The One (The Selection, #3) by Kiera Cass

Synopsis:

 

The time has come for one winner to be crowned.

When she was chosen to compete in the Selection, America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon's heart. But as the end of the competition approaches, and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she'll have to fight for the future she wants.

Rating: 🌟🌟

I read these books for the drama. The pettiness, the cattiness, the prom dresses and fake personalities. I don't pretend like there's any real value in that - there's not. But these books are a guilty pleasure I allow myself to indulge in.

This book gets rid of all of that.

Now, for most, I think they would call that an improvement. The girl-on-girl hate disappears. The love triangle goes away. The focus shifts from dresses and drama to the oppression caused by a tyrant king. But here's the thing: I liked the dresses and drama. It's what kept me reading.

After spending two books building your brand on being one of YA's trashiest trilogies, you can't just change your tune in the final book. The people that wanted that stopped reading after book one. Plus, the world-building is still so flimsy that the rebel plot has and always will be weak. So making it the centerpiece of this book just didn't work.

I've been disappointed with this book every single time I've read it. I'll just stick to the first two books, thank you.