“A Selection can only have one winner. A princess only has one heart. 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. But as events at the palace force her even further into the spotlight, Eadlyn realizes that she might not be content remaining alone. Eadlyn still isn’t sure she’ll find the fairy-tale ending her parents did twenty years ago. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…”
What is the book about?
Princess Eadlyn never wanted to have a Selection, but to make her family happy and to calm her people; she chose to have the first female-led Selection. When she agreed, she was confident that she would never find a single boy out of the thirty-five suitors that entered the competition, she was sure that it would be impossible to find her soulmate in a small group of people. After a while she started to realise that every boy would forever hold a special part of her heart, and that her choice would be a lot harder than she thought it would be. And, because clearly that problem wasn’t big enough, event at the palace force Eadlyn further into the spotlight and the issues force her to make her choice before she is ready. Eadlyn knows that her life isn’t truly her own, but until now she always believed that her heart could be her own. Eadlyn realises that she will never be happy remaining alone, but she also knows that she can’t give her heart what it really wants. She never believed that she would find her own fairy tale ending and she never thought she needed romance to make her life complete. Now she is sure that she will never have it, because of course her heart loves the one person she is not allowed to be with. But life is full of surprises and with the right choice; Eadlyn might just find her happily ever after, after all.
What were your initial thoughts on the book?
Shocked and worried after the ending of The Heir, I picked up The Crown prepared to get my answers and hopefully another perfect fairy tale ending. I had lots of questions and suspicions, so I was very anxious to get answers and have things properly confirmed. After reading the blurb I was sure there would be a beautiful ending just like in The One, but I didn’t know how easily she would get it and what problems, other than that her love was forbidden, would stand in her way. I opened the book as quickly as I could and I was not at all surprised to find how quickly I fell in love with another book in The Selection series. The book started almost immediately where The Heir had left off and I was very glad for that because I was worried that I would miss something important. It was such a quick and captivating start that I barely remembered that the story had been spilt between two books. It was a very interesting start and I had lots of questions that I really wanted answers to so I found myself nearing the end of the book without even realising that I had been reading for hours.
Who was your favourite character and why?
When I read The Heir there was one character that made me smile every time he was in a scene, but there wasn’t much to say about him other than that he is sweet and funny so I didn’t choose him as my favourite character. Now, after reading The Crown, I cannot just discard him and I know for sure that he is my favourite character. His name is Henri and he was one of the Elite in the Selection. I was sure that he was a great choice for Eadlyn if she decided to go through with picking a husband, but there was one thing that made it seem like a bad idea. Henri was from Swendway and didn’t know how to speak English very well, so Eadlyn struggled to communicate with him without his translator there to explain. Even though there was the language barrier to think about, Henri was the sweetest and the most enthusiastic contestant and every time he spoke he brought a smile to my face. You could tell immediately that it was him speaking because of the interesting way he greeted people, Eadlyn in particular. I am not kidding when I say that he literally made me laugh and cry because of how kind-hearted he was, every time he said “Good, good” was music to my ears and the way he smiled even though he had no clue what was going on was the cutest thing. He tried so hard to master more English and he managed to communicate how much he liked Eadlyn. When I read the letter he wrote to Eadlyn all by himself, I was crying from how sweet it was. He was so innocent and sweet that, even though Eadlyn knew that the language barrier would be a struggle, she couldn’t send him away because she didn’t want to hurt him. It was so cute to see how he spoke and see him struggle but still be so confident and optimistic. The best thing about him was that he was the one that gave Eadlyn the confidence and the chance to do something for herself and not for her country. He told her and the man she loved: “You being together. I make you cake!” which was the funniest thing ever and also the sweetest. She almost made what would have been the worst mistake of her life, which would have ruined not just her life but two others, but Henri could see clearly what was happening and, although he lost something, he still remained the happiest, sweetest and most optimistic boy in the world.
What was your favourite part of the book and why?
There were a lot of parts of the book that I liked but the ones that really stood out to me were near the end of the book. I know I have said lots of time that the ending has been my favourite and I have been unable to tell you a specific part, but this time I will explain 3 parts that I absolutely loved. The first was when Henri recited a letter he wrote to Eadlyn all by himself. It was so sweet to hear him explain what he thought of her, especially because he struggled a lot with his English, and I loved how cute it was. In that moment, I knew for sure that Henri was the best boy that entered the Selection and I couldn’t believe how amazing he was. The next part that stood out to me was Eadlyn’s announcement. It was not what I was expecting, both the husband and the change in government, but it was perfect all the same. I always had hoped that Eadlyn would be able to choose who she loved but as I got to the last 2 chapters and found her still undecided, I was not so confident anymore. I was glad to see she would get to be happy and that she would get to see that she did need romance to be happy after all. The third and final part of the book that I loved was the epilogue. It wasn’t at all the sort of epilogue I was expecting, I had wanted one like in The One, but it was so beautiful that once I read it I completely forgot how upset I had been. It might have been short, but in that one simple page, I learnt so much and I had so much confidence in fairy tale endings. America got hers and Eadlyn too, and I know that they are fictional characters in a book, but maybe happily ever after are possible in the real world too. If you are looking for a book to make you believe that life isn’t all bad and that there is a chance you can be happy, The Selection series is definitely one you should try, it changed my world.
What was your overall impression of the book?
Overall, The Crown was a really wonderful book and I cannot believe that it is the last book in the series. I guess that is my fault because I powered through the books as if my life depended on it, and technically it did because I don’t know what I would do without books. However, even though I didn’t want the book to end because it was the last one, I read it rather quickly and really loved it. One thing that I liked about the book was, obviously, the ending. It was happy and perfect and I can’t believe I got another happily ever after. Eadlyn’s story was a bit like America’s in the way that I was a bit frustrated when reading it. America and Maxon annoyed me because they were always fighting when they could just have said that they loved each other and gotten married in the first book. Eadlyn annoyed me because she didn’t have any arguments with her lover and they both said they loved each other, but they couldn’t be together because of the fact that the romance was against the rules. Eadlyn’s romance seemed impossible while also being possible and, although that makes no sense if you haven’t read the books, I was so annoyed that she couldn’t just be with the one she loved. Another thing that I liked about the book was the characters. The last few boys left in the Selection all had something amazing about them and they made the book so much better because of how sweet and kind they were. In some ways, Eadlyn didn’t deserve any of them because technically she had never wanted them and had planned to make their lives miserable, but she had such a hard life that they made things easier while also harder for her. The boys were the main reason for why I laughed and cried when I was reading and their personalities would have been sorely missed if the book hadn’t included them. I enjoyed every part where one of the Elite was included and I loved the books because of them. Although The Crown was perfect, there was only one thing that I didn’t really like and that was the fact that so much was happening that I sort of got a little lost. The main thing in the book should have been the Selection but there was so much happening that I felt that it trailed off from the main plot. I know that everything that happened was important so I wouldn’t necessarily want to change anything, but I think it would have been better if the events of Eadlyn’s Selection happened in 3 books instead of only having 2 books. Other than that everything in the book was really great and I loved reading it, I can’t wait to have a look at some of the short stories there are.
Which is your favourite book in The Selection series? (1, 2, 3, 4, or 5)
I know that I always say that I loved all the books I have read equally, and then I go ahead and pick a favourite, but I am not lying when I say that all five books in The Selection series have changed my life for the better. They all have something special and they have all given me hope that a happily ever after is possible, even when you least expect it, but there is still one book that pops into my head when I try to choose a favourite. Once again, The One is my favourite book and I am sure that it is the best one in the series. There are a lot of good things in The One, but the best thing about it is the happy ending and the shock I got when I thought that the characters were going to lose it. I have never been so tense and anxious in my life, and I couldn’t believe how angry and frustrated I was that America and Maxon were almost going to lose each other because of another stupid argument. I was sure they would end up together from the very start but the last twist at the very last second almost made me lose all hope. This also kind of happened in The Crown, but it was so much more heart-breaking in The One. There were other things that made me love The One, like sweet Maxon and his amazing declaration of love and the letters he wrote for America, or the deaths in the book that made me cry my eyes out, or the character developments that allowed me to see the worst characters in the best light, but there was nothing as magical as seeing a couple get to be together forever and get to have the best life they could have ever had. I had my doubts about The Selection series in the beginning, but right now I have no idea what I was thinking when I was worrying that it would be boring. I know this is the end but I am definitely not ready to say goodbye. A lot of book series that I have read have left me heartbroken and waiting for more, and The Selection series was not an exception. It left me with the feeling that I was losing a part of myself, but also a feeling happiness. The series gave me, not just one perfect fairy tale ending, but two, and I am so glad that I chose to go on this adventure. There were quite a few bumps along the road, but I cannot believe what an extraordinary series this turned out to be. I will miss America, Maxon and Eadlyn, and so many other characters, but I know that I will always remember them. This was just such an amazing story and I cannot believe that I got to be a part of it.
Would you recommend this book?
I recommend you read The Crown, particularly if you are over 13 and enjoy reading romance and drama novels. You must read the first four books in the series before this one, not just because you will be confused, but also because there are all amazing and I am sure you will love them.
Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict)
Romance, drama and fantasy all wrapped up into one happily ever after.
Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego
No comments:
Post a Comment