The One (The Selection, #3)

by Kiera Cass

I silenced her with a small gesture of my hand, a bit surprised that it worked so easily.

they’re literally require to obey you because they’re your MAIDS

“No arguing. Lucy, why don’t you take that down to the workroom to finish, and we can all get some room to think.”

why is she mothering these women????? caste saviorism at work once again…..

“I can’t tell you what it means to me to hear that. I’ve been dying for someone to tell me that I was what mattered,”

oh get over yourself and die in the process

In an effort to show my devotion to Maxon and not to the luxuries of being in the Elite, I’ve given up receiving payments for my participation. I realize this is short notice, but I’m sure with everything we’ve been given by now, there’s not much more we could want for.

i love how vague the amount of these payments has been. so they’re living comfortably now????? how much money were they getting!!???

If you are a Two, Three, Four, or Five—that is, in the same caste as any of these ladies—you may be subject to an attack from the rebels based on that fact alone.”

don’t really understand this strategy from the rebels

“Fight. The rebels are bullies. They’re trying to scare you into doing what they want. And what if you do? What kind of future do you think they’ll offer you? These people, these tyrants, aren’t going to suddenly stop being violent. If you give them power, they’re going to be a thousand times worse. So fight. However you can, fight.”

??????????????????

I shrugged. “What we’re doing isn’t working. Keep this up and you won’t have anyone left to rule over.”

what does she know???????? she’s 17!!!!!!

I was already in my nightgown, reading in my bed. I’d begun to wonder if he was going to come at all.

Do you want a wife who isn’t worried about her subjects being threatened?”

??

“I’m tired of fighting with you, America,”

how poetic

A knee to the groin, the whole thing with the castes, Celeste’s busted lip when she talked about Marlee.

“the whole thing with the castes” america you are the most performative caste abolitionist ever

“Aw, kitten,

:(

Right now my feet were covered with jeweled heels. Five months ago they were wearing dingy flats.

i get it she’s living in a castle and her life is really different now

But part of it is that he makes me feel like me, I think.”

“No, it’s like . . . I’ve always been aware of my number. Even when I came to the palace, I obsessed about it for a while. Was I a Five or a Three? Did I want to be a One? But now I’m not conscious of it at all. And I think it’s because of him.”

she’s so fucking stupid you feel like you’re not a number because you’re in the 0.0000001% now not because the prince is caste colorblind and really progressive. you are living in the lap of luxury and instead of gaining real perspective on the inequality in your world you are in love with the ruler of the ruling class . STAND UP!!!!!!!!!

“That sounds really nice, kitten.”

he was the only one back home who I thought saw Maxon more like a person than a celebrity; no one else would get it like he would.

“Leave it to you to find beauty in something others would say ruins a day.”

she’s so different!

“I wish I could touch it.”

has she never seen rain what is this

The drops were fat and warm

she’s even fat shaming rain

“I don’t want the rebels to take it, America,” he said over the rain, as if he was reading my mind. “I don’t know how bad the death toll is, but I can tell that my father is keeping it a secret from me. He’s afraid I’ll call off the Selection.”

aww he doesn’t want the rebels to take his beautiful castle and maids and servants and money :(((( all he wants is to have power over everyone and date 35 women at the same time :((( i think we could all find something to relate to here

He laughed. “When has anything in either of our lives ever been fair?”

??????? things not being fair for the prince is pretty different from things not being fair for an entire caste of homeless people but ok sure poor guy

Maxon broke the kiss and looked at me. “You’re so pretty when you’re a mess.”

he’s such an asshole they deserve eachother

I carefully tucked my love for Maxon away in my heart, a little afraid of this feeling. Eventually, it would have to be shared, but for now it was my secret.

why???? what is the utility of hiding this???????? you have a rebel faction saying that they will ally themselves with you if he chooses her and she knows he would probably just end the selection and choose her if she said she was all in. she’s so selfish and annoying

“Father, there are no rebels waiting on the roof,”

i wouldn’t say that with such certainty considering they’ve gotten inside the castle like 15 times

I was penciling out a melody I’d had in my head on some sheet music. I hadn’t written anything original in nearly six months.

so she does write! in the first book she was like i don’t even need music it’s all in my head . what a dumb unnecessary detail that has now been rendered a lie

“Lady America is just like the queen. She’s a fighter. It’s more than wanting her; we need her!”

i thought the queen was really quiet and calm. why are all of these characterizations so unstable

“You think you’re the only one who’s ever felt trapped by your caste? Yes, I’m a model. I can’t sing. I can’t act. So when my face isn’t good enough anymore, they’re going to forget all about me. I’ve got maybe five years left, ten if I’m lucky.”

ok

“You ripped my dress!”

more concerningly she filled a girls shoes with broken glass but i guess that isn’t as important because it wasn’t you america you selfish bitch

“Not right now. I don’t want the others to know I was crying.” She gave me a pleading look. “Not a word, I promise.”

you can see her upcoming death… her confusing arc has been hastily wrapped up and now keira cass can kill her off without any regrets

Even though Aspen’s clothes were too big, Maxon looked good in plain old denim.

they’re too big because that guy is canonically on steroids

“These pants are far too heavy. Why are you so partial to jeans?”

as if a ballgown isn’t heavier??? why is this man so unaware?

The guard—a dark-skinned young man whose name tag I finally noticed said AVERY—nodded.

i love when you can tell an author realized they needed more diversity in their book so they randomly throw in a person of color and very specifically note their skin color even though that hasn’t been done with anyone else because their default is white

And even though I wasn’t in love with Aspen, he still mattered to me, and I didn’t want to cause him pain.

first when did this happen second you don’t need to explain empathy

Immediately, I was hit with billowing warmth and the sweet smell of bread rising. For a split second, it felt like home.

?????? why????

I expected something clinical, professional, like the big bakeries we had in Carolina on the nice end of town.

so it really doesn’t feel like home ???? you present a simile then immediately say something about how the comparison isn’t actually true i hate you kiera cass i hope you know that you should have paid to have this book published and suffered a net loss because no one bought it

“Are you scared?” he asked. “No.” “Me neither.”

literal children i hate them so much i hope they get in a car crash and die

I knocked my head

brain bleed please please please

“Ow!” he exclaimed,

worst dialogue tags in the world

In the shadowy room was a younger boy and Georgia. I could see she was just as anxious as we were, and I couldn’t stop myself from bolting across the room to embrace her.

you don’t know this person

I gasped. Three hundred people? How could that be deemed low? “America, it’s not that bad, all things considered,” Maxon comforted me, taking my hand again.

????????????? ??????? die genuinely i cannot believe this book is trying to convince you he makes a good and caring ruler

Georgia said, her face warm.

how does she know her face is warm

But there’s only so much they can do without exposing themselves, and we all know what would happen if they did.” Maxon nodded soberly. They’d die, of course.

of course

“From what we’re able to tell, farmers are keeping their axes with them if they leave their fields, seamstresses walk the street with scissors clutched in their hands, and you’ll see Twos parading around with disarming spray. No matter the caste, everyone seems to have found some way to arm themselves, just in case. Your people don’t want to live in fear, and they’re not. They’re fighting back.”

god this sucks

I wanted to cry.

when do you not

For maybe the first time in all of the Selection, I’d don...

encouraging a militia?

“Your Majesty,” Aspen said. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but there are some of us who would like to see the Southern rebels gone as much as you would. I would personally volunteer to train anyone in something more along the lines of hand-to-hand combat.” My chest swelled with pride. That was my Aspen, always trying to fix things.

yes! volunteer your services for your oppressors!!! great idea! train their military so they can kill you easier once you inevitably serve no purpose to them!

Without thinking, Maxon flexed the muscles across his back. It seemed to me that maybe he’d done that a lot in the time I’d known him, only I hadn’t understood its meaning. Even now he was hyperaware of his secret.

????????????? how does she know he did this his back is covered and she’s not touching him also what does flexing your back muscles as a nervous tic really even mean there’s better ways to convey this action i think

He pulled his lips into his mouth like he might be biting them

both of his lips????? like he might be biting them??? this is a pretty clear cut thing he’s either biting them or not right?

Something about his stance suggested he was both shy and eager at once.

every fucking description is so unsure and presumptuous at the same time. “something about” and “suggested” but then you just randomly dictate his intentions by looking at him? what is the something! how is he standing that makes you know he’s eager and shy? is his posture very straight? is he fidgeting????? there are ways to describe this!