There are certain series that seem to be YA must-reads and that everyone in the YA community has read and reviewed. But then a new girl comes in, one who didn't realise that YA was a thing until last September. I'm that girl. I saw all these reviews about all these series that everyone read and I felt the need to read them too. However, I discovered that just because everyone reads something, it doesn't mean it's right for you.
So hence a new kinda post: 5 reasons you should and 5 reasons you shouldn't read some of the most well known YA series. If you're new to the community, then first of all: HIII!! and second of all: I hope this helps you. I know I would have loved a post like this so I could objectively decide if I wanted to read these books. I'm not passing judgment on these series and won't say if I enjoyed them (though you're always free to ask). These series could be a great read if they're your kind of book - I'm just here to help you decide if they are.
Today I'm discussing The Selection by Kiera Cass. (I excluded The Heir, because even though it's officially part of the series, it deals with (mostly) different characters and is kinda a serie on its own in my opinion)
5 reasons to read
1. It's the perfect feel good book
Life sucks. We have work, school, tons of boring forms we have to read. Some days, you just want to crawl into bed and read a book that you will enjoy without it taking any effort to understand. That's The Selection series for you. It's easy, you breeze through them and there's enough fluff to make you feel wonderful whatever kind of day you have.
2. You like The Bachelor - without all the really creepy contestants? Here's a series that's basically one long episode.
Look, I can pretend I'm all high class and only like "important entertainment", but I love The Bachelor. I hate that it's so cliché and fake and brings together some of the worst people in the world, but I love watching it. It's addictive and you can't help but get involved in the romance aspect of it all. Same with The Selection. You'll cringe at points, you'll encounter incredible clichés, but you'll be too invested to stop reading. All you want to know is: will America get the prince?
3. There's not one boring page.
Relating to that previous point - you won't be bored. You might get annoyed or frustrated, but so much happens that there's no way to put the book down. I'm not a night reader but I also did a few all-nighters while reading The Selection. That's how good it is.
4. The prince is a totally hottie and sweetheart
Obviously, it's all about the girls. But when the main goal is to find out if they'll marry the prince, a cute prince is important too. And Maxon doesn't disappoint. He's cute, caring and incredibly nice. He was my favourite character of the book and it was so easy to imagine all these girls falling in love with him.
5. Dystopian + princesses + insane fashion + bachelor = fun
Do I need to explain this note? All those elements together? How can you not love it?
5 reasons not to read
1. America is extremely annoying.
Narrators are important; they basically influence your whole reading experience and even though The Selection world is awesome, America is not. At all. She's the most annoying, immature, read-too-much-Cosmopolitan narrator you can imagine. A lot of readers think she's too annoying and naive, while others appreciate her innocence. It's all about what you look for in a narrator, but be prepared that she's a cliché - and not a good one.
2. America's family is the weirdest and their communication is unrealistic.
America's family treats her like she is a toddler. This could be due to the fact that she acts like the baby of the family or that they are just overprotective. I personally skimmed all communication between America and her father, but it is kinda endearing if you're up for a sentimental parent/child relationship.
3. Some things are too dramatic.
I mean, this was bound to happen. The Bachelor is dramatic. Dystopian fiction is dramatic. The dresses are dramatic. Sometimes you just want to shout RELAX! to everyone. The good news is, they do calm down - eventually.
4. Easy ending.
The ending took a note from Game of Thrones. There were so many lose ends and people who were there that would be in the way so... yeah, if you've watched GOT, you'll know what that means.
5. You might not root for the main character.
Like I mentioned, I kept reading the books to see how to romance turned out, but I must say I wasn't 100% team America. If you want to absolutely relate to the main character, this is not your book. But if you want to see a very creative world and amazing side characters, you'll love this book.
So what do you think? Will you pick it up? If you have, do you agree with my points?