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    The Guard: A Novella
    The Guard: A Novella
    The Guard: A Novella
    Ebook104 pages1 hour

    The Guard: A Novella

    By Kiera Cass

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Don’t miss this captivating novella from the world of the #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series! Set just after the Selection is narrowed down to the Elite, this story gives readers a glimpse into the heart and mind of America’s first love.

    Before America Singer met Prince Maxon, she was in love with a boy named Aspen Leger—who never imagined that he would follow America to the palace as a member of the royal guard . . .

    The Guard also includes a teaser to The One, the thrilling third novel in the Selection series.

    Don’t miss The Betrothed, a glittering royal romance sure to captivate Kiera Cass’s legion of loyal readers and lovers of courtly intrigue alike!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperTeen
    Release dateFeb 4, 2014
    ISBN9780062317148
    The Guard: A Novella
    Author

    Kiera Cass

    Kiera Cass is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Selection series and The Siren. She is a wife and mom and too many other things to list. If she could make a crown out of anything, it would be the unending tears of her readers. You can learn more about Kiera and her books at www.kieracass.com.

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    Reviews for The Guard

    4/5

    111 ratings9 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I enjoyed Aspen's story but I would have really like to have seen how he and Lucy ended up together. I think it would have been better starting later in the series and including how their relationship grew.
    • 2/5
      If you have already read the first two in the Selection series, there is no new broken ground here. In fact, I gave up about one-third of the way in because it is just retelling events that have already happened, but ostensibly from other characters' points of view. However, it is not too well-done, so it's very repetitive. Which sucks, because I LOVE the first two books in this series and have already pre-ordered the third. Hopefully this is just a weird blip from the author and not a sign of things to come.
    • 5/5
      Mini Review: My thoughts in 5 bullets or less…HeartCan I just talk about what a great guy Aspen is? He’s one of the lowest caste, working hard everyday to send money back home to take care of his own family. Yet after Carter and Marlee get caned he has the heart to write Carter’s mom and send her money knowing they relied on Carter’s salary. Wait, what was that? I think my heart just melted...Action PackedSeriously, this novella was chalk full of action! A large portion of it were scenes we had scene before in The Elite, but experiencing them from Aspen’s viewpoint brought out a whole other side to things. Instead of hiding out in a shelter during the rebel attacks we are taken right to the front lines of the fighting.The TriangleThroughout the first two books in the series I’ve always been a fan of both Aspen & Maxon, liking Aspen just a little bit better but knowing I’d be happy either way. This story changed that (well this and Maxon’s novella) I am now 100% Team Aspen! Honestly, if America doesn’t end up with Aspen can I volunteer? VerdictThis is one of the best novellas I’ve read. Well written and exciting I was dissapointed when it ended. It felt like an essential part to the series and I’m excited to have it as part of my set.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this story and getting to see another side of things. This story is told from Aspen's point of view and how he views things is so different from what we are used to with the rest of the series. It brings a whole new perspective to the events that are happening and how the relationships in the story look to those outside of them.

      Every fan of the series will enjoy reading this and seeing how things can be looked at from a different angle. There are some very sweet moments and there are some funny moments and it is definitely worth a read.
    • 4/5
      I think this was a good book. Not as much happening though. It was a little longer than the other ones but still very short compared to books I normally read. I thought the story was going to be from Caters perspective but it ended up being from Aspens.?
    • 5/5
      Heart<3
    • 2/5
      I don't like Aspen... and I'm glad he found someone else.
    • 5/5
      This story brings me to new places. So many contradictory emotions, I don't know what to think, but how amazing this story is. I love it :)
    • 1/5
      This short story was not as painful as "The Prince." It gave me a little bit more perspective on what Aspen was thinking when he did all the idiotic, selfish, stupid stuff. It doesn't excuse the fact that he's an arrogant, selfish, stupid, idiot, and I still don't like him. I still feel like these short stories were written just to try and get more money, but at least this one made me hate Aspen a bit less, unlike Maxon's short story, that made me dislike Maxon more. I've said it in my other reviews, but, Kiera Cass has an excellent writing style, and decent story ideas. The one thing that she really, REALLY needs to work on is her ability to create characters that are actually likeable.

      1 person found this helpful

    Book preview

    The Guard - Kiera Cass

    CHAPTER 1

    WAKE UP, LEGER.

    Day off, I mumbled, pulling the blanket over my head.

    No one’s off today. Get up, and I’ll explain.

    I sighed. I was normally excited to get to work. The routine, the discipline, the sense of accomplishment at the end of the day: I loved it all. Today was a different story.

    Last night’s Halloween party had been my last chance. When America and I had our one dance, and she explained Maxon’s distance, I got a minute to remind her of who we were . . . and I felt it. Those threads that bound us together were still there. Perhaps they had frayed from the strain of the Selection, but they were holding.

    Tell me you’ll wait for me, I’d pleaded.

    She said nothing, but I didn’t lose hope.

    Not until he was there, marching up to her, dripping charm and wealth and power. That was it. I’d lost.

    Whatever Maxon had whispered to her out on the dance floor seemed to sweep every worry from her head. She clung to him, song after song, staring into his eyes the way she used to stare into mine.

    So maybe I’d downed a little too much alcohol while I watched it happen. And maybe that vase in the foyer was broken because I threw it. And maybe I’d stifled my cries by biting my pillow so Avery wouldn’t hear me.

    If Avery’s words this morning were any indication, chances were Maxon proposed late last night, and we would all be on call for the official announcement.

    How was I supposed to face that moment? How was I supposed to stand there and protect it? He was going to give her a ring I could never afford, a life I could never provide . . . and I would hate him to my very last breath for it.

    I sat up, keeping my eyes down. What’s happening? I asked, my head throbbing with every syllable.

    It’s bad. Really bad.

    I scrunched my forehead and looked up. Avery was sitting on his bed, buttoning his shirt. Our eyes met, and I could see the worry in his.

    What do you mean? What’s bad? If this was some stupid drama over not finding the right colored tablecloths or something, I was going back to bed.

    Avery exhaled. You know Woodwork? Friendly guy, smiles a lot?

    Yeah. We do rounds together sometimes. He’s nice. Woodwork had been a Seven, and we’d bonded almost instantly over our large families and deceased fathers. He was a hard worker, and it was clear that he was someone who truly deserved his new caste. Why? What’s going on?

    Avery seemed stunned. He got caught last night with one of the Elite girls.

    I froze. What? How?

    The cameras. Reporters were getting candid shots of people wandering around the palace and one of them heard something in a closet. Opened it up and found Woodwork with Lady Marlee.

    But that’s—I almost said America’s closest friend, but caught myself just in time—crazy, I finished.

    You’re telling me. Avery picked up his socks and continued to dress. He seemed so smart. Must have just had too much to drink.

    He probably had, but I doubted that was why this had happened. Woodwork was smart. He wanted to take care of his family as much as I did mine. The only explanation for why he would have risked getting caught would be the same reason I had risked it: he must love Marlee desperately.

    I massaged my temples, willing the headache to clear. I couldn’t feel like this right now, not with something so big happening. My eyes popped open as I understood what this might mean.

    Are they . . . are they going to kill them? I asked quietly, like maybe if I said it too loud everyone would remember that was what the palace did to traitors.

    Avery shook his head, and I felt my heart start beating again. They’re going to cane them. And the other Elite and their families are going to be front and center for it. The blocks are already set up outside the palace walls, so we’re all on standby. Get your uniform on.

    He stood and walked to the door. And get some coffee before you report in, he said over his shoulder. You look like you’re the one getting caned.

    The third and fourth floors were high enough to see over the thick walls that protected the palace from the rest of the world, and I quickly made my way to a broad window on the fourth floor. I looked down at the seats for the royal family and the Elite, as well as the stage for Marlee and Woodwork. It seemed most of the guards and staff had the same idea I did, and I nodded at the two other guards who were standing at the window, and the one butler, his uniform looking freshly pressed but his face wrinkled with worry. Just as the palace doors opened, and the girls and their families went marching out to the thunderous cheering of the crowd, two maids came rushing up behind us. Recognizing Lucy and Mary, I made a space for them beside me.

    Is Anne coming? I asked.

    No, Mary said. She didn’t think it was right when there was so much work to do.

    I nodded. That sounded like her.

    I ran into America’s maids all the time since I guarded her door at night, and while I always tried to be professional in the palace, I tended to let some of the formality slip with them. I wanted to know the people who took care of my girl; in my eyes, I would forever be beholden to them for all the things they did for her.

    I looked down at Lucy and could see she was wringing her hands. Even in my short time at the palace, I had noticed that when she got stressed, her anxieties manifested themselves in a dozen physical tics. Training camp taught me to look for nervous behavior when people entered the palace, to watch those people in particular. I knew Lucy was no threat, and when I saw her in distress, I felt a need to protect her.

    Are you sure you want to watch this? I whispered to her. It won’t be pretty.

    I know. But I really liked Lady Marlee, she replied, just as quietly. I feel like I should be here.

    She’s not a lady anymore, I commented, sure that she would be torn down to the lowest rank possible.

    Lucy thought for a moment. Any girl who would risk her life for someone she loves certainly deserves to be called a lady.

    I grinned. Excellent point. I watched as her hands stilled and a tiny smile came to her face for a flicker of a second.

    The crowd’s cheers turned to cries of disdain as Marlee and Woodwork hobbled across the gravel and into the space cleared in front of the palace gates. The guards pulled them rather

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