The Selection Series 4-Book Collection: The Selection, The Elite, The One, The Heir Kindle Edition

The first book was very interesting. The second focused too much on the unnecessary love triangle (that I'd thought had been resolved in the first book) for my taste. But the third was really good-- an excellent ending for the (sometimes mediocre) protagonist, America. The next two books, The Heir and the Crown, are about America's daughter going through her own Selection and I found it WAY more enjoyable than the previous three books. The glimpses Cass gives us into the lives of all the characters from the earlier books are fun and the new protagonist is much fiestier than her mother.If you make it past book two, the rest of the series totally pays off.

I don't usually spend that much on e-books since you aren't receiving a printed version so I never understood how they could cost so much but I read the first one for free on prime and I was hooked. I had to continue the series so I bought they entire set since it saved me a few dollars, only to realize there is still 2 more that aren't a part of this set.... a little disappointed at this.The story in general is great though. My best friend and I are both reading it and we say it is a mixture of "The Bachelor" and "Hunger Games"! Interesting perspective of the world 300 years from now!

AFter World War III the world is divided up differently than it is now and things work differently too. Here in America there is a selection that chooses the next Queen but the contestants for the crown aren't Royal. The Selection is done on TV with the world watching the outcome. There is a Caste system in effect that makes it almost impossible for the lower Castes to get any chance at all.Throughout the Selection America Singer is one of the contenders and no one knows why. During this series you learn who America is, what her edge is, about her life before, about her love before, and how she keeps herself in the running when she is from one of the lowest Castes.This series pulls you into a world that is so different from ours and yet America uses her brain to keep herself safe from other contenders as well as the grooms father. She will steal your heart and you will be pulling for her though out the series. As she takes down one problem another seems to pop up and Maxon doesn't give you any hints as to his feelings as the Selection proceeds from one book into the next until the end when he seems to date everyone but her,Like Divergent and The Hunger Games you learn to love America from the start. She uses her brain to save herself time and again.

Love these books! The first 3 are my favorites- The Heir is good, followed by The Crown which (although not included in this set) is okay.I love the story of America and Maxon; I recently bought this for my 14 year old niece and she likes it as well!It is a good read with romance but stops short of sex; topics I feel are manageable for early teens.

This book is kind of like McDonald’s food: you aren’t sure why your eating it, in fact somewhere in the back of your mind an alarm is blaring that this is slowly killing you with each bite, and yet, you eat on. Just as I assume McDonald’s has been slipping some sort of mind altering/tastebud manipulating serum into their food, this series has been constructed with the finest witchcraft and Voodoo to make you keep reading it. I’m serious. I cannot tell you why I had to read this series. Each book had me actually audibly exclaiming, and eventually snarling in anger. And yet I read on.The main issue in the story (besides the crazy plot holes and lazy writing that other readers lay out for you) is the main character herself. America is, hands down the worst protagonist I’ve ever had the chance to get acquainted with. No joke. I basically yelled through the entire 3rd-4th book at her. She seemed...well...she seemed like a horrible person. Granted we are all flawed, being human and all. To give her credit though, this was probably largely due to her immaturity. Realistically, she acted like the teenage girl she was, but I do not generally want to read about my neighbor Becky and her underdeveloped ability to create meaningful and healthy relationships. Perhaps, I should be more realistic as this is a YA book? Well, I’m not.The whole time I read, I became more frustrated. America was often mean, and even cruel. It did remind me of real life behavior. Of watching the all too common behaviors of lying, deception, manipulation, and leading others on. So, I suppose it was not far from the truth. I just felt bad for the men, especially Maxon, I’m not even going to lie. America had that boy wrapped around her mercurial finger.In short, America was impulsive to the point of it possibly being a mental health issue (hey we all got em): labile mood, inexplicable anger outbursts, depressive symptoms, isolating herself, restlessness, irritability, often egotistical, anxiety, low self esteem, manipulative, indecisive, petty, with surprisingly extreme attachment issues (despite having such a healthy relationship with her father). Her behavior and a lot else did mimic Borderline Personality Disorder, with these behaviors and the “I love you”, “I hate you”, push/pull the entire book.A result of this, and the biggest annoyance, was that her feelings for both men would flip. This made her feelings seem superficial for both men. There was no logical progression. She simply was mad about one guy, and not the other, then flipped in the next few pages. Oftentimes with nothing provoking the changes logically. By the end of the series I still wasn’t sure what the heck was happening. She’s went from madly needing and loving Alpaca in one moment, to knowing with all her soul, for no explainable reason, that the poor poor prince was the victim for her. When I say she exemplified a person with BD I’m not joking, this story mimicked a relationship with someone with attachment issues and BD.It was actually sad, in a few different points of the book America comes to understand what Maxon needs in his relationships, his love language. She actually sees/hears what these things are because another elite is actually giving them to them and treating him well. She thinks, hey I should do that! Does she? Nahh. She does, however, continue to demand more from him, put him down/freeze him out when he doesn’t give her what she’s wants (or he** even when he does). She’s all “I don’t know how you feel, I can’t trust you”, and he’s like “I care deeply for you, I’m being so transparent here...”, then she yells at him and gives him the ice treatment. This is a pattern of abuse by the way and this makes sense with the abuse Maxon receives from his father. He rarely can please her (not for long), no manager what he tries. For awhile, I thought America’s glaringly obvious deficits were making way for a daring, fierce, queen to come and blaze a path of feminine fierceness for all to see. But no. She remains $h**** the whole book. Kept up the flaws with zeal right to the end.What worries me about this book is this teaches young adults that this is how a relationship should be. I’m not throwing out disorders and critiques with no knowledge of what I speak. I treat wonderful individuals who struggle with BD. Mostly the books left me sad tbh. So, if you want to read the a story of people being manipulated, put down, and hurt by an unstable woman for 4 books, then is the series for you.

So I purchased this set even though I had already read book 1, but I knew I wanted to read the entire series since the 1st book sucked me in! I then turned to audible audio books because I found it easier for me to listen and still cook, clean, and work so I had to purchase books 2-5 again! I guess I really liked it to spend that kind of money on it! I was sold on Book 1, 2, & 3, but then my heart sank as book 4 began. I'd hate to spoil anything for anyone so I won't say specifics, but I was a bit upset at the beginning of book 4. As the book progressed I kept finding myself smiling as the chapters flew by and at that point I realized I had gotten sucked back in!! Finished all the books in no time, with great thanks to audible and I was pleasantly surprised at the ending. Very happy a Facebook ad suggested that I'd like this series, cuz they were right. :)**Side note** I didn't actually read this book set since I switch to audible so I don't know if there are chapters missing at the end.. sorry :(

I genuinely dislike the main character. But I can’t tell if that’s because she is a realistic depiction of my expectations of a pampered brat or if it feels far too exaggerated. America was irritating in The One but Eadlyn is just downright disagreeable and the pressures of her life do not seem enough to excuse the kind of selfish, arrogant young woman on display in these pages.I will say the idea of someone who considers themselves to be unromantic finding this to be possibly untrue hits close to home. I find the unfolding of that characterisation/plot point to be fairly well-done.We’ll see how the next book plays out. I am far more curious to see how the issues with the dissolution of the caste system are resolved as that is undoubtedly interesting and a somewhat pertinent commentary on class differences and race relations in modern society (though it isn’t explored deeply enough).

The heroines indecisiveness gets annoying at some point, so decided to stop reading at the beginning of the second book. There are also other points which I did not like:The poverty of the lower castes is used to make the characters look benevolent but forgotten/neglected when some opulence may serve to fullfill dreams of makeovers, ballgowns and parties.The dialouges are very flat. No relatable / truly detestae villains have turned up so far.

Im Allgemeinen fand ich die The Selection Series 4-Book Collection ganz schön zu lesen. Die Liebesgeschichte von America und Max ist gut zu lesen, jedoch gab es hin und wieder echt Längen und ich hab dann doch das ein oder andere Mal weitergeblättert. Es ist eine leichte Lektüre.Die Protas hätte ich manchmal alle schütteln können, aber gut, das gehört bei solchen Geschichten einfach dazu, denn der Weg ist in dem Fall das Ziel :) Es gibt viel Action, Romantik, aber auch Intrigen und Geheimnisse.Der Schreibstil ist super leicht und flüssig und das Englisch auch kein Problem.

Ich habe die Bücher in wenigen Tagen verschlungen, so gefesselt war ich von der Story. Ich muss vorherigen Usern Recht geben, bisweilen regt einen die ständige Unentschlossenheit von America schon auf. Die Geschichte ist sehr gut geschrieben, so dass man sich gut in die Situation und Emotionen der Charaktere hineinversetzen kann. Auch das meiste Drumherum (z.B. wie es zu dem Staat Illea gekommen ist) ist glaubhaft dargelegt. Insgesamt eine recht langatmige, aber fesselnde Liebesgeschichte (mit ab-und-zu recht viel Action).

This series will give you whiplash and put you on your knees begging for more. I highly recommend it as a light read.