The Selection
Ratings490
Average rating3.7
This series is honestly one of my favourite trashy-guilty-pleasure reads. I don't think I'll ever get tired of this series.
DNF - PG 61
Why? (This is a long one, so get ready.)
Dear Book,
I'm sorry. I know you are loved by many of my friends, so perhaps you should spend time with them instead of me. We started off well enough and coming from someone that tends to enjoy ‘reality' shows more than she should, I was excited for this. I'm not saying it's entirely your fault for us not working out - after all, this is the second dystopian I've tried and failed to get interested in. (I've not even gotten past the first chapter of the first one yet. I should read a little more before I totally DNF it.)
But things just didn't work for me. There were all the talk of castes that I didn't understand. If this is based, as it seems to be, on usefulness, why are the servants - you know, the cooks, the maids, the cleaners, below ‘artists'? It's not as though art is useful in any way than to show status.
But I was skating along, doing my best to ignore all your world building in hopes of reading a fluffy, frothy story, when I came across this.
“I know this is personal, but I've had to discuss it with every contestant, so please don't be shy. I need confirmation that you are, in fact, a virgin.”
Okay...
America then has to “sign this form to confirm” that she is, indeed, a virgin.
I tried twice after than to renew my interest. Twice. Maybe it wasn't enough. If it wasn't, Book, I'm sorry. But I can't. Especially not when that is followed by:
“Your only romantic relationship will be with Prince Maxon. If you are found writing love notes to someone here or are caught in a relationship with another person in the palace, that is considered treason and is punishable by death.”
WHILE THE SELECTION IS GOING ON! Maxon is going to be getting cozy to thirty-five girls, but he has to be their be-all end-all - otherwise they will be KILLED!
The hell?
“One more thing. This isn't exactly a rule, but it would be unwise of you to ignore it. When you are invited to do something with Prince Maxon, you do not refuse. No matter what it is. Dinner, outings, kisses - more than kisses - anything. Do not turn him down.”
I am not okay with this.
If this is typical of dystopian's, I don't want to read them. If it isn't, please suggest me something. (Besides The Hunger Games, because that's the other one I started that deserves a better chance - but so far, I don't like it, either.)
And the less said about Aspen and his caveman attitude, the better.
PS: while reading reviews, I came across the controversy surrounding Cass and promptly began to wish I hadn't bought her book. This, however, did not cause my decision to stop reading. Nor even contribute to it. Though it sure didn't convince me to keep reading.
The Selection
☆☆☆
Status: DNF* (*At the time that I read the series, The Heir and The Crown were not out yet.)
Type: Trilogy
Series: The Selection
Ilea is a kingdom divided by castes and the higher you go, the poorer you are. America Singer (Guess what she does?) is a Five, every night she sneaks into a tree house to her secret boyfriend, Aspen Lesger. One night, he breaks it off with her and encourages her to join the Selection, a competition where 35 girls compete each against one another for Prince Maxon. Just as she starts to fall for Maxon, Aspen shows up as a guard at the castle. Conflicted, America has to choose who she wants to spend the rest of her life with, Prince Maxon or Aspen?
I felt like this series is completely focused on America and her love triangle. This should considered a romance, not dystopian. I really dont know what to say, except the cover are very pretty and America is Mary-Sue to me. I felt like EVERYTHING had to be about her from the prettiest dress to being the special one out of 35 girls. But if this does become a movie, I would watch and I adored Kriss, she was my favorite. All in all, I'm just not a superfan of this series.
Pros
•Covers are really pretty
•The book does give you fluffy feelings
•America's fire for justice for those around her
•I like how the each caste has different jobs. Seven is my favorite.
Cons
•Barely features the competition
•We dont see enough of the other Selection girls
•There a love triangle
•America can be whiny and undesicive at times.
Probably won't buy this book after what the author and her band of merry ladies decided to do to a fellow Goodreads member and go off trolling to rank all the 5 star reviews instead. Calling her a “bitch” isn't cool just because you didn't like her review. I do not condone nor respect people who attack, bully, or threaten people. I'll just get it from the library or PBS. It's a shame that they would judge a book by it's cover, when they are the ones who are from an industry of where books are made.
Definitely needs to be on the bookshelf. The whole series reminds you what fangirling is like in a well-written, and fantastic book. 4 stars! A YA must-read.
This story is sooo good, but America sometimes is kinda of annoying, only because she's so slow to catch what people are trying to say. But still, this book is amazing. The book that brought me into reading.
Wow! This was so much better than I even expected. Kind of a cross between the Hunger Games and Cinderella. LOL America Singer is the name of the main character and she finds herself taking place in The Selection to win the heart of the Prince. Her heart is elsewhere, but she is trying to help her family out financially. There are 30 women chosen and they are summoned to live in the castle for a few weeks while the prince talks to them and makes up his mind about who he will marry.
The characters, even the secondary ones, are all really well done and interesting. There are many books in the series so I'm sure a lot of them will come up again. The “rules” of the world make sense and America gives me independent “Katness” vibes. This has just the right amount of humor, romance and adventure. One of my top books of this year so far.
so good, so camp, i love it. made me feel like i was 10 years old again reading this for the first time after spoiling myself coz i bought & read the one first in my childhood home. aspen you are a pathetic miserable excuse of a man. maxon schreave is my #1 book bf (my only one actually) i would go through hell for him
Dit was een reread voor mij en nog steeds ben ik net zo hiped over de serie als de eerste keer dat ik het las. Heel makkelijk weg te lezen en een geweldig verhaal met leuke personages!
Enjoyable and I do want to keep reading the series to know what happens. A little cliche, and the exclamation points kept driving me crazy
“I hope you find someone you can't live without.I really do. And I hope you never have to know what it's like to have to try and live without them.”
Read this during Christmas time and it was a welcome break from all those cheesy Christmas romances I have tried to read and dnfed for the past few days. I loved most of the characters in the book and even tho America annoyed me at times I was able to get past that:)
“It's always the fear of looking stupid that stops you from being awesome.”
I loved all the vibes of the various dresses, the food and the palace❤️❤️
“No, I'm not choosing him or you. I'm choosing me.”
And the growing romance was amazing, but I hated the fact that Aspen appeared as a guard ughhh why why whyyyyy America and Maxon were getting along well and Aspen had to come and become a guard ughhh I was sooo freaking mad coz of this!!!!!!!
I read this in a day and cant wait to read the books from d rest of the series!!
It's oddly entertaining, it's contradictory and not well-thought-out in almost a charming way. The rating can't get higher however, the characters are not well written enough to tackle themes like class and poverty, the series is considered for teens and this is not good morals for them. It isn't marketed as satire or comedy, so yeah.
This book was so... FUN. I've been in a slump for weeks and this was exactly the lighthearted, fast-paced read I needed.
The Bachelor if it was royalty? We love to see it.
I have read this book many times. It's an immensely frustrating book to read. I love the main plot and the premise, but fuck is America a horrible character, she is constantly unsure of literal facts, is the most doubtful and unrelatable character in this entire book. And Aspen is a giant fucking dick. I am really only reading this for Maxin over and over.
Its a very conflicting opinion to have but I do enjoy this book a lot.
Intrigued, not totally sold. Pretty unimaginative world building but solid love triangle with extenuating circumstances plus bonus points for addressing privilege and policy. I get the appeal.
I loved this actually. But still, When i chose this book, i thought it would be something like dystopian world where people in the search of survival thing. I never thought, it would be shortened in a tiny mind of America(character), who is going for a “SELECTION” to marry a prince!? A marriage?, An important thing in collapsed dystopian world
Kind of like the bachelor for teenagers except he didn't pick the winner by the end of this book, lol. Now I really want to read the rest of the books to find out what happens.
¡Y aquí me tienen de nuevo, señores!
América Singer es una ciudadana de Illéa, enamorada de Aspen, cuando éste decide acabar la relación pues no quiere que ella viva en el mismo estilo de vida de él –es un seis, y ella una cinco–, América opta por aceptar ir a La Selección en el momento en que su nombre aparece como una de las 35 seleccionadas. Allí, competirá con las demás jóvenes por el amor del príncipe Maxon. América no tiene interés en la competición, lo considera superficial y solo está ahí debido a su familia y para huir de Aspen. Pero cuánto más conoce al príncipe, más se da cuenta de que tal vez participar en La Selección no resulte tan malo como parezca. ¿O tal vez sí?
Cuando acabé de leer el corto sobre la reina Amberly, estaba sumamente preocupada de que América no me gustara. Incluso cuando leí algo de ella en el corto de Maxon. Pero me alegró mucho ver que mis miedos eran infundados, pues disfruté gratamente de la lectura.
América es una joven aguerrida, valiente, y muy honesta. Son aspectos que de inmediato me gustaron. Aparte que no le gusta andar por las ramas, me agrado mucho ver que ante un problema, ella decida hablarlo para buscar una solución. Por ejemplo, cuando en una cita con Maxon, él estaba acercándose a ella, América de inmediato le da un golpe en las bolas. Cuando éste se queja, ella le explica que un guardia idiota le metió ideas de que Maxon podría pedir “favores especiales” a las seleccionadas. Gente, asegúrense de buscar un personal adecuado para estas cosas.
Como dije en el corto de Maxon, América le sugirió que fueran amigos, que ella sería una aliada para él entre las seleccionadas, y se nos deja ver que ella no pensó de sus sentimientos floreciendo a favor de nuestro querido príncipe. Aquí hago un inciso en que amé ver cómo va fluyendo la relación entre ambos. De una simple amistad, a cariño y luego al posible pero seguro amor. La forma en que Maxon escucha a América, los detalles que tiene con ella, esa conexión entre ellos a causa de un primer y poco común encuentro, esa proximidad tan íntima que hay entre los dos me causaba una sonrisa que ansiaba porque ellos tuvieran más charlas.
Pero no me vi muy bien recompensada al respecto.
Antes de tocar ese punto, hablemos de La Selección como tal y qué es eso de cinco y seis. Illéa está dividida en castas. Hay 8 castas en total, iniciando por los Uno (1), que lo conforman la familia real. A eso le siguen los Doses (2) y Treses (3): famosos y grandes mentes, respectivamente. Luego tenemos a los Cuatros (4) y Cincos (5), empresarios y artistas. Y finalmente los Seises (6) y Sietes (7), trabajadores –tipo secretarias, costureras, vendedores– y trabajadores manuales –como granjeros, limpiadores, jardineros, etc.–. Está una última casta, los Ochos (8) pero están conformados por rebeldes, fugitivos, desamparados, que no son considerados en sí parte de la sociedad, como si fueran los renegados. Las castas influyen en la relación sentimental con otra persona. Si un hombre de una casta mayor, se casa con una mujer de una casta inferior, ella automáticamente forma parte de la casta de su marido (Si María es 7 y se casa con Juan, que es 4, María se vuelve un 4 ahora). Pero eso no aplica en el lado contrario (Si María es 4 y Juan es 7, María pasa a ser un 7. De ahí que Aspen tuviera peos en estar con América). Las castas influyen por igual en el estilo de vida de las personas. Un 4 no puede tener un estilo de vida de 6, ni un 7 puede tener un estilo de vida de 3, a menos que ascienda de casta pero eso es casi imposible.
La Selección escoge a chicas aptas de toda Illéa, independientemente de su casta, aunque a veces puede influir. Por ejemplo, América logró ser aceptada a pesar de ser una 5. Si una chica inferior de los 2/3, es eliminada de La Selección, automáticamente pasa a ser de esas castas (Si María que es 6, es eliminada, como exseleccionada pasa a ser una 2). Automáticamente la chica ganadora de La Selección, al formar parte de la familia real, se vuelve 1.
Me fascinó este sistema de castas. No es algo nuevo, siento que lo he visto en otro lado pero igual me ha gustado como eso encaja tan bien aquí. Pero sí debo decir que me ha decepcionado un poco el aspecto distópico en este libro. Quizá sea porque apenas es el primero, pero aun así siento que, si se pretende hacer un libro “distópico”, los aspectos de una distopía deben verse vistos desde el primer momento y eso no lo vi aquí. No sentí que fuera una distopía con toques de romance, sino una novela juvenil romántica con ligeros toques de distopía. No debería siquiera ser considerado una distopía por eso.
También quiero destacar el hecho de que este libro, aunque me encantó mucho, se sintió muy superficial. Me recordó mucho a los concursos de Miss Universo, pues incluso eché mucho en falta el aspecto romántico. Todo se derivaba a los vestidos, chismorreos, quién es mejor y quién no, aún con el punto de vista de América. Yo espero que, dado que a la final acabamos con seis finalistas, y que, ¡sorpresa!, Aspen ha vuelto a entrar en escena, veamos un poco más el lado romántico que tanto me hacía falta.
Y antes de acabar, voy a tocar rápidamente mi opinión respecto a la relación Maxon-América-Aspen.
Soy una persona que aprecia mucho la lealtad y el amor verdadero, pienso igual que América respecto a que, si amas mucho a una persona, lucharías contra todo para estar a su lado. Cuando Aspen terminó con ella, por unas razones muy estúpidas, me desencanté de él. Así que, con cada pequeño acercamiento de Maxon, obviamente elegí mi bando. Ahora que Aspen, milagrosamente, acabó formando parte de la guardia real y además haciendo turnos en el castillo, cerca de América, lo sentí algo apresurado. No me molesta en lo absoluto que suceda, pero sí me causa conflicto que sea tan pronto. Si fuera en el segundo libro, no lo habría tomado tan... mal. Pero, bueno, como dije, ahora tendremos la sazón que estaba esperando. Me molesta un poco que América se tarde un poco en decidir qué siente realmente por Maxon, y a la vez la entiendo. A la final ella le dijo a Aspen que ahora formaba parte de La Selección y él dejó en claro que lucharía por ella.
Me gusta ver el infierno arder y estoy ansiosa por leerlo en el próximo libro.
3/5 stars
This book isn't the best romance book I have read, but it's a cheesy quick read. Although in order to enjoy it, I needed to ignore a lot of tropes that were used. Also, at times, the character could act rather toxic or problematically.
Summary:
America Singer gets accepted into The Selection, a competition of 35 girls who are after the prince's hand. Whether it's because they want his heart or his crown, what is a dream come true for most girls is a complete nightmare for America. It means leaving behind Aspen, the person she loves, who is a caste below her. As she leaves and starts living in the palace and gets to know Prince Maxon, she starts questioning what she really wants.
America - I was conflicted about how she acted throughout the book, although it can be understood considering what she has to go through in the book. From dealing with a broken heart to having to face rebel attacks Still, there are times when she does act like she's not like other girls. I'm glad this isn't more common throughout the book, but she is one of my least favorite characters. We also have to remember that she is only 16 and is still maturing.
Maxon - He is one of my favorite characters in this book. I wasn't expecting him to act that way when I first got into the book. He is a rather awkward person but is shown to be caring. I loved the first interaction he had with America. Instead of getting angry, he tried his best to not place pressure on her and understand her situation. This continues throughout the book.
Aspen- He has to be one of my least favorite characters. He was the reason why America even came to the selection. He felt emasculated and had a desire to provide for America but couldn't because of his lower caste. He breaks up with her because of this, but then gets reintroduced as a guard later in the story. I already knew that this meant that the next book would be focused on a love triangle.
Overall, I'm glad that they focused more on the events of the selection and the blossoming relationship between Maxon and America. I also liked how they introduced most of the other competitors. I wish we got to see more of Marlee in this book, as I liked how their friendship was developing. Read it if you don't like to think too much about the plot and are there for the romance.
This book has been on my TBR for a while and I heard so many differing opinions on it but I am glad I finally read it because I really ended up enjoying it.
I felt like there could have been a little more world building. I was left a little confused on why things were the way they were. Maybe that will be touched on in future books.
I enjoyed The Selection itself because you know me and my romance even though it's not the typical way of finding your soul mate. I do wish that it was a little less obvious who he's going to end up picking though. But who knows maybe I am wrong and he's going to pick someone I never expected.
There is kind of a love triangle in this book. Starting out in the beginning America is dating Aspen which I adored and then things happen and she ends up as part of The Selection so then its kind of like she's dating Prince Maxon in a sense. It builds up for future books. I ended up adoring Prince Maxon as well so at this point I'm not sure whose side I'm on.
As for America herself a lot of people hate her. They say she is annoying but I didn't feel that way. I thought she was a normal teenage girl who is actually kind of a badass character because she's not afraid to speak her mind no matter who she's talking to.
I was left with some unanswered questions that I hope will be answered in future books but overall this was a fast paced enjoyable read.