The One

America has grown from a reluctant contestant into someone who cares about the people of Illéa and wants to change the unfair caste system. She becomes closer to the remaining girls, including her rival Kriss, and learns more about the two rebel groups: one violent and destructive, the other hoping for reform. Some of the rebels turn out to be unexpected allies.

Her relationship with Maxon has to survive misunderstandings, the cold hostility of his father and the danger of her secret history with Aspen being revealed. A personal loss in her family deepens the emotional weight of the story, and a final, frightening attack on the palace changes everything. The book is more serious than the earlier volumes, with danger and grief, but it keeps the romance, gowns and palace atmosphere that readers love, and the ending is warm and satisfying.

Romantic, dramatic and satisfying, a fitting end to America's story, with later books set a generation on. Readers who enjoyed the glamour and romance of the first two books will find the ending rewarding, and the series remains a light, comforting choice for teens. About 368 pages in the HarperTeen paperback.