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The Selection (The Selection, #1)

Kiera Cass

Start date: December 1, 2015

Finish date: December 31, 2015

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What Members Thought

May 17, 2013 Lisa rated it it was amazing

Oh my gosh. Okay, so this book is completely and totally best described as "The Hunger Games" meets Jane Austen. I don't really know how else to put it.

Let me start by saying that this book is completely outside of my comfort zone and I am so glad that I stepped outside of my little box and read this one. This is by far one of my favorite reads of 2013 so far. Whether it will stay there is going to depend on what else I read, largely, but it definitely has set the bar VERY high.

I read this boo ...more

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Jul 02, 2014 Cynthia rated it it was amazing

Can't wait to start the next one! ...more

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Jun 19, 2012 Amy Sutton rated it it was ok

Shelves: reviewed, library, 2012

So I read this book at the suggestion of some of my friends. The other reviews on goodreads make this book sound deplorable, but it really isn't that bad.

I wish that the book focused more on world-building and plot substance, because I think the concept of the book was really intriguing. However, the writing seemed to not do such a great job of making me feel like I was in the book. It was very tell, not show.

Everything was focused on the relationships between the main character America Singer So I read this book at the suggestion of some of my friends. The other reviews on goodreads make this book sound deplorable, but it really isn't that bad.

I wish that the book focused more on world-building and plot substance, because I think the concept of the book was really intriguing. However, the writing seemed to not do such a great job of making me feel like I was in the book. It was very tell, not show.

Everything was focused on the relationships between the main character America Singer (yeah... yep.) and the guys who happened to be falling for her. I get that this was part of the plot, but it felt like certain world-building aspects were neglected to focus on that. All of Aspen and America's relationship is tell not show. The author chooses to describe several heavy make out scenes and then stops repeatedly because losing your virginity is against the law........ which is an interesting plot point, but surely they've thought of ways to get around that law if they're serious about it. There were more descriptions about how he was touching her than explanations for how they met, why they liked each other, etc. I felt like the author wanted us to love Aspen after seeing how physically close he and America were, and after seeing how she sacrificed for him, but I didn't get to see much of his personality. I felt like he wasn't developed well enough to make me like him, and we didn't get enough dialogue between them to really see enough of him. (Maybe this is because I'm comparing him to Maxon, and America and Maxon talked A LOT).

Also, certain parts were not well thought through or explained, and at times it felt like I was reading a badly written spoof of the Hunger Games what with the dystopian society being divided and one girl from each place being chosen and the TV show broadcasting the developments. This got better as it went along, but I still couldn't shake the fact that certain elements seemed very heavily borrowed. Also, if they barely had enough food to eat and were consistently hungry, how were they able to have microwave popcorn every week while watching the news? It was moments like that where it seemed the dystopian feeling was abandoned for a second.

All that is not to say that I didn't like it. I read it through completely in one night because I truly did like America and Maxon's relationship. The dialogue and plot for the second half of the book was very well done, and I think plot twists and actions were very good at being realistic and not just added for the sake of drama. The world building gets better in the latter half because America seems to be compelled to share all of her family's history, and her and Aspen's story of how they met and everything to Maxon. And, conveniently, America has to go through different lessons and one part of the book where the girls are in class manages to tell the readers the entire history behind the weird country names. It was good to see certain descriptions like these, but maybe more peppered throughout the story next time.

I liked the book despite some of its lack of substance. I would recommend the book, especially if you like fluffy romance with characters who aren't bimbos and fluffy themselves. ...more

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Dec 10, 2013 Susan rated it really liked it

Very enjoyable read. A bit like the Hunger Games.

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Jun 11, 2012 Katie rated it liked it

Shelves: books-i-own, 3-stars, read-in-2015

Quick Review: An addicting read, but I couldn't stand the main character. I loved the royal family, some of the selection girls, and America's family, but Aspen and America were awful. The plot was too cliched for my taste: a competition with a love triangle, no surprise there. The writing style was simplistic and lacked depth. I would have liked some literary devices to spice up the writing. Still, it was a good and fun read. ...more

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