Review | The Selection by Kiera Cass

The Selection by Kiera Cass
Series: The Selection #1
Published On: April 24, 2012
Published By: Harper Teen
Genre: Dystopian
Pages: 327
Format: Paperback
Source: Gift
Rating: ★★★★★

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For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon. 
  But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks. 
  Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself--and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.


When her invitation to The Selection arrives, America Singer has no desire to enter. However, in a society divided by casts, life as a 5 is tough with money being tight, so with pressure from her family, and secret boyfriend Aspen from the cast below, America reluctantly enters. Soon she is one of 35 girls thrust into the royal palace, chosen to take part in the competition for the crown and the Prince, neither of which she wants.

Having heard such mixed reviews about this book, I had lowered my expectations. Evidently, the lowering of expectations was not at all necessary as I absolutely loved this book and don’t know where the bad reviews are coming from.

I loved the whole idea of this book. As soon as I read the synopsis for this book, the idea of it completely drew me in. It sounds exactly like some kind of reality TV show, a huge guilty pleasure of mine. In fact, while reading the book I was constantly reminded of the TV show “I Wanna Marry Harry”, in which a group of girls were competing for the affections of a fake Prince Harry. This book has very similar aspects to that and was a very fun plot to read.

While there is some mixed opinion over the main character America, I loved her and most of the other characters. I thought America was a great main character. She may not be quite as ‘kick-ass’ as many other much loved female protagonists but she is a very entertaining, and often relatable, character. I also really like Prince Maxon. I really like how down-to-earth he is, considering he’s a Prince, and he seems like someone I could be great friends with. Aspen was not a favourite of mine to begin with but he grew on me over the course of the book. I am definitely ‘Team Maxon’ though. The other girls in the Selection, the ones we were introduced to anyway, I mostly liked. Although, the majority of them were very minor characters.

I thought the society was very interesting. It may not make for as action-packed a book as others and it may not be quite as complex or terrible to live in, but I thought it was, in many ways, a very realistic vision of what the world could become. I enjoyed learning some of the history of the society, although I hope more will be revealed in the later books in the series.

As soon as I finished the first book, I couldn’t wait to read the next in the series. It was very difficult not to pick the next book up straight away as I enjoyed this book so much that I wanted to immerse myself in this world.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book. The incredibly fun plot made for such an enjoyable read and the characters were great too. I even liked the love triangle that took place, and that is not always a hit for me. I think it was a great start to the series and if it continues this way, this may become one of my new favourite series.