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.
There have been a lot of mixed reviews for this novel so I was a little dubious when starting it.
35 girls have been chosen. Which one will win the prince’s heart? When America Singer signs up for The Selection, a competition to become the bride of Prince Maxon, heir to the throne, she doesn’t expect to be chosen.
Being Selected means leaving her old life at home, and the boy who has stolen her heart. But is it the end for America; or has the adventure just begun?
I don’t think you could really classify this novel under one sole genre. It has a lot of dystopian elements but some aspects felt so real that it could have been set in the present. I found it very similar to The Hunger Games but could also see that it had a unique storyline so I wasn’t all that bothered by it.
I do wish there had been a little more worldbuilding at the start but there was plenty in the rest of the novel that compensated for this.
The novel is written in America’s point of view and I thought she was a very strong character. She didn’t really want to be at the palace but she was selfless and stayed because of her family. She thought of others before herself but still had a feisty side that we saw on occasion. She wasn’t perfect by any means but her background enabled her to have a quality that the other girls lacked.
I really loved Maxon. At first I thought he was a little weird but after a while I began to accept him for who he was and then couldn’t get enough of him. He was so awkward but so cute and he is definitely one of my favourite book boyfriends of all time! I think it was nice that the girls got to know him in his natural environment. It was good to see that he was just a normal boy because living in such a way that he did could really turn a person into a spoiled brat.
The other girls were also very strong characters but I tended to be able to tell who was going to go before it was even written.
I loved the whole concept of this novel. It had twists and turns that made me want to read on and already we are getting clues about the larger plot running in all three novels.
The Selection was a novel that took me by surprise and I really don’t know how I’ll be able to wait until The Elite comes out. It’s a novel of despair and fairytales and one of my favourite books of all time.
RATING: 5/5
-Favourites shelf
Lucy Powrie is a blogger, YouTuber and author from the UK. When she's not reading, she enjoys cuddling guinea pigs and eating Oreo chocolate, but let's be real: she's mostly always reading.
7 Comments
Laura @Bookish Treasures
6 February, 2013 at 6:44 pmI loved The Selection 🙂 Great review. I can’t wait to read The Elite when it is released.
Laura @ Bookish Treasures
aliceinreaderland.com
6 February, 2013 at 7:40 pmI’m so glad you love The Selection, I was thinking about reading it but there were so many mixed reviews on GoodReads. The Elite also sounds really good, and I love the covers! 🙂 Great review!
Alice @ Alice in Readerland
aliceinreaderland.com
6 February, 2013 at 7:44 pmI’m so glad you love The Selection, I was thinking about reading it but there were so many mixed reviews on GoodReads. The Elite also sounds really good, and I love the covers! 🙂 Great review!
Alice @ Alice in Readerland
Rebecca-Books
7 February, 2013 at 4:30 pmI was wondering whether to read this or not because of all the bad reviews, I won my copy. But as you loved it, I’ll give it a go 🙂
Zoe Crook
7 February, 2013 at 6:19 pmI have seen this book around but not really been interested up until now. This sounds ammmmazzzziiinnggg. The cover is so pretty too <3
Thanks for the great review, as always! 🙂
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8 February, 2013 at 2:40 amOHMYGOD!!! Maxon was amazing!! <3 I love this boo so much and I truly think America shoud go for Maxon instead of Aspen. Because he's sweet and genuine. But she might just go for Aspen anyway... girls in books always go for brooding types. (like in the iron fey... oh, Puck)
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8 February, 2013 at 2:41 am*book ohmygosh! I really need to learn how to proofread… ughh