Review: The Selection- Kiera Cass

Published April 24th 2012 by HarperTeen

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 Review

Now you might be thinking....one star? Seriously? One measly star for the book that was actually compared to the Hunger Games?

Unfortunately, yes.

Thoughts after reading the synopsis and looking at that absolutely gorgeous cover :

1. 35 girls fighting over a Prince- fluff, drama, pinches of humour and angst guaranteed.

2. Dystopian setting with a caste system with the protagonist having a forbidden love interest AND getting embroiled in the Selection to be the ONE? Awesomeness assured.

3. Prince Maxon, America Singer and Aspen? Wtf? Starting to see a trend with weird names here...

4. Rebel attacks on the palace? Fast paced mystery/action sequences, perhaps?

Thoughts after finishing the book:

Severe disappointment.

The book set a whole new standard for ridiculous. No real plot, juvenile writing style, zero character development and one god-awful ending.

It starts with the protagonist America Singer (any guesses as to what her profession might be?) whose family is ranked FIVE according to the caste system in the dystopian world of Ilea, arguing with her mother over entering the competition to marry Prince Maxon. Her oh-so-very-fickle heart lies with Aspen, who by virtue of being ranked SIX struggles to make both ends meet.

Both America and Aspen were distinctly unlikeable characters. I couldn't say who I disliked more. America- with her bitching about poverty when her family is actually enjoying a wholesome meal of chicken, pasta, apple slices and lemon tea, or Aspen- who flips out and breaks up with her because of his massive male pride!

Total a-hole behaviour on part of the moron! I mean, America saves up to give him a treat and he treats her like dirt because HE is supposed to provide for HER! Real smooth move there...

Heartbroken and enraged, America decides to participate in the competition. Both as a payback to Mr. Mercurial and to support her poverty stricken family. The Selection was one highly anticipated part of the book for me. The whole thing just had to be hilarious....or so I thought. It turned out that the competition was as bland as all other things in the book. There wasn't a SINGLE exciting occurrence, unless you count a fellow competitor trying to rip off America's dress.

Prince Maxon was by far the most irritating character ever. No wonder Ilea was in turmoil under his not -so-expert guidance. During his first meeting with America, she is suffering a claustrophobic attack and launches a verbal attack at him by calling him shallow and pathetic. Way to make a first impression! Was this a very feeble attempt at feistiness? If so, it failed to get across the message and just made America look like a demented moron. Maxon being the epitome of all things good forgives her insolent little ass and strikes up an awkward friendship with her. As the book progresses the reader is treated to several unnecessary scenes involving rebels to create some semblance of a plot. Another failed attempt at redeeming a already fizzled-out story. Other competitors are occasionally brought in to avoid making the story too centred around America and Maxon's lukewarm romance.

The twist in the tale comes when Aspen comes to court employed as a palace guard and America begins some rigorous two timing, snogging Aspen during his secret nightly visits and then running back to the Prince during the day. The entire love triangle seemed extremely forced. By the time 3/4 of the book was over, I could barely stop from pulling my hair out due to sheer frustration. 

But as they say curiosity is a sin and apparently I suffer from occasional bouts of asininity, I decided to finish the damn book. How much worse could it get anyway?

But of course, since there were soooo many important things going on the book that it had to have a sequel. The ending was abrupt, unnecessary and downright contemptible. The comparison with Hunger Games is absolutely burlesque and apart from the half hearted world building the book can hardly be classified as dystopian fiction.

Overall a complete waste of time, ink, paper and whatnot....

Rating- 1/5 stars!

ARC Review: Gameboard of the Gods- Richelle Mead

Goodreads Synopsis

In a futuristic world nearly destroyed by religious extremists, Justin March lives in exile after failing in his job as an investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims. But Justin is given a second chance when Mae Koskinen comes to bring him back to the Republic of United North America (RUNA). Raised in an aristocratic caste, Mae is now a member of the military’s most elite and terrifying tier, a soldier with enhanced reflexes and skills.

When Justin and Mae are assigned to work together to solve a string of ritualistic murders, they soon realize that their discoveries have exposed them to terrible danger. As their investigation races forward, unknown enemies and powers greater than they can imagine are gathering in the shadows, ready to reclaim the world in which humans are merely game pieces on their board.

Gameboard of the Gods, the first installment of Richelle Mead’s Age of Xseries, will have all the elements that have made her YA Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series such megasuccesses: sexy, irresistible characters; romantic and mythological intrigue; and relentless action and suspense.

My Review

**I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Finished Gameboard of the Gods a couple of hours ago and I still haven’t got rid of the post-awesome-read bliss. I never really envisioned Richelle Mead writing dystopia.

My bad.

An extremely exciting futuristic setting coupled with Mead’s addictive writing style and her ability to weave magic with words totally makes an explosive combination. Really, dystopia doesn’t get any better than this!

Loved, loved, loved the post apocalyptical world of RUNA or the Republic of United North America- one of the countries which had risen from the destruction caused by the Decline, which refers to the catastrophic event in which the deadly Mephistopheles virus had wiped out a major portion of the world population and caused reproductive damage to its survivors. The entire setting of the story isn’t revealed until around page 80. Though some people might find that irritating, I think it added an element of mystique to the book that kept me coming up with wild assumptions and concocting baseless explanations for whatever happened in the first 80 pages. Everything was revealed in a systematic manner though, a secret at a time, allowing the story to flow smoothly. The technological enterprises, the layout of the fictitious countries, the caste system, the religious extremism and the characterisation were pure ingenuity.

The RUNA held three things responsible for the Decline: biological manipulation, religion, and cultural separatism. All of the early genetic mixing had gone a long way to stamp out group solidarity, and the loose Greco-Roman models the country had adopted provided a new, all-encompassing culture that everyone could be a part of.

Apart from dystopia there is plenty of supernatural stuff to sate the paranormal fantasy enthusiasts since this is Richelle Mead we are talking about. The entire concept provided a much-needed refreshing break from vampires, werewolves and other mythical creatures, so over-used in fiction these days that they have lost their appeal. Instead Gameboard of the Gods deals with…well you guessed it- Gods! Divine intervention, religious zealots, power-hungry cults, the crazy fanatics who believe in human sacrifice and what not….It was a revivifying change from the usual stuff these days- the teenage drama that sells under the guise of dystopia.

There were no melodramatic love triangles for one, not that the romantic part was lacking in any way. There’s still truckloads of angst and unresolved sexual tension to keep things from getting too drab. The story is told from the POV of three people. There is Mead’s trademark badass female protagonist who can kick butt left-right and centre- Mae Koskinen is a Praetorian (read deadly soldier) assigned to guard disgraced Servitor Dr. Justin March. Mae is dangerous and beautiful and actually makes Rose Hathaway look tame…enough said.

 I was in two minds about Justin’s character. There are two sides to him- the one where he acts like an alcoholic/drug addict/sex crazed bastard, and the other where he is the brilliant Servitor, dedicated to serving his country. He is manipulative, as is expected because of his job, and self confident to the point of being arrogant. His banter with Mae was engaging and his wisecracks and side comments made me snort with laughter. Tessa- Justin’s friend’s daughter- or his ‘prodigy’ as he likes calling her is the teenage Provincial or the non-Gemman citizen of Panama City. She is astute and clever and over all a distinctly likeable character.

The plot was spun quite intricately, making it impossible to guess what was going to happen next. The ending was a surprise and a cliffhanger to boot. Overall an excellent read and an intriguing start to what seems to be a promising series. Breathlessly awaiting the next instalment!

Rating- 4/5 stars!

Review: Divergent- Veronica Roth

“Human beings as a whole cannot be good for long before the bad creeps back in and poisons us again.”

In the dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice Prior, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself...

Hmm...another YA distopian novel, there's an overflow of them these days. And another of the flat-chested, chaste, never-engaged-in-any-fun-business heroine who is thrown into a world quite opposite to the one she's been brought up in. The idea gets a little stale after 10 or so books. Nevertheless, the whole divison of the society into factions was an interesting concept to say the least. After making a startling decision of switching factions, Beatrice has to undergo a highly competitive initiation which includes extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations. The initiation brings about some devastating consequences and transforms all initiates, changing some preheld notions about the existing factions.

Ofcourse having a perfectly hot kickass instructor and a bunch of helpful friends brings a little respite to the situation. Four(yes, it's a name!) is the (initially) distant instructor who helps Beatrice a.k.a Tris to navigate her way through the various difficulties presented by the initiation, backstabbing mates and Tris' inner demons. She also has to hide a secret, which if exposed can prove to be her doom.

The book feels as if it has been hastily written and the the characters have not been given a chance to develop properly. Beatrice's character has potential but somehow she seems confused most of the time. Sometimes she is rational and decisive and other times she risks her life without a second thought. The romantic timing of the book also seemed a little off. All in all, not a very satisfying read. But the people interested in post apocalyptic dystopian world might want to give it a try.

2/5 stars for this one!

Review: Unwind- Neal Shusterman

"I'd rather be partly great than entirely useless."

The Second Civil War was fought over human reproductive rights. To end the bloody conflict, a set of constitutional amendments known as "The Bill of Life" was passed. The Bill of Life states that human life may not be touched from the moment of conception until a child reaches the age of thirteen. However, between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, a parent may choose to retroactively "abort" a child..... on the condition that the child's life doesn't "technically" end. The process by which a child is both terminated and yet kept alive is called "unwinding."

As far as dystopia goes the book was amazeballs. I started to read it with some justified trepidation (cough...chemical garden...cough) but the incredible setting of the story was quite addicting, although more than a little creepy. The dystopian future created by Shusterman sees children between ages 13-18 yrs being legally signed by their parents/guardians to be sent for 'unwinding' ie. scavenging blood, tissues and body parts for the people who need it for transplant. Although the use of the 'need' here might be debatable since getting a new pair of eyes to impress your girlfriend is hardly a life-death issue.

The story follows the experience of three teens- Conner, Risa and Lev-who have been signed up for unwinding. Conner is a loose cannon with a short fuse who has been signed up for unwinding by parents who are apparently fed up of his regular fights and loss of temper. So of course the best solution they come up with is to send their son to a 'Harvest Camp' so that his body may be diced up only to be used in various transplants! Risa is an orphan, a state's ward and a typical realist. She pauses to think through every possible course of action before pouncing on the enemy. When the State Home sends her to be unwind as a result of budget cuts, it's the last straw for her. Lev is the young 'tithe' who was born to be unwound. He has been brainwashed by his family to think that being unwound makes him God's envoy and everybody who thinks otherwise is a sinner.

The entire concept of the 'Chop-Shop' a.k.a the 'Harvest Camp' where the unwinding process if carried out is quite disturbing. Abortion is also illegal but 'storking' a baby ie. leaving it on people's doorsteps without getting caught so as to make it seem like their responsibility is allowed. The irony of the entire situation is palpable throughout the story along with the motto that if something becomes too difficult to handle it becomes someone else's problem.

Funny, but the Bill of Life was supposed to protect the sanctity of life. Instead it just made life cheap. 

Neal Shusterman delivers a subtly hidden message about meeting a crisis head-on and makes us realise the value of life. Although writing in present tense and frequent switching of POVs may be uncomfortable for some the excellent plot more than makes up for it.

3 stars for this one!