal too well with authors changing the POV of their books. Usually, that happens after one book though, and the reason I don't like it is because I've only just started getting that character as the protagonist, so to have another one shoved at me is disconcerting and unpleasant. With this though, it was obvious that America's story was done. She'd said her piece, so changing narrator actually felt pretty organic. It helped that Eady was an absolute delight.
It was wonderful to read about this young girl who is terrified to love because she thinks it will make her weak. The thought of Eadlyn being aromantic actually occurred to me quite a few times, but I guess we'll see how that plays out. Seeing her go from "no, I will not find a husband, ew husbands!" to actually wondering about the merit of the entire thing was a great journey.
And for the most part, I loved seeing Mer and Maxon as parents, and meeting all their crazy kids.
And the boys from the Selection were awesome. It feels weird to have finished the book and not have a favourite in mind. I've grown very attached to Henri, Kile and Erik, and I seriously hope that, whatever happens, she and Henri are still friends by the end of it. Really looking forward to the next instalment!

The Twelve Books of Christmas: Day 8

Day 8:
The Selection, Kiera Cass

The Selection is a sweet dystopian YA with a very cool premise: America Singer enters the nationwide competition to marry Prince Maxom. Even though she doesn't love Maxom (she's never even met him, and besides, she has her own boyfriend at home... even though he broke up with her and broke her heart), the girls who get into the Selection move up in life, and America uses the money she gets to help her family live more comfortably.
The problem is, Maxom is actually quite sweet and handsome, and being around him all the time, it's hard to remember Aspen back home, especially since she's not even so sure she should try to remember him, since he's made it so clear he wants nothing to do with her. And even though she doesn't want the crown, America has to decide if her feelings for Maxom are worth the trouble of being a Queen... or if she should just tell him to send her home.
It's fun, it's spunky but it's not all pretty balls and parties; the palace is constantly in danger from rebels - some of whom storm it and leave with few casualties... another group is much more violent. And they could attack at any time.

Cover Love: The Favourite

Happy December! Hope you're all toasty warm at home and starting get in the Christmas spirit - my tree is already up, as are my window snowflakes! I've also got some pretty cool stuff lined up for the blog in December - I've compiled a list of must-reads for you (and they're great as gifts too!), starting on December 12th for BookWorm's 12 Books of Christmas.

But for now, here's the cover of the new The Selection novella, The Favourite.
As I mentioned in The Heir's cover love blog post, The Selection is expanding from the original promised trilogy with three more novels.
But, before Princess Eadlyn has her go at telling her story, Marlee tells us a little about her story.

Here's the blurb for The Favourite:

"While America Singer’s heart was torn between Aspen and Prince Maxon, her friend Marlee knew exactly what she wanted—and paid the price.

Revisit the captivating world of Kiera Cass’s #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series in this digital original novella. Told from Marlee’s point of view, this all-new 64-page story returns to the fateful Halloween when Marlee and Carter were discovered, and reveals how that night—and Prince Maxon—changed their lives forever."

The Favourite is out March 3rd 2015

Cover Love: The Heir

We've still got seven months to go until The Heir is out, but the cover for the book came out today, along with a blurb!

For those of you who are confused about why this is exciting, The Heir is book #4 in Kiera Cass' The Selection series.

I can see you frowning and looking at me weirdly, saying 'wasn't it going to be a trilogy?'
Why yes, yes it was. And in a way, it really was just a trilogy. See, The Heir and its' sequel (still untitled as of now) is told from the point of view of Mer's and Maxon's daughter, Eadlyn. And even more exciting, her she has a twin brother who's called Ahren - for a couple that took 3 books to get their act together, they certainly didn't waste any time, did they?

Excited yet?

Here's the blurb for The Heir, out May 5th 2015!

"Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won Prince Maxon's heart. Now the time has come for Princess Eadlyn to hold a Selection of her own. Eadlyn doesn't expect her Selection to be anything like her parents' fairy-tale love story. But as the competition beings, she may discover that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she always thought."

Interestingly, out of the siblings, it's Eadlyn who has a Selection, even though princesses usually married a prince from a neighbouring country while the princes get the Selection. Kiera has said that there is a reason why Eadlyn gets one, but sadly we have to wain until May to find out what that is!

The One

Title: The One (The Selection #3)
Author: Kiera Cass
Genre: YA
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 10/10 (as usual)

Contains spoilers regarding the end pairing, so kindly avert your eyes if you don't want to know.
I could go on endlessly about why I love this book. But really, it comes down to the fact that I got to high-five my kindle at the end.
Just kidding.
Sort of.

No, but honestly, though. Throughout The Elite, the pain and heartache of a love triangle always kept me on the edge about whether or not my pairing would... pair out, pun intended. I had a feeling that was the only way to go, but you never know, what with authors taking drastic (and courageous) decisions lately, like killing off their protagonist (I don't need to name names, you all know what I'm talking about), so I wasn't quite sure. And I sort of loved that - that uncertainty right until the end, because I'll be honest, I always thought Aspen and Mer had more of a friends' relationship than anything, so when she starts looking at him a lot towards the end, it did make me worry for a second there. But, no, she pulled through in the end, and boy WHAT an end! 
I was nearly in tears, because holy shit Maxon, for a guy who swore up and down never to write a love letter, you sure wrote one pretty amazing one, damn you. And then I wanted to strangle him, and it was perfect. Absolutely perfect, because even at 98%, I still didn't know if he'd made it, and I just love it when books can keep me on edge like that. Bravo, Ms Cass, beautifully done.
As for America herself, well. She's spunky and I love her, what can I say? She does remind me of me a little, with all her foot-in-mouth situations, though I'm obviously no princess, so no one really cares ;)
It's sad that this is the last book - I was really looking forward to something about life in Ilea after the castes are gone... who knows? Maybe one day we'll get a short story revolving around married bliss that mentions how everything's going. I think I'd like that very much, cause I will miss that pig-headed prince (woops, King now!) of theirs.

Book Covers: Ignite Me, The Selection Stories and The One

I'm doing some hasty catching up here, and putting together all the beautiful covers we've been given of late:

"The heart-stopping conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, which Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, called "a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love"

Juliette now knows she may be the only one who can stop the Reestablishment. But to take them down, she'll need the help of the one person she never thought she could trust: Warner. And as they work together, Juliette will discover that everything she thought she knew-about Warner, her abilities, and even Adam-was wrong.

In Shatter Me, Tahereh Mafi created a captivating and original story that combined the best of dystopian and paranormal and was praised by Publishers Weekly as "a gripping read from an author who's not afraid to take risks." The sequel, Unravel Me, blew readers away with heart-racing twists and turns, and New York Times bestselling author Kami Garcia said it was "dangerous, sexy, romantic, and intense." Now this final book brings the series to a shocking and climactic end."

Now if that doesn't pique your interest, here, have the blurb for The Selection Stories, out February 4th, right along with Ignite Me (above):

"The two novellas set in the world of Kiera Cass's #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series are now available in print for the first time. The Prince and The Guard both offer captivating views into the hearts and minds of the two men fighting to win America Singer's love. This collection also features exclusive bonus content, including a sneak peek at The One, the eagerly anticipated final novel in the Selection trilogy.

Before America arrived at the palace to compete in the Selection, there was another girl in Prince Maxon's life. The Prince opens the week before the Selection begins and follows Maxon through the first day of the competition.

Raised as a Six, Aspen Leger never dreamed that he would find himself living in the palace as a member of the royal guard. In The Guard, readers get an inside look at Aspen's life within the palace walls--and the truth about a guard's world that America will never know."

No? Still not good enough? FINE, then. Here, have the breathtaking cover for The One, out May 6th. And yes. That does look suspiciously like a wedding dress.

Sadly, no blurb for that as of yet, but I'll keep you posted.

The Elite

Title: The Elite (The Selection #2)
Author: Kiera Cass
Genre: YA, dystopia
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 10/10

I want to cry because of Maxon, but at the same time, I just want to dance and celebrate because of Aspen. I'm not sure how forthcoming I've been about who I ship with who in the series, so hopefully that statement confuses you. 
I can't even start explaining all the emotions this book put me through, at least not without spoiling something major which you need to not know until the very end so that you can enjoy the book. I can, however, say that I read this in one day - and I had a 3-hour meeting, too. I read walking to the station, on the train, on the tube, walking to my meeting, and all that again on the trip back. It's dangerous and I nearly missed my stop on the way back, I was so engrossed in the book. It might also have something to do with the fact that I was having my heart ripped to shreds on a bloody train, and had to fight back tears.

America... I can safely say I'd forgotten how incredibly girly she is. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but usually authors seem to have a need to sow their heroines as incredibly strong physically, and less girly - they don't giggle or gossip much. But America is very much like a real girl in the sense that she does all that, she worries about what she's wearing, and how she looks; but she also has an inner strength that can be surprising, if one only focuses on those traits, and dismisses her as an airhead. She's so far from that, but appearances can be deceiving. So when she delivers her punch, let me tell you, it hits hard. I did have a very hard time with her constant switching from Aspen to Maxon every time something went wrong with Maxon, but I've seen this happen so many times now, it hardly even bothers me for the right reasons (because she's stringing them both along to a certain extent... though, you know, so is Maxon, kind of. And Aspen... well. Spoilers.), but because I've already figured out who she's going to pick, and just get mad at her for not sticking with him and saving them both heartache. If book characters heard my yelled instructions, their lives would be SO much easier. Their loss ;)

Maxon... I have my reservations towards his character, just like Mer did at times. Which is a first in a situation like the one I found myself in after finishing the book. Still, I believe that, deep down, he's a good guy, and I mean, really... a worse king than his dad, he cannot be, so there's that. My reservations come mostly from the fact that, though he professes his love for Mer, he is still essentially seeing people on the side. I know it's not really his fault, but it does add a certain feeling of, shall we say... cheating. And that's just the tip of it, but I'm keeping quiet. Spoilers and all...

Aspen. Oh god. I can't stand him. Which is weird, cause I do have very strong feelings about who he should end up with (but then, the same goes to Maxon, so don't read too much into that statement... or maybe do! haha) I'm pretty sure he explained to Mer why he broke up with her before the Selection, but it must have been a piss-poor reason, cause I've already forgotten it. So I really dislike him. But I love the idea of him being with the person I have in mind. UGH. CONTRADICTIONS!


Anyway. Read, read, read. It's wonderful, and I need someone to discuss it with ;)