published by Harper Teen
genre: YA, Dystopian, Romance
My Thoughts: I avoided this series partly because of the huge controversy when the first book came out and also because I hate love triangles. When the second and then the third book came out and I kept seeing them everywhere and the number of people that enjoyed them I decided to give them a try.
The Selection was my least favorite of the series. I did not like Aspen from the start and the more I heard America talk about her undying love for him the more I started to dislike her. I was glad when she got to the castle and things changed up a bit. Even when her reasons for being at the castle and with Maxon revolved around Aspen it was still better than when they were together.
The Elite was an improvement except where America's feelings were concerned. It felt like someone told the author she had to have drama in the romance department and only succeeded in making America seem wishy washy. Every time she seemed to be growing as a character she would fall back to being indecisive and unable to make a decision.
By the time I got to The One I wasn't sure what to expect. I was pleased that the author seemed to give up on the love triangle. This was probably my favorite of the series even though I again had problems with it. I've never been so unhappy with getting the ending that I wanted. The things that happened in the last quarter right before the HEA were either confusing or convenient. There were deaths that made no sense other than to make one of the couple realize how much they could be away from the other. Then the whole battle that just dropped everything into place but made no sense. Like I said it was too convenient. I would have been more pleased if the characters had had to earn their final positions rather than getting them by circumstances.
Overall, for some reason, even with all the above, I enjoyed reading these books. They were just kind of light fun books. I'll probably read The Heir when it comes out this year just to see if there is any growth in not only the characters but the authors writing as well.
Series Rating: 3.5-4
This series has been on my maybe list ever since it first came out. The eBooks were on sale over the holidays, so I ended up buying them. Good to know that they are mostly worth the read.
ReplyDeleteCarmel @ Rabid Reads