The Selection (The Selection #1)
By Kiera Cass
Genre: YA Urban Fantasy/Dystopia

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.

The Gist:

My friend recommended this series to me, AND I’M SO GLAD SHE DID! I devoured this book. I couldn’t stop once I started. The Selection is a fast paced, yet sweet love story about a girl selected to “compete” for the affections of the Prince. Fair warning, it’s very Bachelor-y. But that seriously didn’t bother me! I have no idea how Kiera did it, but she managed to not make the whole one guy 35 girls thing cheesy, but sweet and romantic.

What I Liked:

The tension/attraction between American and Maxon was brilliant. Top drawer! It’s what made me fall in love with the book. I had to know what happened between the two of them. Sometimes it even felt like all I was doing was reading to get to the next America and Maxon scene. Not that the other scenes were bad, just that those scenes were so good I couldn’t get enough! The threat of the rebels was well played in my opinion. It wasn’t over-shadowing of the Selection, but it was enough to keep us on our toes and nervous the entire time, like, will they attack the castle? If they do, will it be the violent ones or the not-so-violent ones? And the Selection allowed us to get to know some really interesting characters. Celeste was superb in that evil mean girls way. She was very Regina George and I loved it. I loved America’s spunk and fire and confidence in who she was as a person.

What I Didn’t Like:

If Maxon was going to call America ‘Dear’ one more time I was going to reach into the book and slap him. I’m so glad he dropped that. To me it just showed my only complaint with his character, that he seemed a little too naive to the ways of the world and romance at first. I get what the author was doing, I just thought she may have gone too far. Also, America could be a little whiny at times, but it didn’t bother me to much. I still love Mer. Aspen kind of bugged me. Like, dude, make up your mind! Do you want Mer or not! It’s not fair to string her along. I don’t think that’s a comment on the quality of the book or story, more just a personal frustration with men (wink wink).

LunasLuckyRating: 4.5/5 Lunas
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