The One (The Selection, #3)

by Kiera Cass

[Berls]

This review appeared first at Fantasy is More Fun."

4.5 Stars

Note: This review will have some spoilers for those who haven't read the first two books in the series.

I'm sitting here trying to live up to my promise to myself that I would write reviews as soon as I finish a book, but I'm struggling to piece all my thoughts about The One together into something coherent that doesn't flat out spoil it for you if you haven't read it.

The thing is - I DEVOURED this series. Within one week I read all three books (and would have read more if they were published). I found myself lying in bed after my BF had come to bed and shut of the light staring at the book on my nightstand, thinking about the characters and trying to force myself to go to sleep. And then I'd think, "Wait 30 minutes, until he falls asleep. Then you can get out of bed without waking him, slip out to the living room and read." And I did just that. Twice. I had it bad.

If you know anything about this series, you know there's a love triangle. Hell, there's a couple of them. The love triangles practically have love triangles! And I really don't care - because I LOVED what they did for The One.

There! Fine! I admit it! I loved The One and it wasn't DESPITE the live triangles. It was, in part, BECAUSE OF the love triangles.

But they were really well executed love triangles. They were a means for letting us - and the characters stuck in them - understand their feelings. And as The One begins, America (the main character) has already decided who she REALLY wants. She's kinda known since The Selection, and she flat out makes the decision as The Elite ends. But making a decision and taking the scary steps to follow through with it are two different things. Especially when you've got a King who hates you and wants you out of the running, other people competing for Maxon's affections, Maxon's own confusion, excruciating public tests to navigate, and your ex-boyfriend showing up around every corner. I think watching America try to figure her way through that mess was a big part if what made the love triangles work.

The other great aspects in The One, for me, were the friendships and the surprises. In The Elite we saw the remaining girls start to grow close and in The One we see them as friends. The competition still gets to them, but deep down they're starting to realize that no one will ever understand this part of their life like the other elite. It forms a bond between them and brings down barriers. Some of the changes between the girls shocked me, but in comparison to the rest of The One, they were nothing.

Because The One was chock full of shocking moments. I gasped more times than I can count - for happy and sad moments alike. The situation with the rebels massively escalates and that puts a lot of pressure on the elite girls left in the selection. It led to some moments of some action - though America is very much a damsel needing rescue, not surprising, but a but disappointing - and some fierce moments with the King - where America remains bold and not at all disappointing.

There were some moments that resolved a bit too easily for me, but there was plenty of not-so-easy resolution to make up for it. As The One ends, we're at the end of America's story, but I feel the bigger story - with the world, rebels, castes, etc - is just getting started. So I'm really excited more books are forthcoming, but I'm also happy I choose this moment to get into the series. I can pause here satisfied, in a way I couldn't after finishing The Selection or The Elite. So now's a good time, if you were waiting :)