Publisher: Harper Teen
Pages: 327
Source: Chapters
Links: Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Chapters/ Book Depository
Rating: 4/5
"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." Image and Bio from GoodreadsPrince Maxon is the number one reason why this book is so enjoyable and addictive. Readers will fall in love with Maxon's character as he is noble, kind and similar to a puppy dog in that he is cute, adorable and sometimes naive. The readership will also immediately be drawn to Maxon as he is charming and romantic.
I attempted to read The Selection two years ago and failed. After the first two chapters I gave up on reading it. However, after watching the new television show, The Royals, I was immediately drawn back to Cass's books.
When I finished The Selection, I had to think long and hard on what rating I was going to give it. In the end, I chose four out of five stars. When making my final decision, I had to decide if The Selection was a book I would later think about (a year or two from now) and would possibly re-read parts of it again. The answer to that was yes and that was why I gave this book 4 stars instead of 3.
This novel is addicting as it a) completely romantic and b) a lot of readers want to be in America's shoes with two guys vying after her.
Maxon is the reason I stuck around and kept on reading. Once he was introduced in the book the reading experience was much more pleasant and did not drag at all.
I don't really have much thoughts, at the moment, of America Singer. There was nothing about her character, yet, that screamed: I LOVE HER or I HATE HER. Towards the end of the novel she felt like she was cheating on Maxon but, all I could think about was....well he is technically dating how many other girls? There should be America's selection (Maxon and Aspen) and Maxon's Selection.
America was also really insecure with the other girls and I definitely could relate to that. At times she was afraid of how the other girls viewed her and at others she was a take charge kind of girl (ex; her maids).
By the way, America's maids (Anne, Mary and Lucy) were the best (second best to Maxon)
However, that being said, there was a lot of stuff that bothered me while reading this novel.
A) Description : I felt that a lot of stuff was under-described. These things range from characters to rebel groups to Illéa itself.
-I felt the 35 girls within The Selection were not fleshed out as well as they could have been. I could barely remember their faces let alone their names and personalities. I felt no emotional connection with the girls and there was nothing that stood out about them (except Celeste's meanness).
-This is a dystopian novel however, it did not feel like one. I felt like the first novel in this series should have devoted itself to world building and really giving the readers a feel for the horrors of some of the castes (starvation etc;) and the dystopian rules instead of focusing on America's relationship with Aspen and Maxon.
Sidenote: Does anyone else not like Aspen? At the beginning of the novel Aspen's presence really dragged the storyline for me (not so much towards the end of the book).
How did the two of them keep their relationship a secret for so long?... When Aspen's mom even suspected her son was dating someone.
I would have really like to know more about : the Illéa logo, guards uniform etc; I also thought their should have been a deeper explanation of how Illéa formed.
-The violence the rebels caused seemed always in the background and when the big one came I did not feel scared or worried for the characters.
B) Action : I felt like their could of been a lot more of this especially with the rebels and whatnot. I really wanted to see the characters in danger--and actually facing the rebels, instead of hiding from them.
In all it was a good read and Warner Bros. just acquired the rights so hopefully will soon see it on the big screen.
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