Kiera Cass

Before America Singer's story began, another girl came to the palace to compete for the hand of a different prince…. Don't miss this digital original novella set in the captivating world of Kiera Cass's #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series. This prequel story takes place before the events of The Selection and is told from the point of view of Prince Maxon's mother, Amberly. Discover a whole new Selection with this inside look at how Maxon's parents met—and how an ordinary girl named Amberly became a beloved queen. Epic Reads Impulse is a digital imprint with new releases each month.

A Novella

The Queen

Beatriz Pereira

It was well written and explains why queen amberly is so calm and reserved. Clarkson is an asshole. Nothing more to say about him. It makes me happy that Amberly got to have a son. And it feels great to know some background about them.

Fátima

Según lo poco que conocía de la reina Amberly gracias a lo que América nos contaba en los libros, yo la admiraba muchísimo. 
Me parecía sumamente encantadora y una reina en toda la extensión de la palabra, y me preguntaba cómo podría querer al rey Clarkson, un hombre que no ha hecho más que ser un tirano y tratar de forma detestable a mi pobre Maxon.
Pero lo cierto es que, luego de leer esta pequeña historia narrada desde su punto de vista, me he decepcionado un poco de ella.
Pensé que ella nos contaría que el rey había sido tan bueno como Maxon de joven, y que el tiempo y las circunstancias lo habían endurecido y cambiado de aquella forma tan horrible. Pero lo cierto es que no es así. Todo lo que encontré en esta historia fue una relación enfermiza y tóxica. La reina se enamoró de esta persona horrible y no ve más allá de lo que quiere ver.
Está ciega por un amor que ni siquiera parece ser recíproco.
Un hombre que no hizo más que ponerle condiciones e imponerle pruebas para saber si intentaría darle una oportunidad, no la merece.
Además de todas las cosas que giraron en torno a él y las chicas de la Selección, todos los rumores y las cosas que se decían. Él no la quiere y jamás la quiso. Él sólo pensaba en el poder. 
Y es verdaderamente triste que ella no se dé cuenta. O tal vez que evite darse cuenta.
Por la situación que tenía su familia, comprendo un poco la actitud del rey ahora. Pero eso no significa que esté de acuerdo, o que lo justifique. Él es una terrible persona porque decidió seguir con el legado de sus padres. 
Y Amberly no debería soportar aquello pero lo hace. Ella como le dijeron algunas chicas de la Selección, sería capaz de recibir una bala por él, y eso raya lo absurdo.

Ayden

The queen is an absolute sweet heart and deserved someone better than the king.
Also King Clarkson clearly says he doesn't care for a heir, while in the selection Maxon complains that it is all he cares about.

More 

Asi que Clarkson le pidio matrimonio a Amberly por que hacia todo lo que él decia? Really? .___.'

Cynthi

3/5 star

I LOVE AMBERLY ESPECIALLY IN THE OTHER BOOKS.
Clarkson was kinda a jerk.
He had some serious anger issues.
The end was cute but saying that it was all a test ermm.
I don't like him.

-MAJOR SPOILER-
(view spoiler)[OMG THE FORESHADOWING ABT TAKING A BULLET FOR HIM.
"I tried not to be afraid of the thoughts in my head. Because if it was a choice
between him or me, I didn’t think I’d be able not to put him first."
"I shrugged the thought away. Besides, it wasn’t as if it would ever happen."
SPOILER ALERT SHE DID TAKE A BULLET FOR HIM AND THAT'S HOW THEY BOTH ENDED UP PASSING AWAY. (hide spoiler)]

Steysha

This is the suckest book I`ve read in a year. It`s only 72 pages long and almost each one of them made me scream internally. 



We get a glimpse of the life of Maxon`s parents: Queen Amberly and King Clarkson. Only she`s not a Queen yet and he`s just a Prince, looking for a wife. Amberly is a part of the Selection. She barely knows Clarkson (only thanks to TV) but he was the love of her life since before she could walk. Every night she prayed on his photo and picked names for their future babies. 
The story starts some time after she started to live in a palace as a Selected. Their first interaction with the Prince went somewhat like that:

-	Cut your hair.
-	You don`t like it?
-	Meh, I think you`ll look better with a short hair.
-	Well, even though I like my long hair, I would go bald if you asked to. 

So, my first expression was that Amberly is a naïve, boneless fool and Clarkson is a son of a bitch (which turned out to be true, but I won`t even start with his mother, this is a complete shit). My expression only grows stronger after he starts to treat her like trash because of her caste, and she continues to see him as God.


  «You are never to tell anyone what you do. If anyone asks, your family owns a coffee plantation, and you help run it. Be vague and never, ever let on that you do manual labor. Are we clear?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
He eyed me a moment longer, as if to reinforce the point. But his command was all I needed. I’d never not do anything he asked me to.»




He`s a controlling jerk who can compete with Mr. Gray with his 50 shades, only without BDSM factor. His parents are constantly fighting and, because he doesn`t want to be like them, he`s looking for a wife that won`t ever say “no” to him. Yay, problem solved, no fighting! A husband everyone`s been dreaming for! 
His character can be described by one quote:


  «I’m the prince, and one day I will be king. My word is law.»


Moreover, Amberly turned out to be infertile. How do you think he should`ve reacted? Obviously not by ignoring her while she felt depressed and needed his help. But everything ends fine – Clarkson doesn`t like kids anyway. 

If you thought The Selection was awful – try this one. Just for fun. Okay, seriously, don`t read it. I was pleased by the first book, but this novel only spoiled everything, especially my opinion about Maxon`s parents. And I thought I liked Queen Amberly.

Andra Gabriela

Well, this book has a lot of unhealthy things, I have to say. I expected a whole different story, I was surprised( in the bad way) but the ending saved my whole review on the book.

Lila Harrison

Alice

Here is what I got from The Queen:
 - There was a time when Queen Amberly was not confident at all.
 - King Clarkson = very toxic (from any perspective and under any light, forever and ever).

I was super eager to read this novella before I even finished reading The One because I wanted to know how (??) confident, warm, gentle, poised Queen Amberly ended up marrying toxic King Clarkson and because I was really bored by The One. I also craved more of The Selection's bubbly, girly atmosphere, conveyed by having dozens of young women all in the same space. I thought I would find this frizzy atmosphere here too.

Bummed. Big time.

I cannot wrap my head around how flat and one-dimensional the characters were. I might as well have been walking amongst plain cardboards for all the diversity that the personality department offered (spoiler: close to none). 

Serious point here: Please someone tell me how I am supposed to ship a romance between an overly toxic I-do-what-I-want-and-you-better-do-what-I-want-too violent brat and a weak, submissive girl that's been infatuated (because that's the word, there was absolutely no love in this novella) with said brat for years before even meeting him. 

If you can point out a true moment of love in The Queen, please let me know, I'm very interested in regaining some faith in this series.

I put aside some of the most deranging passages I say some because if I had to quote all of them... well, I might as well tell you to read the whole thing because I couldn't carry it all in my chest alone, I had to share the pain. (view spoiler)[

Here is wonderful, charming, romantic Prince Clarkson making his "love" declaration *retches* (bolding is mine):

"If I ask you for something, you give it to me. You aren't vain. You're secure enough with yourself to put me before your looks, before anything. I know that from how you receive any request I've ever given to you. [...]"

Amazing, that's exactly what I want to hear to know I matter. That I'm your dutiful lapdog. I found it deranging that Amberly should run to cut her hair because Clarkson had told her (almost derisively) that she'd look better that way. But ah- love, I guess. In a very feminist way.

Hold your breath because, to shadow their all-encompassing, healthy, undeniably strong love, there was the sliiiight issue of, youknow, not being able to produce an heir to the throne (I mean, that's a big thing in realistic monarchies, amiwrong?)

"For what? To carry on the line? You're speaking of giving me a son. Suppose we manage to have one child and that child was a girl. There would be no chance of her getting the crown. [...]"

Had I forgotten to tell you about swoon-worthy Prince Clarkson's irrelevant misogynistic-ish beliefs? My bad. But don't worry, he makes up for that statement when Amberly points out that she wants children:

"Personally, I'm not fond of children. I guess that's what nannies are for." [...] "So no matter what, that is not an issue for me."

I much prefer hearing this than having the love of my life assure me we're going to try anyway to secure a wish dear to my heart.

In contrast, however, Prince Clarkson offers Amberly all she will ever need: 

"You will be the only thing in this world that is truly mine. And I will put you on a pedestal so high, it will be impossible for anyone not to adore you."

Right after this, Amberly "couldn't believe this was real. He'd said all the words I'd ever hoped to hear: queen, wife, adore." Yeah, except he didn't say he adores you, did he.

Excuse me while I go silently cry in a corner. 

And Prince Clarkson is also very much ashamed of the rough work Amberly's been doing. He almost had a heart attack when he heard that she lowered herself to doing the labor of a Seven while she is a Four. 

You might think he was worried about her health. THINk again, for he was just dejected she should have grown up doing unlady-like work. (hide spoiler)]

And, after all of this, I really couldn't bear the open ending.

Bailey Lagarde

It gave insight to both Queen Amberly and King Clarkson's past, it was very interesting, and I just loved to hear how their story began.

ARPITA ♡

idk how to feel about clarkson wanting someone who he can control with a look. i love amber and she does seem happy though. go them, i guess

i'm a bit mad though, for there seemed nothing special about her in this book. i like her more as a queen than a selected

Merel Vanempten

** spoiler alert **
           I highly recommend you to Read the novellas in this series. Because of The Queen I understand Amberly and her patience with the king way better. I still deteste the king but I can see more reason behind his way of Actions. It's Nice to see that in other selections the girls get close too. This novella gives you more Intel on the life of the former king and Queen and it gives you the background you need to understand little details as why amberly didn't get more kids and why she was a bit scared to start loving the selected girls like America as her own children. It also shows that Clarkson grew up believing that mistreating your wife And kids is the right way and it doesn't make up for his Actions but it does make me tolerate him more. Of you have the time and resources you should really Read the novellas (i haven't written a review about the other novellas because i didn't think it was that necessary but I do recommend you Read Them so that you can understand the main series better.)

Jelke Lenaerts

damla

ah,yes,the queen: where the main characters are either abusive,violent or are somehow okay with that. look,im not saying i would do any better in amberlys position. im a coward and im full with anxiety so thats out of question. im not asking for her to be the rebel against this violence either. but she never once showed disgust towards that. the prince whose name i already forgot is abusive towards his son in the future too. and the worst thing is he wanted to change,yet even in this book he has anger issues and ia super controlling. theres not a single character here i could love. and its high coming from me considering it doesnt take much for me to love a character.

Iliana Elizabeth 

Va a ser una reseña corta. 
 Si bien me pareció innecesario, reconozco que me gustó. Tanto como puede gustarme que una chica buena y noble termine casada con un tirano (no cuenta como spoiler porque son los padres de Maxon así que obviamente iban a terminar casados).
 Si me pareció un montón esto:


 "—Espero que me perdones por haberos sometido a pequeñas pruebas, pero hace
tiempo que sé lo que buscaba. —Cambió de postura. Erguí la cabeza, hasta quedarnos
el uno frente al otro—. Me gustaba tu pelo.
Instintivamente me lo toqué.
—¿Qué quieres decir?
—No tenía nada de malo cuando lo llevabas más largo. Les pedí a varias de las
chicas que se lo cortaran, pero tú fuiste la única que me dio la satisfacción de
cortárselo más de tres centímetros."

 ¿Cómo esperan que a alguien le resulte remotamente romántico que un hombre busque tan desesperadamente la voluntad de sometimiento de una mujer?
 En fin, qué bueno que Maxon es como su mamá y no como su papá.

razan 

well King Clarkson seems kind of nice -not so much- in this one !

Gabriela Roxana 

Giulia 

Se fosse stata lei la protagonista dei romanzi al posto di America saremo stati tutti più contenti ;)

The Queen A Novella

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