The Crown by Kiera Cass

 

(spoilers for The Selection series below)

Goodreads synopsis: When Eadlyn became the first princess of Illéa to hold her own Selection, she didn’t think she would fall in love with any of her thirty-five suitors. She spent the first few weeks of the competition counting down the days until she could send them all home. But as events at the palace force Eadlyn even further into the spotlight, she realizes that she might not be content remaining alone.

Eadlyn still isn’t sure she’ll find the fairytale ending her parents did twenty years ago. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and soon Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more impossible—and more important—than she ever imagined.

My rating: 1 star.

Content warnings: PG. Some kissing and a few mild swears.

(spoilers ahead)

Thoughts: I retract most of the good things I said about the book before this. It had issues, but I was banking on the fact that this book would fix those somehow.

Boy was I wrong.

Right away, it started feeling like a weird, knockoff Hunger Games, but without any of the understanding of what made that series popular, or well thought out. Or even, for that matter, what made the first three books of this series interesting. I think Cass' main problem in this one was focusing on a character born royal, without giving her any redeemable qualities. Focusing on another character, or working with the main character to make her more sympathetic and less stupidly annoying would have gone a long way toward helping.

The plot could have been interesting? I guess? At least the political aspect of it. Which, I hardly remember at all. So that fell very flat.

And then two of the guys as a part of the "contest" randomly turn out to be gay? With no warning, development, or flat out any reason other than plot convenience? Include that in your story if you want, fine, but don't use it for "diversity points" if you're not willing to actually have it make sense. The one guy I could live with, no one knew him anyway, so there was no development to work against. But two of them? Tell me that's not just plot convenience for the sake of getting two more guys out of the way.

But the biggest issues I had was who she finally ends up with. Supposedly. I doubt they would realistically even make it to the altar, or if so the union would be over in five years or less. She shared all of, what, give total scenes with the guy before deciding she's hopelessly in love and wants to marry that guy? How does that make any sense?

What can you do though. I'll accept it as a loss and move on. It was fun before it crashed and burned.