HAPPILY EVER AFTER

After reading The Selection, The Elite, and The One, there were many questions left unanswered. And I'm glad after reading Happily Ever After that a majority of these questions were answered and I was able to gain some final closure on the characters and their storyline.

The first short story in this book was The Queen which went through the story of Queen Amberly's time during her selection. I found this really interesting that we as readers were able to gather the perspective of a different character during a different selection and how the Queen became from that. We also were given a deeper insight into King Clarkson's love for Amberly and how he used to be just like Maxon, and perhaps it was the role and pressure of being King which changed him into a different man.

The second short story was The Guard which followed the story of Aspen and how he had to let go of America when he realised that she truly loved Maxon. It also went into detail on how he fell in love with America's made, Lucy. During The Selection Series, I was never a big fan of Aspen. I was Team Maxon all the way, and thought that Aspen was holding America back from the new things that she wanted. But after reading his thoughts during this story, I actually began to feel sorry for him and understand why he had to do what he had to. It was also obvious that he will always have love for America. <3 I'm still Team Maxon though :)

The third short story was The Prince which followed a short time of the selection from Maxon's perspective. The readers were presented with Maxon's thoughts and stressful situations before his selection began, and ultimately how he came to fall in love with America. We were also introduced to the first girl in Maxon's life, who I was not fond of. She confessed her love to Maxon on his birthday (right before the selection began) but he told her that he has only ever seen her as a friend.

The final main short story was The Favourite which followed the story of Marlee and how her heart was not set for Maxon, but for one of the palace guards, Carter. The readers were presented with the fact that Marlee and Carter would do anything to be together, even if it meant risking their life. I found this story quite touching as Marlee gave an insight into her thoughts during her punishment which I found very emotional.

After these short stories, there were other chapters included. We were told about what happened to Maxon and America after The One, we were told Celeste's story, and we were also told where the eliminated selected are now, which I found very interesting. When books end, the characters also cease to exist. This is not the case with The Selection Series. Cass has given the readers a proper ending for all of the characters after the book finished which I found really interesting and entertaining.

Over all I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. I was given the closure that I always wanted from the first three books of the series and I'm glad that Cass gave us this opportunity. I would recommend to people who have read the series to read Happily Ever After after they finish them to gain a further understanding into all of the characters' minds throughout the books.

Thanks for reading Xx