Review: The Selection by Kiera Cass

The Selection by Kiera Cass (2012)
336 pages
Genre: Young Adult/Dystopian/Romance
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: The library.
Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon
My Rating:

Goodreads 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.

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My Review

I finally did it! I may be the last person on the planet to read the Selection, but I finally read it! After many people telling me how awesome it is, and my co-worker exclaiming it is her new favorite guilty pleasure, I had to give it a try. So what did I think?

I should have listened to my bloggie bestie that warned me that this book probably wouldn't be to my liking. It wasn't to my liking. I really don't get what all the hype is about.

Disclaimer: I am sad to say this, but I really did not like this book. I know I am the black sheep. If you did like this book I am in no way judging you. It just wasn't for me.

What I Didn't Like

• The pretty basic dystopian type world. Nothing unique there.
• Because it is worth mentioning twice, the whole thing just seemed very stereotypical YA.
• I couldn't connect to America. She did grow on me a little bit when I kept reading, but there was nothing memorable about her, except for maybe her name.
• The way Prince Maxon speaks. It is one thing to be princely and formal. It is another thing to sound like a stuck up prince/an 80-year-old man. Just no. I wouldn't mind never hearing him say "my dear" again. Everything about him was too formal for an 18-year-old guy, even if he was a prince, even if he had manners. He did loosen up a tiny tiny bit with America, but not nearly enough. If I hadn't returned my copy of this book to the library already my whole review would just have been ridiculous quotes from him. I did like him as a person though. I liked him more than the other guy.
• The plot bored me. I was hoping for more drama.
• It was predictable to its core.
• America denying her feelings for Maxon also got pretty annoying. It was obvious she felt for him more than in a friendly manner considering all the times her stomach would "feel funny" when he was around. Sigh.

What I Liked (I would like to end on a semi-positive note.)

• It was a quick read. I didn't wast too much of my time on it.
• The two very small and very short exciting action scenes.
• America did grow on me throughout the book.
• At least the guys were not a-holes in this book.

The bottom line: Maybe I didn't enjoy The Selection much because I have read so much dystopian before this, or maybe it was because it was meant for a younger audience? I don't really know exactly. Will I be reading the next book? Probably not. I don't see why I need to. I am a little curious as to who she ends up with (I am hoping Maxon), but if I am ever curious enough I can always just google it.

Review: Panic by: Lauren Oliver

Panic by: Lauren Oliver (2014)

Genre: Young Adult Fiction
408 pages

Source: The Library

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

My Review

I had such high hopes for Panic, BUT

in the end I just felt indifferent toward the whole book. 

I’m not sure if it was my high expectations, my personal mood when I started reading, the fact that I could relate to no one in this book, or simply because Panic was just mediocre. I just wasn’t interested for most of the book.

I can say with certainty that there was one very captivating element of this novel, every time there was an awesome cool dangerous challenge in the competition I was ready for it. 

I was excited. Game on. They were the best parts of the book. I practically skimmed through the rest of the book to get to them. Sadly, they were the only time I felt something and there aren't even that many challenges.

Whenever there wasn’t a challenge going on I looked a little something like this. 

I didn’t care about the characters, I just couldn’t connect with them. Even when I found out how harsh some of these kids’ home lives were, it did nothing to bring me to care about them. I actually did care a little bit for some the characters….in the very last chapter. That is something at least. Otherwise the kids (and adults, cops, everyone) were kind of idiots that I didn't understand.

I realize they are only teenagers, but aren't these kids who will be adults very soon and going away to college? Ugh. I sure hope not. It’s a darker novel, but yet didn’t bring out any strong emotions in me. Sadly, I feel that Oliver just didn’t deliver on this one. It felt like she tried too hard, or maybe just not hard enough. On top of the blah characters, everything seemed pretty predictable to me as well.

However, to the last 100ish pages...

I was finally completely pulled into the story (besides the very beginning for like two pages), but also this book is 400 pages long…so yea I don’t think that is saying much.

The only panic I felt while reading was an overwhelming worry that this book wouldn’t be great, and I was totally right to panic, because it wasn’t. I was very disappointed. I was hoping for something more.

If you are really looking forward to reading Panic don't let me stop you. There are plenty of readers out there who enjoyed Panic, but it just wasn't for me. The whole book was just very bland. I would however recommend Oliver's other novels.

Review: Crash by: Lisa McMann

Crash by: Lisa McMann (Visions Book 1) (2013)

Publisher: Simon Pulse

233 pages

Genre: YA/Paranormal/Mystery

Goodreads Summary: Jules lives with her family above their restaurant, which means she smells like pizza most of the time and drives their double-meatball-shaped food truck to school. It’s not a recipe for popularity, but she can handle that.

What she can’t handle is the recurring vision that haunts her. Over and over, Jules sees a careening truck hit a building and explode...and nine body bags in the snow.

The vision is everywhere—on billboards, television screens, windows—and she’s the only one who sees it. And the more she sees it, the more she sees. The vision is giving her clues, and soon Jules knows what she has to do. Because now she can see the face in one of the body bags, and it’s someone she knows. Someone she has been in love with for as long as she can remember.

My Review

Crash wasn't a big hit with me. I was really looking forward to reading an exciting book about a teenager who gets a vision of a crash and must find a way to stop it. Sounds exciting right? Well it isn't nearly as exciting as the synopsis implied. Now I don’t want to be overly negative, there were some good parts of this book as well. So here we go… what I thought were the hits and misses.

What I enjoyed:

• The family dynamic is really great. Jules works at her parents’ family pizza shop and of course there is a pizza rivalry with another family in town. This part of the plot was fun. Her older brother was quirky, her sister was mysterious, her mom was interesting, and her dad was troublesome, but for some reason it just worked.
• Lisa McMann does a great job at adding a great amount of details, especially when breaking down and describing the crash scene that Jules continuously has visions about. My favorite part of the book is when Jules breaks down and takes apart the scene to try and figure out what she can do to sop it.
• There was some quirky cute writing and jokes that made me laugh.
• It was a quick read. Which not to be overly rude, but I’m glad it was quick because at times it was very unenjoyable.
• The ending was good and set it up nicely for the second book.
• Plus, that cover is pretty awesome. I love the fire burning in her eye, a reflection of the crash.

What I wasn't a fan of:

• Everything was predictable. I didn't feel any shock factor when reading Crash and that made me really sad. Considering that Jules is trying to solve this puzzle of how to prevent the deadly crash from happening, it was a let down that there were no big twists.
• The main character Jules was slightly annoying and too juvenile for my tastes. She acted more like 14 than 17.
• Crash did remind me somewhat of Final Destination and Mara Dyer, but not nearly as good. I’m not even sure I will be reading the second book. I would probably pick it up at the library if I didn't have a huge TBR pile always looming in the background.
• The whole book seemed somewhat repetitive and it is a short book to begin with.
• The love story was nothing to write home about. I don't think the romance aspect of a story is the  most important thing in a novel, but this one just didn't do anything for me. 
• The book/plot doesn't do the cover justice.

Overall I didn’t think Crash was great, but it wasn’t horrible either. It was just eh for me, but that doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it. If you are looking for a quick young adult novel with great details with a paranormal and mystery element then you may enjoy it just fine. 

RATING 2.5/5    Buy Crash