Audiobook Review: The Selection

Title: The Selection by Kiera Cass
Publisher: Harper Audio
Narrator: Amy Rubinate
Duration: 8 hours, 7 mins
Release Date: April 24, 2012
Genre: Dystopian, Fantasy

Goodreads Summary: 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.

I know there has been crazy drama on Goodreads about this book/the author/her agent BUT I was intrigued by the summary and still wanted to read it. It reminded me of a cross between The Bachelor (a TV show I dislike) and the biblical story of Esther (a story I absolutely adore) so I figured I would either love it or hate it. Turns out my feelings are in the middle: this is an OK book for me.  

Even though The Selection is billed as dystopia, I would consider it more of fantasy novel. It’s set in a future where the US has been through several wars, has been renamed Illea and the people are subjected to a caste system. America Singer (ridiculous name, by the way), our main character, is in love with Aspen but his lower caste prevents them from being together.  

As far as characters go, America really annoyed me. She was whiny, selfish and complained her way through the book. I was never very invested in the relationship between her and Aspen (which was already established when the story started) so it didn’t bother me when he broke up with her. If he had manned up and joined the resistance to fight the repulsive caste system that kept him and his family down for generations, maybe then I could get on board with him as a swoony love interest but The Selection is not that kind of story.

On the other hand, I loved Prince Maxon and all the effort he made to really build a relationship with America. Maxon was sweet and such a gentleman. The choice between Maxon and Aspen seems obvious but America annoyingly vacillates between them both. I’m not always a fan of love triangles and did not like this one at all.

The plot of the story is all fluff, which is not a bad thing because sometimes you need fluff books in your life. There is a secondary plot involving rebels trying to overthrow the government and I found myself very interested in it but it was not extensively explored but hopefully it will be in the next book.

Cass’s writing is just OK, she does a lot of telling rather than showing and reuses certain phases a bit too much. I didn’t need to hear about Aspen smelling like his mom’s homemade soap over and over again. 

Since I listened to The Selection as an audiobook, I will take a minute to talk about that aspect of it. Amy Rubinate’s narration was decent but since the last audio I listened to was Clockwork Prince (which was EPIC!), her reading had a lot to live up to. I thought the narration started out a bit monotone but got better as the story went on.

I heard that The Selection was being made into a TV series on the CW and I think this story would make a really cool TV show. I think America would make a better TV character than book character. Like I said before, it’s fluff so if you want something more profound, this may not be the book for you. Personally, I’m OK with a book about princes and pretty dresses every once in a while.

Content: Kissing and teenage girls drinking wine.

My Rating: Just Fine

Multi-Cultural Book Challenge - Guest Post and Giveaway

Our current Multi-Cultural Book Challenge guest post and giveaway is being hosted by KM at One Page At A Time. Click on over there to read the awesome guest post by Cindy Pon, author of Silver Phoenix and Fury of The Phoenix, and enter the giveaway to win a signed copy of Silver Phoenix!

Book Review: Spark

Title: Spark by Brigid Kemmerer
Publisher: KTeen/Kensington
Pages: 432
Release Date: August 28, 2012
Genre: Paranormal
Source: Publisher in exchange for an honest review

Goodreads Summary: Gabriel Merrick plays with fire. Literally. Sometimes he can even control it. And sometimes he can’t. Like the fire that killed his parents.
Gabriel has always had his brothers to rely on, especially his twin, Nick. But when an arsonist starts wreaking havoc on their town, all the signs point to Gabriel. Only he’s not doing it.

More than Gabriel’s pride is at stake -- this could cost him his family, maybe his life. And no one seems to hear him. Except a shy sophomore named Layne, a brainiac who dresses in turtlenecks and jeans and keeps him totally off balance. Layne understands family problems, and she understands secrets. She has a few of her own.

Gabriel can’t let her guess about his brothers, about his abilities, about the danger that’s right at his heels. But there are some risks he can’t help taking.

The fuse is lit…

A few months ago, I raved about Brigid Kemmerer’s debut novel, Storm. I loved the characters and the cool Outsiders vibe I got from this book and have been really looking forward to the second book in the Elemental series, Spark. Guess what guys, Spark is even better than Storm!

I am a very character driven reader and the characters in Spark are fantastic. The plot centers around the four brothers who can control the elements: fire, air, water and earth, and a fifth boy who controls all four elements plus spirit. I love how Kemmerer keeps the focus on the boys’ family dynamics and their friendships. Some of my favorite parts of this book were Gabriel’s interactions with his brothers.

And speaking of characters, I love Gabriel! True to his fire element, Gabriel is a sarcastic hot head with major issues but Kemmerer makes it work so well. Gabriel is officially one of my favorite book boys for the year! There is romance in Spark and it is sweet, perfect and like everything else about this book, very well developed. While I thought Becca was a decent female lead in Storm, I love Layne in Spark!

Spark is fast paced and with a different enough focus from Storm to make it fresh even though it is the second book in the series. If you are looking for a paranormal novel that’s fresh, funny, fun, well written with awesome character development and a great plot, Spark (and the Elemental series) is for you.

I cannot wait to read Spirit, the next book in the series which comes out in May 2013, and pretty much anything else Brigid Kemmerer writes!

Content: Heavy profanity, underage drinking, bullying, sexual assault, kissing and violence. More appropriate for older/more mature teens and adults.

My Rating: The Best!

Stuck In A Good Book Giveaway Hop!

Welcome to the Stuck in a Good Book Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader Not A Writer and Stuck in Books. This hop runs from September 20-25.

For this hop, I’m giving away a finished copy of Drain You by M. Beth Bloom. Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below and good luck!

Winner!

Congrats to Nikki Marie, the winner of the Books to Movies Giveaway Hop! The winner was chosen by Random.org and has been contacted. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Waiting on Wednesday: Solstice

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. This week’s choice is:

Title: Solstice by P.J. Hoover
Publisher: Tor Teen/MacMillan
Publish Date: June 21, 2013
Genre: Mythology, Dystopia

Goodreads Summary: Piper's world is dying. Each day brings hotter temperatures and heat bubbles that threaten to destroy the earth. Amid this global heating crisis, Piper lives under the oppressive rule of her mother, who suffocates her even more than the weather does. Everything changes on her eighteenth birthday, when her mother is called away on a mysterious errand and Piper seizes her first opportunity for freedom.

Piper discovers a universe she never knew existed—a sphere of gods and monsters—and realizes that her world is not the only one in crisis. While gods battle for control of the Underworld, Piper’s life spirals out of control as she struggles to find the answer to the secret that has been kept from her since birth.

An imaginative melding of mythology and dystopia, Solstice is the first YA novel by talented newcomer P. J. Hoover.

Why am I waiting on Solstice? It combines two of my favorite genres: Greek mythology and dystopia, plus I love the cover! I believe this book was self published last year and is now being traditionally published by Tor Teen. Current reviews for it are very good and I can’t wait to read it. What books are you waiting on?

Dystopia on TV

If you happen to watch NBC during prime time over the last few weeks, you undoubtedly noticed the previews for a new show show Revolution. I am super excited about this for several reasons. First it’s dystopian/post apocalyptic (one of my favorite genres of literature) and it’s from J.J. Abram’s production company!

In case you are not a rabid fan like myself, J.J. Abrams co-created Lost, one of the best shows ever and one that I was totally addicted to a few years ago when it was on. See the promo poster on the left? Yep, that’s Billy Burke (from the Twilight movies) on the left, Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost alum), Giancarlo Esposito (fresh from one of my husband’s favorite shows, Breaking Bad) and Tracy Spiridakos (Being Human).

Here is how NBC describes Revolution:

What would you do without it all? In this epic adventure from J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions and "Supernatural's" Eric Kripke, a family struggles to reunite in an American landscape where every single piece of technology - computers, planes, cars, phones, even lights - has mysteriously blacked out forever. A drama with sweeping scope and intimate focus, "Revolution" is also about family - both the family you're born into and the family you choose. This is a swashbuckling journey of hope and rebirth seen through the eyes of one strong-willed young woman, Charlie Matheson (Tracy Spiridakos, "Being Human"), and her brother Danny (Graham Rogers, "Memphis Beat"). When Danny is kidnapped by militia leaders for a darker purpose, Charlie must reconnect with her estranged uncle Miles (Billy Burke, "The Twilight Saga"), a former U.S. Marine living a reclusive life. Together, with a rogue band of survivors, they set out to rescue Danny, overthrow the militia and ultimately re-establish the United States of America. All the while, they explore the enduring mystery of why the power failed, and if - or how - it will ever return.

While I don’t have time to watch a lot of TV, I will be watching this. It totally sounds like the plot to a book that I would read!  Revolution premiers on Monday, Sept. 17 on NBC. Will you be watching Revolution? What other shows are you looking forward to this fall? Let me know in the comments!