YA Today Book Club discussion

Hey Everyone!
So I guess I'll start this off. :)

The Selection:

I loved the writing and the tempo in this book. I felt like something was always happening, and that is something I thrive on in a book.

I'm not usually one to read a book totally based on romance, but I did really enjoy this one!

Who is your favorite character?
Though they are minor, I LOVE America's little siblings! They seem so cute and sweet.

Maxon vs. Aspen?
I don't dislike Aspen as much as I think most people do. I think he just genuinely doesn't want to give America a crap life because he really loves her. But I can't help loving Maxon! His favorite girl is the one who is the most open and honest with him, and I love that. But I can just feel that in the next book he's probably going to get a big heart break with Aspen sneaking into America's room like that!

Opinions on America? I like her. She's sweet and spunky, but I think she's pretty selfish. She shouldn't even consider hooking up with Aspen if she's considering staying with Maxon. Makes me so mad!

Okay I've talked too much. To summarize, I really got into this book!

One complaint: not enough of an ending! Something huge should have happened! :-/

Hey all!

I almost didn't finish this one in time! Stupid finals :(

I really enjoyed The Selection. Four stars! I agree that the tempo was great. I also like the way you set up your discussion, so I'm going to follow your lead.

My Opinion on America? I thought America was a great character. I understood her feelings about the Selection, although I doubt I would have the courage to scold the prince myself! My favorite America moment is the interview with Gavril, both when she told stories of her life and when allowed herself to say what she really thought of Maxon.

I actually (politely) disagree with your opinion on her decision not to see Aspen while she thinks she might be falling in love with Maxon. Other than the fact that I was SURE Celeste was going to find them out and report them, I thought I was a good idea. (I don't know about you, but in Bloodrose, Nightshade #3, the way Calla changed her mind every chapter bugged me! I say wait until you know for sure and then make a decision.)

My Thoughts on Illea? I thought Kiera Cass wrote about the caste systems and emotions regarding castes well, although I am not a authority on that by any means! I also thought the History Class scene was a great way to give readers historical background while still moving the story along. Didn't the third world war sound likely?! I think the issue with the not well-known history, as well as the education issue, will factor into later books. At least, I hope.

The Rebels? The rebel attacks were well written. Not only was there the suspence of an attack, there was the added tension of wondering whether it was a North or South attack! It also added a level of credibility, I thought. Another thing we'll see more of in the next books?

My Thoughts On The Other Selecteds? I was a little disappointed I did not learn more about the other girls, but I understand it probably would have been a drag on the plot. Kiera did do a good job giving at least one unique aspect to a good number of characters, which was satisfactory. Celeste was in a great position where she adds a bit of suspense to the plot, but isn't hard-core evil.

The Ending? I agree with you again. I wanted something to happen! Other than that, I liked the story and I'm definitively going to read the next book.

I really talked too much! As an end note, I loved the acknowledgement page. Loved it!

Thanks for reading my post!

The Selection:

I was surprised how much I loved this book! When I heard it was similar to the tv show The Bachelorette, I was a bit turned off. However, I'm glad I picked it up because I really enjoyed the story. I liked the mix of romance with the dystopian storyline. I gave it five stars :)


Who is your favorite character?
Maxon of course!

Maxon vs. Aspen?
I am definitely on team Maxon! I was surprised to find myself rooting for Maxon from very early on in the story. He instantly won me over and I loved that he was such a "real" guy despite his status in society. He always treated the girls with respect and seemed to truly care about them and the country as a whole.

Aspen kind of bugged me from the start although I can't seem to put my finger on the reason why. I think if the author had included more of their romance in the beginning of the book I might have felt more torn between the two.

Opinions on America?
I like her spunk! She hasn't let the Selection go to her head and I think that is important. I also like that she has been pretty honest with Maxon right from the start. She very easily could have put on an act to make Maxon fall in love with her but she chose to tell him the truth instead, and I was impressed by that. She also makes me laugh :)

I will say I agree with the poster who said they are frustrated that she is sneaking Aspen into her room because I totally agree. I keep yelling at her in my head whenever that happens because I'm sure she will get caught eventually. I think she is meant to be with Maxon and I really want her to realize that already!

Thoughts on the ending?
I did NOT want this book to end! I was so into the story and hated that it just kind of...stopped without any closure. I can't wait for the next book to come out so I can have some questions answered!

I finished it today! I didn't think I would get it read on time, but I devoured that baby in less than 24 hours. I could not put it down, for real. I guess romance is really starting to grow on me.

My favorite character - America, hands down. I really enjoyed her personality, and I could relate to her. I understood why she made all of the decisions that she did. I absolutely love her for all the goodness that is in her, especially it came to the other girls and the maids. On the other side of the "coin" - my least favorite character is Aspen. He should be sent straight to the front line. I get that he wants to be a provider for his family and that America would just be another mouth to feed and blah blah blah... Does he really think that she can't decide for herself and would be unable to work? Does he want her to stay home and not contribute?! *growls* Don't get me started on her send-off either. As a literary character, I have him on the top of my List (you know, the s-word kind) right along with Vampire Bill. If he really loved her, he wouldn't have been sneaking into her room or messing with her life. He is the one who sent her to the castle, so he needs to deal with the decision that HE made for her since his macho self thinks it's up to him to make them all. Sorry for the rant, but I got really caught up in the book. I still want to slap him.

Maxon vs. Aspen - I think you guys know where I stand on that one. I've adored Maxon since his first scene in the book. He's a royal, but I really felt sorry for him. The Selection is his only dating opportunity, and it has to be hard to have no friends and rule a threatened country. I think America will be perfect for him, but she needs to really open her eyes to what a great guy is willing to give her everything. *swoons*

The world-building was excellent. All of the futuristic wars are completely believable, and I'm sure Kiera Cass did a lot of research on the Indian caste system to make her own. I was very impressed by her sneaking the historical facts into the story. The pacing never dragged, which is no small feat. This was not a literary masterpiece by any stretch, but it was a damn good story. This is easily one of my top 3 favorite reads this year.

As for the other girls, I think it's going to be Marlee to burn America, not Celeste. She is a favorite, and I think she's willing to stab her buddy in the back to get the crown. Sure, she doesn't have feelings for Maxon, but she's never disclosed her reasons for not going home yet. I think there's more to the story where it comes to this girl. She's sweet, but I do not trust her. I wouldn't even be surprised if she turned out to be a spy for the North or South.

I do want to say that some plot points reminded me of Wither a little, but it wasn't anything major. It wasn't nearly as dark, and I enjoyed The Selection a lot more.

The only thing that bothered me about the ending is that Aspen did not spontaneously combust. Maybe in book 2. ;-)

I'm going to be the oddball out here. I was surprised at how much I did NOT like this book. It's not like I hated it, but I was very underwhelmed.

I didn't really have a favorite character. America was pretty fun, but I wasn't looking to be her bestie by the end, you know? She came off as a bit of a flake, guy-wise.

As for Aspen vs. Maxon... Neither. I know, don't stone me. I just think both boys have so much growing up to do before either of them are marriage-material. Maxon is too naive and perfect, and Aspen is pigheaded and foolish. Both have great POTENTIAL - they're just not there yet.

I LOVED the conceit of Ilea and its caste system, I just wish Cass had developed it more. I'm also intrigued by the spooky South.

I don't know. I talk more about the book in my review ( http://shelversanon.blogspot.com/2012... ), and I don't want to bore you all or drag you down by my complaints. I just feel like Cass set us up to shoot for the Moon and instead we ended up on a middling hilltop instead. It just all fell short for me.

I agree with Shelver. This book had so much potential, but it fell short for me too. See my full review here.

Okay, guys. I did enjoy this, in the same kind of way one enjoys reality television.

As a Dystopia:
It's really not. And I don't think they should have marketed it that way. I mean, there's some crazy stuff happening, but, so far at least, there's no corruption in the monarchy so far as I can see. They have external issues, but I don't know. The marriage via reality tv is creepy, but the girls apply, so they're not being forced. *shrug* The publisher is trying to capitalize off of the popularity of the genre, but I think by comparing it to The Hunger Games, they're just pissing off people who would have enjoyed it if it had just been marketed as chick lit.

Favorite Character:
Meh. Don't really have one. The character development wasn't great.

Maxon vs. Aspen:
I actually like Aspen at the outset, and I do think he was trying to be nice and give her the best possible life by forcing her to join. I do not, however, think that was in character. Nor did I like the way he freaked out if she gave him food. Maxon is nice but boring. I don't really care which of them wins her. I would probably go for Maxon if I were America, because he's more likely to be a nice husband.

World-building:
This goes with the dystopian elements. There's not much too it yet. Most of it is pretty standard fantasy stuff with a caste system taken from history.

The writing:
Not impressive. A lot of simple sentences. I would love to see more complex sentences in YA.

Will I Read On?
Probably, but I'm not thrilled with Cass' behavior with regards to Wendy Darling's review.

The Twitter conversation between Cass and her agent was definitely unprofessional, but Elana Roth's comments were the ones that made me cringe. As for them being the Anonymous commenters... Who can ever know?

I'm glad you brought up the controversy. It's fair game to discuss that too, right y'all? Or should we just stick to the book itself?

Kayla wrote: "The Twitter conversation between Cass and her agent was definitely unprofessional, but Elana Roth's comments were the ones that made me cringe. As for them being the Anonymous commenters... Who can..."

I remember some of the back and forth from Twitter, but somehow I missed what book it was. Then when I saw all the reviews for this one, it hit me. I would expect something like that from a new author, but for an agent to be so unprofessional really surprised me.

Maybe my feelings toward the book were tainted because of all that, but I still didn't feel like it was a phenomenal book.

Kayla wrote: "The Twitter conversation between Cass and her agent was definitely unprofessional, but Elana Roth's comments were the ones that made me cringe. As for them being the Anonymous commenters... Who can..."

I agree with both of you. I'm not writing Cass off as a result. If I here about something like that happening again, though, I probably will. She is a debut author and it seems that her agent was inciting her in this behavior. If her agent was being publicly rude, she probably thought she could be too. Hopefully, she has learned from the blogosphere's response.

What I don't get, either, is why they freaked out. Sure, The Selection has some bad reviews, but there are also a bunch of readers raving about how awesome it was.

I don't think it was phenomenal either. I think it was entertaining, but not deep or particularly well-written.

The reason I said I hated her sneaking Aspen in, is firstly: It's punishable by death... He is SO not worth death. Secondly: It's immoral. It would completely destroy Maxon to know that she lied about who Aspen was, as Maxon will see that as a protection of Aspen because she wanted him there. I think she can make her choice just fine without making out with him in her bed. I mean, if they were just talking about their relationship that would be different. You know what I mean? But I guess every book needs drama! haha

Kayelee wrote: "The reason I said I hated her sneaking Aspen in, is firstly: It's punishable by death... He is SO not worth death. Secondly: It's immoral. It would completely destroy Maxon to know that she lied ab..."

I don't ship anyone particularly, but I agree. Sneaking him into her room in the castle was a dumbass move. And, irl, they would have been caught. Surely, you'll hear people coming and be able to run out to your guard post because you left the door open. Good thing everyone in the castle walks loudly and slowly, and that you're not focusing entirely on the making out thing.

I was also very frustrated by the rude comments made by Cass and her agent. Honestly, if I had read those comments before reading her book, I probably wouldn't have read it.

I really felt like sneaking Aspen into her room was almost like cheating on Maxon! It just seemed very dishonest and the entire time I was expecting them to get caught.

Bri wrote: "I was also very frustrated by the rude comments made by Cass and her agent. Honestly, if I had read those comments before reading her book, I probably wouldn't have read it.

I really felt like s..."

I was really surprised they didn't get caught too. I don't think it was cheating, but it wasn't in good taste either, although, again, I think mainly because it was STUPID AS ALL GET OUT.

Oh, another thing that bothered me - the ending... I mean, what the heck? There was no ending! No climax, no tense moment, nothing. Where's my closure?!

Christina (A Reader of Fictions) wrote: "Kayelee wrote: "The reason I said I hated her sneaking Aspen in, is firstly: It's punishable by death... He is SO not worth death. Secondly: It's immoral. It would completely destroy Maxon to know ..."

hahahahah RIGHT?!

I know I'm a little late to the discussion on this book, but I'm finally getting caught up on my reading.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I think Kiera Cass did a really good job on several aspects of the story.

Favorite Character:
I would have to say that my favorite character is America. I really like that she wants to remain herself throughout the whole selection competition.

Maxon or Aspen?
At this point after reading the book, I'm choosing Maxon over Aspen. It seems to me that Aspen doesn't know what he wants clearly. He loves American then breaks it off with her and then magically he gets drafted as a palace guard and he is trying to win back America knowing the consequences if they are caught. I know that Maxon is going through a tough time with having to choose a wife from 35 girls. But I don't think it's fair for Aspen to use his guard duty as a way to try and win back America.

Opinions on America
I really love her. I love that she offered to be Maxon's friend in the beginning. She got to know him better and now that she is falling for him, she is dealing with her feelings for both Maxon and Aspen. I really hope she goes for Maxon though. I also love that she is friendly to the other girls and she is thinking through everything that she does, everything that she learns as the selection goes on.

Rebel attacks
I really think that Kiera Cass wrote these scenes really well. I was a little scared for the girls lives when I read those scenes.

Overall:
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this novel and I am looking forward to reading the sequel. I hope the sequel comes out soon! :)

Just wondering when you choose someone to win the free book?

That would Kayla you are looking for, and I'm not sure when she does it?

I'll do it right before we start the discussion for Scarlet. We still have more time for people to read and discuss this book. :-)

I'll do it right before we start the discussion for Scarlet. We still have more time for people to read and discuss this book. :-)

Kayla wrote: "I'll do it right before we start the discussion for Scarlet. We still have more time for people to read and discuss this book. :-)"

Okay that makes sense! I was just curious :) Thanks!

I plugged the discussion related posts into Random.Org, and the winner is:



Shelver!

Email me at pherlaithiel (at) gmail (dot) com so I can get a copy of This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers (or whatever sounds better) out to you. :-)

Congratulations Shelver!

Congrats Shelver!