The one (a escolha [Portuguese])

By Kiera Cass:

Source: Fnac.com. (2017). A Escolha - Kiera Cass em Fnac.pt. [online] Available at: http://www.fnac.pt/A-Escolha-Kiera-Cass/a918633 [Accessed 4 May 2017].

Book translated from English to Portuguese by Alexandra Cardoso. It is the third book in the collection «the selection». The following book is «the heir».
Reading this series is being very invigorating. The author has a lot of imagination and creates scenes of great values. America has to go through several challenges to win the heart of Maxon and the place of the queen. However, when one ask her to take action that she considers inhumane and unethical, she can surprise everyone. In the end, she wins the crown, but never breaks her ethical principles.
Some quotes:

• «I debated claiming the stomach flu. (...) Then I thought of Maxon and how he always talked about putting on a brave face. (...) if I went downstairs at least, if I could just be present, maybe he’d give me some credit.»
• «August sighed, looking over to Georgia. They seemed to communicate wordlessly, and I was impressed at their easy intimacy.»
• «"(...) when you’re on the bottom, your only choice is to blame the top. (...)./Their plan is to obliterate what Illéa has, take over, make a bunch of promises, and leave everyone in the same place they are now. For most people, I’m sure it’ll get worse. The Sixes and Sevens won’t move up, except for a select few the rebels will manipulate for the sake of the show. Twos and Threes will have everything stripped from them. It’ll make a bunch of people feel vindicated, but it won’t fix anything./If there are no pop stars churning out those mind-numbing songs, then there are no musicians in the booths backing them up, no clerks running back and forth with tapes, no shop owners selling the music. Taking out one person at the top destroys thousands at the bottom."/(...)./"It’ll be the same old oppression (...)."», August said.
• «"(...)? It doesn’t really matter how you feel about your character; it just matters what you do with it. You, more than the others, act on what’s right before thinking about what it will mean for yourself. (...)."», Georgia said.
• «"(...). You second guess the things you do; you second guess everything he does. You wonder over every conversation, trying to read into the breaths between sentences. It’s exhausting."», the queen said.
• «"So take your time,” (...). "Adjust to where you are. And let it go. You don’t choose him; he chooses you. (...)."», the queen said.
• «(...). Even if Maxon was what I wanted, I was never going to get myself together long enough for it to be real./The whole thing just felt tired; (...). And I ached from it, from feeling so torn, so confused.»
• «"(...). It’s not perfect though," (...). "I feel like there’s always something going wrong.", America said./(...)./"Well, that’s okay, too. Mistakes mean it’s real."», America's father said.
• «"(...), I don’t think you need Maxon to get anything you want out of life. You’ve got the drive, the talent; and probably, most importantly, you’ve got the ability. Half of the country would give anything to have what you have."», America said to Celeste.
• «"(...). The best people all have some kind of scar."», America said.
• «"It hits at funny times,"» Aspen said.
• «"(...). It’s hard to know everything about people close to you, even the people you love the most."», Aspen said.
• «"(...), if we can do things that are silly or even just typical, I’ll be okay."», America said.
• «"(...). You’re good, and I suspect you see things in this world that no one else sees, not even me./(...). I sense that you won’t let the world push you into a life you don’t want. (...)./(...), if you can keep from letting fear make you settle for second best, then I can’t ask for anything more from you (...). (...), let go of the things that don’t matter, and fight./(...). I love you beyond paint, beyond melodies, beyond words. (...)."», America's father wrote.
• «(...) time and distance made it look different.»
• «(...), the thought of having something worth working toward.»
• «"I’ve gotten so used to you, it’s strange that you aren’t around, (...). I’ve nearly called a few times, but I don’t want to seem possessive. I don’t want you to feel like I’m a cage to you. (...)./(...), shaking your head at me as if to say I’m being silly. (...). I like that expression on you. You’re the only person who wears it in a way that doesn’t come across like you think I’m completely hopeless."», Maxon wrote to America.
• «"(...). Where I used to imagine you as a girl with a bag full of stones, ready to throw them at any foe who crossed her path, you have become the stone itself. You are steady and able. (...)."», Maxon wrote to America.
• «"(...). I’ve held back so much from you out of fear. I’m afraid that if I show you everything at once, it will overwhelm you, and you’ll run away. (...)./(...). Without you, my life would still exist, but that’s all it would manage to do. (...)."», Maxon wrote to America.
• «"(...). My heart is yours to break. (...).", Maxon said to America.