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beckwilk 's review for:
The Selection
by Kiera Cass
The Selection is not a book I would have picked up on my own. With the drama surrounding Kiera Cass and her publicist, I had written this book off as something I’d just never read. The premise sounded interesting enough, if not a little convoluted and Bachelor-y, but I didn’t want to play a part in supporting an author that would be so unprofessional and disrespectful to a reviewer and blogger that I love reading. But when the January picks came up for a Goodreads book club I’m part of, I decided to hell with it. I needed a dystopian to add for a challenge I’m doing, and since I’m not actually buying the book, I should be okay.
I totally expected to fully hate this book. If you read any of the reviews posted on Goodreads, you’ll see a wall of one-stars. To say my expectations were low in an understatement; I didn’t even think I’d be able to finish The Selection let alone like it as much as I did. And maybe that comes from thinking it would be bad. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading it.
I really enjoyed the three main characters, America, Aspen, and Prince Maxon. Of course, with every dystopian comes ridiculous character names, but I could easily overlook this. America was a breath of fresh air for me. Obviously she wanted no part in joining in the Selection, a Bachelor-type event wherein the prince of Ilea (which I think takes up all of North America) chooses his bride between 35 young women. America all ready has a boyfriend at home who she has been with for two years, and is planning a future with him. But being Selected could elevate her family out of poverty and maybe save them from starving through the winter. So reluctantly she enters.
I was definitely surprised by America’s attitude throughout the whole book. She never seemed put-out by helping her family. Even when Aspen breaks up with her, and seemingly moves on to a new girl the very next day, America keeps her head up. She isn’t overly enamored by all the pretty dresses and the gorgeous palace she’s living in, but she does appreciate it. One of the things that definitely stuck out about her was that while she wasn’t over-the-top or gaudy or outgoing, she didn’t shame the girls who were either. And when confronted by Maxon about her true feelings, she was honest. That hardly ever happens in YA.
Speaking of Maxon, he really was the shining light of The Selection. At first I was entirely ready to believe America’s presumptions about him: he is shallow and snobby and arrogant and stiff. But the reader is slowly able to get to know him, as America peels back the manufactured layers of Maxon’s character. In reality, he is charming, sheltered and awkward, and genuinely kind. He really wants everyone around him to be happy and comfortable; he is thoughtful, and as a leader he speaks out for his people. He would be a democrat in today’s US.
I wish I had gotten a better taste of the world-building of Ilea and castes. The whole thing seemed strangely contrived, but I am confident that the inception of Ilea will be better fleshed out later in the series.
The thing stopping me from wholly enjoying this book is really the idea behind the book. That every girl dreams of being a princess. I understand that in America is the potential to break that myth, but what if she ends up winning the Selection? The whole thing seems shallow, and that’s the whole reason I don’t watch shows like the Bachelor, or really any other dating show (Do you guys remember that one with Tila Tequila? What a disaster.)
In the end, though, I really did enjoy The Selection. It is not the perfect book by any measure, but it was a lot of fun to read. There is enough conflict inside the palace walls to build the series off of, but there are hints to bigger and broader problems outside the sheltered environment America and Maxon are used to. I can’t wait to read The Elite. If only April would just get here faster!
I totally expected to fully hate this book. If you read any of the reviews posted on Goodreads, you’ll see a wall of one-stars. To say my expectations were low in an understatement; I didn’t even think I’d be able to finish The Selection let alone like it as much as I did. And maybe that comes from thinking it would be bad. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading it.
I really enjoyed the three main characters, America, Aspen, and Prince Maxon. Of course, with every dystopian comes ridiculous character names, but I could easily overlook this. America was a breath of fresh air for me. Obviously she wanted no part in joining in the Selection, a Bachelor-type event wherein the prince of Ilea (which I think takes up all of North America) chooses his bride between 35 young women. America all ready has a boyfriend at home who she has been with for two years, and is planning a future with him. But being Selected could elevate her family out of poverty and maybe save them from starving through the winter. So reluctantly she enters.
I was definitely surprised by America’s attitude throughout the whole book. She never seemed put-out by helping her family. Even when Aspen breaks up with her, and seemingly moves on to a new girl the very next day, America keeps her head up. She isn’t overly enamored by all the pretty dresses and the gorgeous palace she’s living in, but she does appreciate it. One of the things that definitely stuck out about her was that while she wasn’t over-the-top or gaudy or outgoing, she didn’t shame the girls who were either. And when confronted by Maxon about her true feelings, she was honest. That hardly ever happens in YA.
Speaking of Maxon, he really was the shining light of The Selection. At first I was entirely ready to believe America’s presumptions about him: he is shallow and snobby and arrogant and stiff. But the reader is slowly able to get to know him, as America peels back the manufactured layers of Maxon’s character. In reality, he is charming, sheltered and awkward, and genuinely kind. He really wants everyone around him to be happy and comfortable; he is thoughtful, and as a leader he speaks out for his people. He would be a democrat in today’s US.
I wish I had gotten a better taste of the world-building of Ilea and castes. The whole thing seemed strangely contrived, but I am confident that the inception of Ilea will be better fleshed out later in the series.
The thing stopping me from wholly enjoying this book is really the idea behind the book. That every girl dreams of being a princess. I understand that in America is the potential to break that myth, but what if she ends up winning the Selection? The whole thing seems shallow, and that’s the whole reason I don’t watch shows like the Bachelor, or really any other dating show (Do you guys remember that one with Tila Tequila? What a disaster.)
In the end, though, I really did enjoy The Selection. It is not the perfect book by any measure, but it was a lot of fun to read. There is enough conflict inside the palace walls to build the series off of, but there are hints to bigger and broader problems outside the sheltered environment America and Maxon are used to. I can’t wait to read The Elite. If only April would just get here faster!