The Selection by Kiera Cass

Book: The Selection (#1 in The Selection Series)

Author: Kiera Cass

Published by: Harper Collins Publishers 

Price: 350 INR (Paperback) 

My Rating: 4/5

"No I am not choosing him or you. I'm choosing me." 

So, yesterday night, after coming home from college (I had my English Novels' paper), I decided to read something light, something which will pull me out of my classic-novel-coma. I picked up The Selection and boy, I had no idea how time flew by and I finished that book. I started reading around 11 at night and finished it by 3 in the morning. I was mesmerized by the story. I know that it is YA but hey! even 19+ people like me like reading YA.  In fact, everyone needs a dose of YA novels. 

(YA as in Young Adult Fiction, if you had no clue) 

The story is very simple. There is this country Illiea in which people are categorized by their castes. The Ones are the Royal family. Twos and Threes include the well-earning and reputed families while The Fours and all below them ( till Eight) are the working class. America Singer( the protagonist) belong to the Fives and works as a singer. She takes part in this competition The Selection. Now, this competition is a platform where girls aged between 16 to 20 are asked to submit a form. Thirty five girls from across the country are selected and taken the palace. Out of these thirty five girls Prince Maxon has to choose one and gradually eliminate others. The One will be his wife and the future Queen of Illiea. America Singer gets selected and goes to the palace. 

America was forced to take part in this competition by her boyfriend, Aspen and her mother. America belonged to the Fives and all those who were below Fours had to work really hard and earn the money. Everyone in the family is supposed to work and earn. Aspen belonged to the Sixes and it was looked down upon if you marry a rank which is below yours. America's mother pestered her to take part because if she got selected the family will be getting a check as long as America stayed at the palace and America would get elevated to the rank of Threes. 

America, as described in the novel, was very beautiful. Due to some things, Aspen breaks their relationship before America goes to the palace. 

All this happens in the 1/3rd of the novel.

The rest  of the novel is just a whirlwind of her stay there, her meeting with Maxon, their building relationship  and the return of Aspen to the palace as one of the palace guards. 

I have given a brief of the story, i.e, the beginning. I loved the book. I don't know if I am being partial because I love stories which have a royal setting and this one was refreshing. I can't wait to read the next one, The Elite. 

The language is very simple and easy to understand. I just finished it in 4 or 5 hours. I was so engrossed in it. First, I wanted to know whether she will get selected or not and then when she got selected, I wanted to know about Maxon (the prince *swoon*) and then I wanted to know whether America has fallen in love with Maxon or not. I am dying to read the second one and I have ordered it online. 

If you have read the novel, I would love to know your views. You can either comment on the post or e-mail to me at : bibliophile.beingnerdy@gmail.com

You can follow me on my Instagram page too:The Bibliophagist

Until next time,

much love

The Bibliophagist. 

xoxo

Picture courtesy:theselection.wikia.com

Career Of Evil by Robert Galbraith

Career Of Evil is the third book in the Cormoran Strike series and it has become my favourite out of the three. I found the previous two novels a tad slower. But this one was literally un-put-down-able. As you all know, I love reading such crime, suspense, thriller fiction novels, and I found it quite interesting. It sure kept me glued to the book and did not disappoint me. 

Here's a little bit about it: 

(don't worry I won't give away the climax)

The story starts with a person following Robin, who he calls The Secretary. This person is a sadist, you will gradually realise the height of his madness. Robin, then receives a severed right leg of a girl in her mail (yup, she signs it herself and picks up the box and enters the office). There is also a note with it, on which there are lyrics of a song, Blue Oyster Cult band's song, Mistress of the Salmon Salt which was a tattoo that Strike's mother had. Something strikes Strike (lmao) and he gives names of four people who he thinks are behind it to the police. 

Now, as we all know, Strike won't stay put after such a thing, he himself starts looking out for signs, making sure Robin is safe, and tracing people who he thinks might be behind the crime. He rules out one person: 'Digger' Malley, a prominent gangster. 

In the whole novel, Strike and Robin are seen tracing the whereabouts of the other three suspects: Whittaker, who is Strike's ex-stepfather, who Strike believes killed his mother, Noel Brockbank, a paedophile and who got convicted, then third one is, Donald Laing, accused of physical abuse on his wife and child. 

Strike had nothing to start with, except a few connections in the police. So, in the novel, Strike and Robin trace the present location of these three people and when they find that the three of them are living in London itself, they start keeping watch at the places they believed the suspects were living in. 

Meanwhile, Robin is also preparing for her wedding, due in June. We also get to know in this novel, why Robin had dropped college, why is she so interested in the criminal psychology. Then, there is also a row (A serious one due to 'some major' fault of Matthew) between her and Matthew(her fiance, a dumb-wit). Robin removes the engagement ring, leaves the house and lives temporarily somewhere else, before returning to her place. Towards the end, Matthew with his puppy face persuades Robin. 

As we all know, that somewhere Strike likes Robin a lot but he strictly likes to keep their relationship professional. In the course of novel, we see that few chapters are dedicated the 'criminal', where he is shown following The Secratary, aka, Robin. Also, yes, the 'criminal' wants to take revenge from Strike and he believes that torturing and murdering Robin will be the best way to take revenge. 

The 'criminal' also attacks Robin, but she gets away because of the rape alarm and her self defence training had also helped her. 

Throughout the novel, Strike meets several new characters, who are connected to the victims of this 'criminal' ( he murders one more girl and seriously hurts two other). 

The climax of the novel is surprising. 

I actually thought it would be someone, but then Rowling took me by surprise (did I mention that J.K. Rowling's pseudonym is Robert Galbraith? ) . 

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. 

Even Rowling wrote " I can't remember ever enjoying writing a novel more than Career Of Evil." 

Such a great piece of detective fiction after so long. 

Cormoran Strike Be My Favourite. 

The book is published by Sphere. 

It costs around 699 INR (Paperback)

I hope people who love crime, mystery, thriller, detective fiction will love it. 

I will give this book 4.5/5 

Love,

The Bibliophagist

  

*****SPOILER ALERT*****

Do not read further if you don't want to. 

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P.S; Spoiler Alert: the 'criminal' is one of three suspects. Police have proved their dumb-ness again.

Sorry. :) 

Picture courtesy : www.littlebrown.co.uk 

I am on Instagram!! <3

Did I tell you guys that I am on Instagram now? Well, there I said it or rather wrote it. 

Okay, no more lame jokes. Sorry. 

So, yeah. I am on IG and I absolutely LOVE it!! 

Here is what the page looks like:

I jave posted like 40 pictures already and I am becoming quite good at clicking some really amazing pictures of books. Head over to my page on IG and just look at them. I feel proud of myself already. *pats her back* 

I am loving my fellow bookstagrammers and the community is so welcoming. I adore them. It's like I am living in a parallel universe where I am discussing books with random people and enjoying the discussion. It feels so nice to find people who have read the same book and then you chat and discuss the storyline and the characters and what not! 

I have attached a picture of my IG page for the readers to have a look. Hope you all will like it. :) 

And yes, do follow me on IG if you like my feed and if you want to know things like what I am currently reading, and my TBRs and Book Hauls and other random stuff about books, because I am more acitve on IG. 🙈 

Till then, keep reading. ❤️

Love, 

The Bibliophagist