Book Review # 2: The Selection by Kiera Cass

Buy the book: Amazon Barnes & Noble

Check out other reviews on Goodreads

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 the 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 aays dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

America Singer lives in a country by the name of Illéa. In Illéa, every family is categorized by numbers from one to eight: one being the Royal Family and eight being people with little on their back. The Princesses are married off and the Princes must marry through The Selection. Every time a Prince is of the marriage age, thirty girls are picked from cities in Illéa to compete against each other in winning the Prince’s, Maxon, heart. Whoever Prince Maxon chooses becomes the Princess and future Queen. America is already in love with Aspen and doesn’t want to enter The Selection when she gets an invitation in the mail, but she does after much persuasion from her mother and Aspen. Girls with numbers lower than Fours have never been entered into The Selection before and America, being a Five, is absolutely flabbergasted when the unexpected happens: she is chosen. When she and the other contestants move into the Castle to compete, the last thing on America’s mind is winning. She plans to do everything possible to get back home to Aspen but starts to doubt what she really wants when Prince Maxon is introduced to her. Through attacks on the Castle by Northerners and Southerners America nurses a broken heart and befriends Prince Maxon. Will she fall for him or go back to Aspen when the time comes?

Aspen is America’s boyfriend of two years and her reason for joining The Selection. America and Aspen are in love and plan to get married but that fact he is a Six and she a Five is a MAJOR problem. America doesn’t think her mother will ever let her marry someone below her caste. Aspen, on the other hand, is reluctant to marry America because he believes that a man should be able to provide for a family and being a Six, he is very poor. His pride is very big and it is the reason behind both him and America’s heartbreak.

I really didn’t like Aspen’s character. He loved America but his pride was bigger than his love for her or he wouldn’t have broken up with her. I hated that he was constantly reminding her of how much he hated that she was giving him food. If he truly loved her, he would have only seen her love for him in her actions. Whenever America mentioned him, I just about screamed my frustration. I kept hoping she’d GET OVER HIM!!!!

Prince Maxon, on the other hand, saw America for who she truly was. He understood her heartbreak and didn’t judge her for her actions. Maxon liked her even though he knew she was in love with another. From the moment he was introduced I hoped he and America would instantly click but that was only one-sided. America was so focused on her heartbreak that she didn’t realize that she had an even better guy practically wrapped around her finger. In a way, I felt sorry for Maxon. He might be in love with this girl who he thinks is just amazing and she’s wrapped up in thoughts of another guy who didn’t deserve her.

The Selection was overall a good read, but I wouldn’t put it on my Amazing bookshelf. The characters were very entertaining; however, some of them – Celeste – got on my nerves. The book definitely needed more romance and action. In my opinion, had Kiera Cass given King Clarkson and Queen Amber more dialogue and some alone time with America, her feelings for him would have evolved. Would I recommend this book? Definitely. In fact, I plan on reading the sequel, The Elite.

Here are the ratings, on a scale from 1 to 10, this book got:

Action:
Romance:
Drama:
Overall:
Leave us a comment telling us what you thought of the book!                                                                                                                                     
 As always,

<3 GLBBB