The Elite

Title: The Elite
Author: Kiera Cass
Series: The Selection (#2)
Published: April 2013 by HarperTeen
Pages: 323 (hardcover)

Summary: Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.

My Thoughts: Well things are certainly heating up in Illea (in more ways than one) now that the Selection is narrowing down! Not only is the competition for Maxon's heart (swoon) getting more intense, but the rebels that threaten Illea and it's governing systems seem to be closing in at a rapid rate making this book a much more intense read than The Selection.

And I loved that the rebels and the crumbling state of the country played a larger role in this book. The world that Kiera Cass has built in The Selection becomes much more three dimensional in this installment of the trilogy. Not only is the world becoming more fleshed out, though, but the characters gained depth, as well. There was a lot of character development, positive and negative for the most part, from Aspen, Maxon, the girls from the Elite, and America in this novel and y'all know how much I love good character development!

That being said, I did once again feel a little frustrated with America's fickleness in this book again. I know she's a stubborn character, but at times it just seemed like she was blinded by the acts of others when it came to matters of the heart. No one in this book is perfect by a long shot, but it's like America is only seeing the faults of Maxon when she was trying to choose between him and Aspen, while Aspen was like the fallback.

But it was the moments of clarity she had that gave me hope for her in the end. It took about half of the book for her to get there, but she got there eventually (I think. Hopefully this won't change in book three).

I love to read dystopian books, but sometimes they grow depressing with all the tyrannical regimes and oppression of the people, and even though this dystopian had that piece of the puzzle it also had heart-melting romance that makes your inner gossip magazine reading, reality show watching girly girl squeal and flail with excitement. I really did enjoy this fast paced book and am looking forward to picking up the third installment in the series, The One, sometime soon because I need to know how America's story ends!
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Kiera Cass Book Signing

I love me a good book signing, and I was lucky enough to get to go to Kiera Cass's book signing for the final book in The Selection series, The One (link leads to goodreads page) this past Wednesday on June 11, 2014, at the Barnes and Noble in Cary, North Carolina.

I don't know what I expected exactly, but she exceeded my expectations by being bubbly, witty, and a very relatable person and writer. I even found myself flubbing my words because I had just finished The Selection (link leads to my review of this book) in the wee hours of the morning that day and was slowly going into a book-withdrawal. But she was so nice. I mean like can-we-please-become-friends-immediately-you're-such-a-delight kind of nice.
 
And I think that was the general consensus on Cass when I was gauging the crowd around me at the event. Everyone from ages 60 to 6 were there to see her, and people had gone out of their way to make and wear dresses like those from The Selection series. I even saw a painting someone had made to look like the cover of The One with the likeness of the protagonist from the trilogy, America Singer, depicted on it the canvas.

As a fellow fan of the books, it was refreshing to see these people unabashedly love a series that has admittedly gotten some heat for being a little froo-froo or frustrating (get your stuff together America Singer I mean come on). But my love for the trilogy grows more and more as the plot grows exponentially more tangled even though it is a light and occasional frilly read.

After I left the event, I immediately dove into the second book of the series, The Elite, and so far I am pleasantly pleased with the fact that it was just as good of a read as The Selection was. (Hint hint: be on the look out for my review of The Elite on this blog because I'm thisclose to finishing it!)

I look forward to Kiera Cass writing more novels that are as addictive and fast paced as this series has proven to be. In fact, I may not be able to wait that long. I'll probably end up reading the novellas she has written as companions to The Selection series just to be in this world for a little while longer until she creates a new one for her readers to delve into.

The Selection

Title: The Selection
Author: Kiera Cass
Series: The Selection Series (#1)
Published: April 2012 by HarperTeen
Pages: 336 (hardcover)

Summary: 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.

My Thoughts: It is no secret that I'm quite a fan of the reality show, The Bachelor, so when I heard about a story that was very similar to this show but set in a dystopian world, I had to read it.  Initially, the protagonist, America Singer, got under my skin, though. She was so blindly in love with her boyfriend, Aspen, near the beginning, she was stubborn to a fault, and jumped to conclusions at the worst possible moments. This did not deter me from wanting to devour this book, however.

America proved to be a bit of a complicated mess sometimes, but so did her family and her family dynamic really interested me early on. Her mother reminded me of Lizzie Bennet's mom from Pride and Prejudice, as well as my own mother: a little nagging, obsessed with the futures of her children, but a truly caring and loving parent. 

But it wasn't just the characters' that drew me in. The background and world of Illea was very believable in terms of how this land came to be and how the world has ended up in this time period. Once again, I wish we could have read more about it and how the other parts of the world and country lived in this day and age.

I was a little confused near the beginning about how the caste system worked, thinking it was similar to how The Hunger Games society was set up, when it was nothing like that at all. And I loved the feeling of unspoken understanding and loyalty that the lower castes felt toward one another while the more opulent castes were ignorant towards the lower castes' lifestyles, very much how today's society works.

Now let's talk about this love triangle. They happen quite a bit in young adult literature, and many times it can be a little transparent and tired, but this one made me root for team Maxon all the way. I found it refreshing that there was no insta-love between America and Maxon and how they were attracted to each others personality and mind before physical attractions came into their relationship. This was not the case with America's and Aspen's relationship towards one another, though.

This made it very frustrating whenever America would still be hung up on Aspen when Maxon was trying so hard waiting patiently for America to grow to love him. But when she actually did show kindness and that her feelings for Maxon were growing more affectionate, let me tell you, it was so satisfying as a reader.

I really enjoyed this perfect for summer, quick read, but I just wish that the book hadn't ended so open endedly. I know that there are two more books to this series, but come one give me a little something to work with! With an ending like that I will definitely be reading the next book of this trilogy, The Elite, next. I need to know who Prince Maxon chooses and, more importantly, who America chooses!
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Fault in Our Stars Movie Review

Title: The Fault in Our Stars
Book the Movie is based on: The Fault in Our Stars - by John Green
Director: Josh Boone
Starring: Ansel Elgort and Shailene Woodley

Summary: Hazel and Gus are two teenagers who share an acerbic wit, a disdain for the conventional, and a love that sweeps them on a journey. Their relationship is all the more miraculous given that Hazel's other constant companion is an oxygen tank, Gus jokes about his prosthetic leg, and they met and fell in love at a cancer support group. (photo and summary from the movie's imdb page.)

My Thoughts: Okay, so John Green's The Fault in our Stars is one of my favorite books so needless to say, I had high expectations going into this movie. As far as book to movie adaptations go, this one was pretty damn loyal to the book. I mean, there were parts missing from it that I wish were there, like the part near the end when Hazel and Isaac play a video game which really warmed my heart and made me laugh but I can see why it didn't make it into the movie. This missing piece along with a few others, however, in no way lessened my love for this film.

Ansel Elgort as Augustus Waters, aka Gus, just broke my heart. He was amazing as the charming, oblivion-fearing teen who tries is hardest to woo Hazel. And Shailene Woodley as Hazel Lancaster took my broken heart, broken a couple more times, then in the end mended it and gave me hope again. I saw somewhere where someone had said this movie made them feel alive, and that's totally true. You appreciate what you have even more and not because it's a story about kids with cancer, but because it's a story about young love.

Everything that made this movie so wonderful, from the aesthetics to the dialogue, came together so beautifully. I had loved this story before seeing the movie and I think I love it even more because I got to see it come alive. And my goodness did I cry during this film! I went through pretty much the whole spectrum of emotions during the movie, and it was amazing. Movies that do this usually end up being favorites of mine, and I have no doubt that The Fault in Our Stars will do just that.
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

June TBR

I'm a sucker for a good TBR list. Even though they breed false promises, I still like to have one for a little bit of an outline to what my month will look like and also I like to set goals, you know? And my goals for this month are: run more, attempt to watch the FIFA world cup, apply to more jobs (the job market is tough, yo), and read more. I know what you're thinking. "But Meredith, why even try to watch the world cup when we all know you'll just end up watching The Bachelorette?" Because I like variety dang it. And I know what else you're thinking. "But Meredith, we all know you don't read all the books on your list and end up reading something else anyways." To that I say you're probably right BUT like I said I love me a good list and TBR lists are at the top of my list of favorite lists. Here are the books I'm going to attempt reading at some point or other this month! Go soccer!

The Elite - by Keira Cass
One of my best friends has been talking about how cute, slightly frustrating, and awesome the series that this book belongs to is, and I've waited until the last installment of the series was published to finally give it a chance. Not only that, but the author is doing a signing next week at a bookstore near me. I'm always down for a good book signing, but I like to have read at least one book if not most of the books of a series that the author is doing the signing for. I'm currently reading the first book of this series, The Selection, and so far it's pretty good and I'm looking forward to finishing the series this month (which I've never done before! Finish a book trilogy in a month?! I'm actually quite excited to change my reading related procrastinating habits and this is the month I will accomplish it. I can feel it in me bones...)

Where'd you go, Bernadette? - by Maria Semple
I've seen this book in every store since it's release two years ago and I've heard even more rave reviews about it since then. Not only that, but it's soon to be a movie and seems like a great summery read for June. It looks like a quick read, which is good because I rented this book from the library and I'm notorious for not finishing my library books or keeping them for like a month before returning them unread, but that's all about to change! Hopefully.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before - by Jenny Han
Speaking of books with rave reviews, this one has only been out for a couple of months and I've heard nothing but good things.  I've read a couple of Jenny Han's novels and loved her writing style. It has a fluidity and relatability that I admire and can devour easily as a reader. This book is the first of a duology, which is a rare thing these days apparently making me even more exciting to delve into it. It has such a cute summary and I love me a good romantic comedy, and this book seems to fall into that category.

Paper Towns - by John Green
With The Fault in Our Stars movie adaptation *girlish screams* coming out at the end of this week, I am slowly realizing that I need more John Green novels in my life.  I've only read two of his more popular books, but have heard from a few sources that this one might take the cake. John Green is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors ever, which means I want to consume as many of his novels as I can get my hands on. I'm not all too sure what this particular book is about other than maps are involved, it's by John Green, and that it's stellar ratings on goodreads led me to go ahead and buy it even with the lack of information. But I'm fine with a lack of insight when I go into a book! Sometimes when I go into a book blind, it makes the reading experience that much more intriguing and special especially when that book is as popular and highly-lauded as this one. So to say I'm excited to delve into this novel is an understatement.

I'm so excited to start on my TBR list this month and would love to hear about what y'all plan on reading this month or for the summer! I would love to know what y'all plan on reading this month so go ahead and leave a comment about your reading goals! And happy reading!

(All links lead to the books' goodreads pages, respectively.)

Demonglass

Title: Demonglass
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Series: Hex Hall series (#2)
Published: March 2011 by Disney
Pages: 359

Summary: Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch. That was the whole reason she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (a.k.a. witches, shape-shifters, and faeries). But then she discovered the family secret, and the fact that her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping Prodigium off the face of the earth.

Turns out, Sophie's a demon, one of only two in the world-the other being her father. What's worse, she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is precisely why Sophie decides she must go to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will either destroy her powers for good-or kill her.

But once Sophie arrives, she makes a shocking discovery. Her new housemates? They're demons too. Meaning, someone is raising demons in secret, with creepy plans to use their powers, and probably not for good. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they're using Archer to do it. But it's not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she?

My Thoughts: This is one of the few cases where I would not want to be a witch in a book I was reading. It's just way too complicated of a way of life.

Sophie Mercer not only has to deal with boy drama but also with the fact that she's a demon and has some equal parts dangerous and crazy awesome powers, one of her love interests is part of a league of Prodigium hunters (don't you just hate it when that happens?), and that someone is raising demons again even though the handy dandy book o' spells in which this demon-raising spell is in has been sealed and guarded for decades. So yeah, excuse me for not wanting a one way ticket to Hex Hall or Thorne Abbey any time soon.

With all of this drama, there was never a dull moment, which really helped with my current case of reading-slump-itis. It was either action upon action scene or so much witty dialogue that you're head would spin with glee. I loved the sarcasm of the characters and the cute back and forth in their conversations, but it wasn't excessive and didn't feel like it was trying to hard I thought.

However, since it's been about a year since I read the first book in this series, Hex Hall, I had a hard time with remembering certain events or even characters. Like, for example, who the heck is Vix? She pops in and out of the book like a handy-dandy little plot device but I cannot for the life of me remember what purpose she served in Hex Hall other than "love interest" to Jenna in this book and the previous one.

Most of the events that happened in the past novel that affected the plot in this one were explained, especially if they were important, but I just wish that more of the side comments pertaining to Elodie for instance would have gone into more detail.  This is mostly a personal preference since I don't own the first book and because I have a tendency to never read books in a series back to back, which is why I suggest that if you're going to read this series, do it all within a year of each other.

I did really enjoy this book, though.  Rachel Hawkins had me hooked from beginning to end and laughing at the wittiness of the writing and cringing when my favorite characters got in a jam. And THAT ENDING! That. Ending. That ending gets a resounding "OMG WTH" in my book. I hadn't planned on reading the next installment in this series, Spell Bound, for a while but I will definitely be moving it up on my TBR list. I mean what a cliff-hanger. I honestly cannot wait to get my hands on the next installment of this series, Spell Bound. The sooner the better.

In other news, I have used the words "handy-dandy" one too many times in this review but it's just too much fun to say. Anyways, let me know your thoughts on Demonglass! I would love to know y'all's opinions on it and the rest of the books in the series in the comment section below.
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars