Tag: the selection

Week in Review (Apr 10 – 16, 2022)

~ colourfulgranny ~ Leave a comment

What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

*Note: My reviews usually contain spoilers. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.*

Books

The Elite by Kiera Cass – Ch 8-20

I knew something was going to go down as a result of this Halloween party, and boy did things go down. As soon as Marlee said she had a secret that she didn’t want to reveal, I suspected that she had taken a liking to someone other than who she was meant to, namely Maxon. Of course, with the threat of death hanging over their heads as punishment for unfaithfulness, it makes sense that she wasn’t willing to tell America her secret; but, then again, they were dumb enough to undress together in a broom closet during a massive event, so perhaps they kinda had it coming.

I really do hate inconsistent characterisation like this, and quite frankly, it’s what drives me up the wall. Does being a character in a book give you free rein to be an absolute idiot without major consequences? Aspen and America are also guilty of this, having a secret rendezvous together after her friend was literally lashed and cast out of society (as far as she knows) for doing the same thing. And these two have the gall to say Maxon is in the wrong for allowing Marlee and Carter to keep their lives when the law is on his side if he chose to uphold it.

However, America clearly doesn’t have very strong conviction, since she is rather easy to forgive Maxon not long after these events, all because she feels a little jealous of one of the other Selection girls. Okay, I guess, I mean that’s basically been her whole personality so far: choose Aspen or choose Maxon. And this is the only way to bring Maxon back in the game.

I’m at least glad we got to see the girls do some actual diplomatic work, something that will actually be useful to them as future monarchs. The hosting of the foreign diplomats was interesting in that we got to see a universe existing outside of Illéa, but it isn’t particularly different from our real world. The Germans still spoke German, and were typecast as stiff and uptight, and the Italians were similarly boxed into boisterous and fun-loving. It was intriguing to see the hints of political strife between nations and the hint of espionage from the Italian royalty through America.

Going forward, I want to see more of the rebels we keep hearing about and for America to grow a spine. Or is that too much to ask for? And I really just want either Maxon or Aspen to go on an extended leave of absence. Maybe without having one guy as a distraction, America may actually pick the other.

Week in Review (Apr 3 – 9, 2022)

~ colourfulgranny ~ Leave a comment

What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

*Note: My reviews usually contain spoilers. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.*

Books

The Elite by Kiera Cass – Ch 1-7

With the Selection group now narrowed down to six, and a war being fought on two fronts, both for America (with Maxon and Aspen) and Illéa (the Northern and Southern rebels), the second book in Cass’s series is off to an explosive start.

America continues to have her mini dates with Maxon, and Aspen finds ways to secretly interact with her, despite the dangers it poses to them both. As a result, America is confused about who to give her heart to and feels like she’s pulled both ways. Maybe I find Aspen boring, or maybe because I can guess that he isn’t going to be the one America ends up with, but I find their scenes together a bit tedious. America vacillating back and forth has gone on long enough, and I’m ready for Aspen to be reassigned to another post. Preferably far away from the palace.

I am intrigued by this reimagining of Halloween, and with the Selection girls’ families thrown into the mix, and Maxon dropping his bomb that he will be sending someone home, the Halloween party they’re throwing should be interesting. While I have my doubts that anyone I want will be sent home (Celeste provides way too much drama to be sent home that easily), there is bound to be plenty happening during the gathering.

Week in Review (Mar 13 – 19, 2022)

~ colourfulgranny ~ Leave a comment

What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

*Note: My reviews usually contain spoilers. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.*

Books

The Selection by Kiera Cass

For this week, I took a deep dive into another YA series. The first book of Cass’s series sets up the universe of a war-torn, dystopian future United States, called Illea, where a complex caste system determines people’s standing in society, from the monarchy all that way down to the “untouchables”. Our protagonist, America Singer, is on the lower rungs of society, a Five who shares her rank with artists and musicians.

Life is difficult for America and her family, who have to scrape by with odd jobs they can pick up, and America in particular resents the social structure in which she grows up because it prevents her from being able to marry her secret boyfriend, Aspen, a Six. Up to this point the novel sounds very much like a lot of similar series that came out around the time, but it was from here that things started to diverge a little bit from the tropes I’ve seen.

As a form of morale booster, the monarchy holds a The Bachelor-style competition where the wife of the heir to the Illean throne is chosen from among the ranks of the ‘common people’ and the proceedings are broadcast throughout the nation. After a rather strained conversation with Aspen – in which he feels insecure about being unable to provide for her due to his lower rank – Aspen calls things off with her, and America submits her name into the draw for The Selection at her mother’s request. Naturally, her name is drawn, and from there she – and we – are thrust into the world of the elite. Even though her heart isn’t in it, America forms close relations with other girls in the competition, as well as some rivalries.

The biggest difference between this book and other similar ones, however, was that she also immediately befriends Maxon, the same heir she is supposed to be attempting to win the favor of. Maxon has also taken a liking to her, and despite the fact that they are going against the rules of the selection process, he asks her to be her spy and confide in her about the other girls, and how fit they may be to be the future queen. Little does she realize that all the time she is spending with Maxon are really his attempts at dates, and that he is trying to win her heart.

As more and more girls are sent home – or choose to go home after an attack on the palace – America wonders about her place in this world and starts to learn more about the history of Illea, as well as the nature of the war that currently wages on both its fronts. I feel that this is going to take up a significant portion of future books, and that America is going to be a key player in the imminent battles. This is also compounded by the fact that Aspen has now joined the military and has been assigned as a palace guard, which will also complicate her relationship with Maxon further.

While there isn’t anything particularly special or different about this book, there is good writing, and I’m reading it more out of curiosity to compare with the adaptation of the series that is slated to be released soon. I’m not interested in the love triangle that Cass is establishing at all, but I do want to know more of the history and social structure that make up this universe.