Title: The One
Author: Kiera Cass
Series: The Selection Series
Publisher: HarperTeen
Published: MAy 6th, 2014
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5 out of 5)The summary of The One from Goodreads:
The time has come for one winner to be crowned.
When she was chosen to compete in the Selection, America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon’s heart. But as the end of the competition approaches, and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she’ll have to fight for the future she wants.
I’ve been torn on this series. I enjoyed the first book and was annoyed by the second. I had to know how the series would end (although I knew how it would end), and I had hope that the final book would be able to recapture some of that I enjoyed in the first book.
What I Liked:
The America-Maxon romance was a little more developed. We get to see how each struggles with the other. America is unsure of whether or not Maxon’s feelings are real and Maxon isn’t sure if America’s really over her first love. I enjoyed watching them work through their insecurities and actually come to trust each other.
I was also happy to see that, for the most part, America was confident again. Yes, she has her moments, but they usually come when the Selection has played with her feelings instead of her own self-doubt. Whether intended or not, I felt it was a good commentary on how having secrets can really mess with a relationship.
There was a little more interest and examination of the rebels. While it wasn’t examined as much as I would have liked (I’ll get to that later), it did provide America the chance to illustrate her creativity. It gave her a chance to show how she could act as princess and future queen. In those moments, she was quite smart and cunning. She understood people and their motivations to enough of an extent that she could think a few steps ahead in the process.
What I Didn’t Like:
Again. America stringing Aspen along even though she knows where her heart lies. Even when she resolves to tell him the truth, she still puts it off. It just bothers me a lot that she views him as a “backup” instead of understanding that as she leads him along, she’s hurting him. In this, she is selfish and I can’t really understand it.
The rebels. There was so much potential there. I understand that this was mostly meant to be a romance series. I get that. And maybe I was foolishly hoping that it would turn into something more. But I just felt like the rebels didn’t really play a role. They showed up when there needed to be drama, but they never played a larger role. For a force that had the royal family on edge, they didn’t seem to garner enough attention or resolution.
Finally, the end of the book just didn’t flow right. The action was there, but some of it was senseless, a way to get rid of characters and obstacles instead of dealing with the problems and issues. I don’t have a problem with character deaths, but they have to mean something. They can’t just be an easy way to wrap things up.
I’d Recommend To:
If you read the first two books, read this one. As a series overall, it’s not the series for you if you need a lot of outside action with your romance. If you’re just looking for a love story, the series will work for you.
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