The Selection by Kiera Cass
Publication Date: April 24, 2012
Plot: 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.
☆ Rating: 5/5 stars
The Elite by Kiera Cass
Publication Date: April 23, 2013
Plot: The Selection began with thirty-five girls. Now with the group narrowed down to the six Elite, the competition to win Prince Maxon's heart is fiercer than ever—and America is still struggling to decide where her heart truly lies. Is it with Maxon, who could make her life a fairy tale? Or with her first love, Aspen?
America is desperate for more time. But the rest of the Elite know exactly what they want—and America's chance to choose is about to slip away.
☆ Rating: 5/5 stars
The One by Kiera Cass
Publication Date: May 6, 2014
Plot: 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.
☆ Rating: 5/5 stars
Happily Ever After by Kiera Cass
Publication Date: October 13, 2015
Plot: The contents of Happily Ever After are as follows:
• The Prince (with the two bonus chapters), Maxon’s novella
• The Guard, Aspen’s novella
• The Queen, Amberly’s novella
• The Favorite, Marlee’s novella
• Three scenes from Celeste’s POV
• Lucy’s scene (bonus scene from The One)
• The bonus epilogue
• Where are they now?
• A map
• Various illustrations
☆ Rating: 4.5/5 stars
The Heir by Kiera Cass
Publication Date: May 5, 2015
Plot: 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.
☆ Rating: 4.75/5 stars
The Crown by Kiera Cass
Publication Date: May 3, 2016
Plot: When Eadlyn became the first princess of Illéa to hold her own Selection, she didn’t think she would fall in love with any of her thirty-five suitors. She spent the first few weeks of the competition counting down the days until she could send them all home. But as events at the palace force Eadlyn even further into the spotlight, she realizes that she might not be content remaining alone.
Eadlyn still isn’t sure she’ll find the fairytale ending her parents did twenty years ago. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and soon Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more impossible—and more important—than she ever imagined.
☆ Rating: 5/5 stars
MY THOUGHTS:
This series is one of my favorite series ever written. I cannot count how many times I've read the entire thing all the way through. This series is flawless, incredible, and made me fall completely in love with Kiera Cass' books...and Maxon Schreave. While I am now in my 30s and tend to drift toward Romance or General Fiction instead of YA novels, there is no part of me that loves this series any less now than it did the first time I read it.
This Christmas, I bought a copy of this book for my 16-year-old cousin, hoping that she would fall in love with this series as much as I did the first time I read it. It's been a few years since I've read the series myself, so I decided to dive back in. I FLEW through it. And I was reminded why Maxon Schreave was one of my first book boyfriends all those years ago. I laughed, I cried, I swooned, and I grinned from ear to ear.
THE SELECTION
MY HEART. I truly love this series so much, and diving back into the first book gave me all the heart eyes 😍 This book had me smiling like I was the one being romanced by the prince. My heart literally melted at all of the sweet, romantic moments. The very first time I read this book, it was right after The One was released (thank goodness!) when an employee of my local bookstore recommended it to me, and I fell head-over-heels in love. I don't tend to navigate toward the princess-y books, but let me tell you...this book is amazing. I was hooked from the very first page.
Maxon Schreave really is one of my all-time favorite book boyfriends. He is way too adorable for words. He is funny and sweet and smart, not to mention that he has some of the best lines I have ever read in a book 🥹 And this stands true every time I read these books, no matter what age or part of life I'm in (or how many books I've read in between.) He also has no idea what to do when a girl cries and genuinely wants to make Illéa a better place, which just makes me SWOON 🤤 But as much as I adore Maxon, it's the love triangle between Maxon, America, and America's ex-boyfriend from home Aspen that really makes this book. It will have you on the edge of your seat trying to decide who to root for!
And America...the FMC that I always wanted to be, and that stands true. I truly, truly love her as a character. She is strong, kind, and stubborn all at the same time. The first book really gives you a taste of who she is as a person, but it's the rest of the series that makes you fall in love with her. So I can't wait to dive back into those! If you don't like the romance of your dystopian novels to be at the forefront of the story, consider this your warning that romance really is what makes The Selection so great.
Hot take from the first book—WHERE DO I BUY A MAXON SCHREAVE?
THE ELITE
The Elite was the perfect example of how much I've fallen in love with this series. While this is probably my least favorite in the series, so much happens that is super important to the overall story and where we end up at the beginning of The One. Mostly, I spent half of this book frustrated with America. But, she's young so you have to give her a bit of grace.
The communication issues between Maxon and America in this book was so frustrating I just wanted to scream at them both and tell them how stupid they were being! It didn't help that Maxon was off flirting with the other 5 girls in The Selection or that America kept making out with Aspen. There was too much playing with each other's feelings, but that was the point, wasn't it? I think it took the reader seeing both Maxon and America with other people to figure out that you were 100% rooting for them all along.
This book is a bit darker than The Selection, diving us headfirst into the world of this series. While The Selection had me on Cloud 9 while reading, this one pulled me in, engrossed in the complications that were unfolding. Most of those complications revolve around King Clarkson. That man is an awful piece of freakin WORK!! It really makes you wonder how such a wonderful person like Queen Amberly could be with a man like him (but more about that in the review of Happily Ever After 😉).
And Marlee...oh I just truly loved her as a character. We finally get to see more into why her relationship with Maxon wasn't working, because she was in love with Officer Woodwork. The caning portion of this book made me ugly sob the first time I read it, and it still makes me cry every time I read this book. It is so incredibly heartbreaking to read, from all perspectives.
We leave off in this book with Maxon utterly devoted to America, Aspen pinning after her still, and America finally focusing on her relationship with Maxon again. While I adore Maxon, certain actions and responses to situations really throw America for a loop. This is obviously all due to inexperience which makes it all that more riveting. Hence, DRAMAAAAAA!
You may love this series, or you may hate it. But for me, it takes me to a happy place that I don't want to leave.
THE ONE
The book of ALL books!!! This. Was. Incredible!! 👏🏻 This is always the one (pun intended 😉) that I can't seem to put down. Kiera Cass put crack in this book I SWEAR. The ending to Maxon & America's story is nothing short of a whirlwind, and every time you turn around, the unexpected happened! SUCH a rollercoaster ride! I am an emotional wreck I tell you.
Reading this book made me so incredibly happy that I decided to reread The Selection series, and it will always be so dear to my heart. And I just love this book so much! The One always turns me into such an emotional mess, and this time was no different. It breaks your heart over and over, and this is one of the only YA books that has ever made me genuinely cry all the tears!
I loved the character development that we get to see throughout this book. I love that we got to learn more about Celeste as a person and why she acted the way that she did. I always love when an author takes you on a journey from hating a character to loving them. She grew so much that she even developed a strong friendship with America. She's still the same sassy and fashionable girl, but we get to see her in a more vulnerable state, allowing us to relate to her instead of seeing her as just a complete *bitch*.
I was immensely proud of America by the end of this book with the woman that she has grown into, standing up for what she believes in—no matter the consequences. She really became a woman worthy of being the queen by the end of this book.
Maxon. Freaking. Schreave!! My GAH I love him even more after this book. He is a caring, selfless, and (not to mention) beautiful man that is ready to lead his people and make a real difference. He is just completely lovable in all the best ways. Just SWOON 🤤
The ending...just WOW. It was genuinely perfect and took my breath away. It was everything you hope a good happy ending to be...intense, emotional, addictive, face-paced, and heartwarming in the best ways. The ending devastated me, and I was also so broken up about Queen Amberly the first time I read this book. It always hits so hard. The best part of this book? Maxon & America really learning to trust each other. And when they let their guards down, it was so clear to see that they were completely in love with one another, and that, friends, is the definition of a great romance novel.
“Break my heart. Break it a thousand times if you like. It was only ever yours to break anyway.”
HAPPILY EVER AFTER
This book was a collection of short stories told from different points of view from our favorite characters in The Selection series. It made you really understand why certain characters did things the way they did, and I absolutely devoured it. I know some readers hate things like this because it seems like just another way to make money on a series. BUT as a massive fan of The Selection, I loved that these stories had a purpose. They had a goal. And they made me cry just like the other novels 🥹 SO GOOD.
The Prince is a story told from Maxon's POV, and it starts this book of short stories. It took place a few weeks before The Selection when the names of the participants were being drawn on The Report and into his first encounters with America when the girls arrive to the palace. This story was nothing crazy special, but I loved getting to see inside the head of our favorite prince. It was wonderful to be inside Maxon's head and see his fears and doubts throughout the process and what his expectations were going into it. He really is so charming, sweet, and passionate. And that's why we love him.
The Guard is a story told from Aspen's POV. FINALLY, we get to hear the thoughts rolling around in Aspen's head. If nothing else, it really made me understand him more as a person and why he pursued America the way that he did. Taking place during the day of Marlee's caning and the days that followed, The Guard didn;t bring much to the overall story. BUT, it was nice getting a front-row seat into his thoughts and feelings. Aspen's story also gives us insight into King Clarkson's manipulative ways and his cruelty as a ruler. I also loved getting to see Aspen's relationships with America's maids Anne, Mary, and Lucy begin to form. It was so sweet to see the respect they have for him and the love they have for America.
The Queen is one of my absolute favorite reads in this collection of stories! Told in Queen Amberly's POV, this story takes place during her very own Selection with King Clarkson. Obviously, as you have read from my reviews on the other books, I am not a fan of Clarkson, and it always puzzled me to understand how Amberly could be with a man like him. Through her Selection process, Amberly got what she always wanted....to be Clarkson's wife and get a whole new life. I truly do believe that their love for one another was genuine.
“You will be the only thing in this world that is truly mine. And I will put you on a pedestal so high, it will be impossible for anyone not to adore you.”
The Favorite is about our favorite girl, Marlee! Told from Marlee's POV, we get to dive in and see her relationship with Carter—how they first met, how they fell in love, and what happened to them after the caning. This did not disappoint whatsoever! I adored Marlee as a character from the first time we meet her when she and America were on the plane on the way to the palace for the Selection. I love Marlee and America's friendship, and her relationship with Carter just melted my heart. Marlee and Carter's relationship was so beautiful and touching, and the love they have for one another was so inspiring.
The Maid is a story told from America's maid Lucy's POV and takes place during The One when they are on the plane heading back to the palace after America went home when her father died. A very short story of only 11 pages, I wanted to read so much more of her story! In that short amount of time, we get to see the little pieces of how Lucy & Aspen fell in love with one another. While Aspen was never my choice for America, I adored him as a character and loved to see him get his happily ever after. Where Lucy was fragile and quiet, Aspen was Lucy's hero. She really needed a strong person like Aspen in her life, and he gave her the strength she needed to hope for something she'd never been able to wish for before.
“Everyday you say something or do something that challenges me, changes me.” “You think you walk, Lucy? I think you fly. You see yourself in a uniform? I see you in a cape. You're a hero, of the quietest but most genuine nature.”
Scenes from Celeste are just that. Three different short scenes from Celeste's perspective including The Arrival, The Kiss, and The Departure. I really despised Celeste throughout the series, but she won me over in The One. I just wish she would have realized her mistakes so we could have had more time with her. She turns out to be such a wonderful person (and an even better friend to America.) The ending to The One seriously Broke. My. Heart! Scenes from Celeste give us a better understanding of her actions, but I would have loved having so much more from her. Honestly, each of these stories could have been complete books on their own! I just love this universe SO MUCH 😭
The Bonus Epilogue is another short story told from America's POV. It takes place two years after The Selection has ended. It takes place on Maxon's birthday, and we get to see America tell him that she is pregnant for the first time. 🥹 It is so incredibly sweet and wholesome and made me want more!! I loved getting to see little glimpses of the friendship that has formed between Maxon and Aspen after everything that happened in The One.
Where Are They Now? is just a little way to wrap up the series. This is a small collection of stories that tell us what happened with Kriss, Natalie, and Elise after The Selection. It was nice getting a little more background on them, but it all felt really rushed. I wish it would have gone into a little more depth, but they're all doing pretty much what you'd expect. This was really a bittersweet ending to the original series!
THE HEIR
After reading Happily Ever After the first time, I was FREAKING OUT when Kiera Cass announced a new book for The Selection series! I ran to the bookstore the day it was released, and I vividly remember diving back into my favorite world in one of my favorite parks on a summer evening. I feel in love all over again that day, and I did it again when I read The Heir this go around.
What can I say? This book was even better than I hoped it would be. I just absolutely love this series. But WHY do I always finish these books in tears?!?!
The Heir tells us the story of Maxon & America's daughter Eadlyn as she navigates her very own Selection. In the beginning, I had a really hard time relating to Eadlyn. She couldn't have been more different from her mom and dad at that age. America grew up with barely enough to eat, constantly scraping for money, and grateful for all of the small luxuries she was given at the palace. Eadlyn, on the other hand, has grown up as a princess, knowing she would be the future queen. While Maxon was raised the same way, he was very similar to his mother in the quiet way he ruled and his humble nature. Eadlyn, at times, comes across as bratty and selfish, but then we eventually learn that she really does have a kind and caring heart—she just had to let her guard down first.
Eadlyn wanted to be enough by herself, and, while that's totally possible, there's a part of her that has the desire to be loved the way her parents do.
There are so many new characters that loved meeting and getting to dive in a little deeper with—Kile (Marlee & Carter's son), Ahren (Eadlyn's twin brother, born a few minutes after her), Erik, Henri, and Hale to name a few. I especially loved getting to see the sibling bonds between Eadlyn & Ahren as well as her other brothers. They were so protective of each other. It really was so touching!
I LOVED getting to see Maxon and America as parents to kids who are the age they were in the last book! I especially loved seeing all of the characters from The Selection, The Elite, and The One in this book. It made it all a bit more special!
Overall, this book wasn't my favorite of the series, but there was so much about it I really did love as we got to know Eadlyn as a person and not just Maxon & America's daughter. AND THAT ENDING. I'm still crying and in shock remembering how that made me feel. Especially the first time I read it when then next book wouldn't be released for MONTHS. So heartbreaking! Kiera Cass really outdid herself on this one!!
THE CROWN
As the very last book of the series, this book holds a different weight than the others. There was so much that I wanted to see happen, and I adored the way that Kiera Cass wrapped it all up for us. The Crown was incredible from beginning to end!! The WHOLE DANG BOOK was just perfect!! Just like all the rest of the books in this series, once I opened the book, I was unable to put it down.
The biggest thing that we see in this book is that Eadlyn has grown up. I adored Eadlyn in The Heir but I think I love her even more in The Crown because of the growth of Eadlyn's character. She is a completely different Eadlyn than the one that we meet in the beginning of The Heir. This young woman holds the weight of her country on her shoulders. Her mother lies in the hospital with her husband by her side. Eadlyn has always known the love her parents shared, but watching her father at her mother’s side shows her a depth she hadn’t realized. She never even wanted to be a part of the Selection, but now she finds herself longing for what her parents have. Eadlyn really grows into herself, being around all those boys from all different backgrounds of life changed her in so many ways.
The love these characters have for one another makes me so emotional that I cried throughout the last half of the book. I honestly thought my heart might explode from happiness!
As for the romance in this book.....OH. EM. GEE. I FREAKIN KNEW IT!!!!! I won't spoil the ending but I was SO HAPPY that she ended up with who she did. It was the perfect ending. And while I don't mention it a lot in this review because it wasn't at the forefront of the story, but I LOVED LOVED LOVED all of the moments that we got with Maxon & America. It was so beautiful to see them as parents and to see all of the nuggets showing how their love for each other has only grown over the years. It was also so precious to see characters like Marlee and Lucy and May and Aspen still being a part of their lives. Aspen was like a secondary father figure to Eadlyn for goodness sake!! it was just so heartwarming.
I sure am going to have a happy book hangover after this!! Overall, this series is going to always be one of those that I remember. It proves over and over again that love is imperfect, but it’s still beautiful. Now, I should go back to my corner and cry my eyes out. I will really miss this series...all over again!!
