The Selection by Kiera CassMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Synopsis:
"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." -goodreads.com
My Review:
Before I knew it, I'd finished the book in a blink of an eye... or so it seems. It was too good to keep down for long. The writing is light and imaginative as the author builds a world of castes, rebels and a government rearing against collapse. America is a wonderful character, in the young adult genre sense, because although she goes through the emotions of a typical girl, she knows how to keep them in check and take control of her situation. She's initially skeptical about Prince Maxon and the rest of the royal family, only because of outward perceptions, but she concedes to changing herself and her outlook on life, which in turn gives her strength.
"That was my great ambition. Not to be Illéa's princess. To be Aspen's." (15)
I'm an admirer of Prince Maxon and his charisma, and I wish that Aspen would just stay out of the picture. I'm not sure why, but he annoys me now. I'm not a fan of love triangles and Aspen creeping his way back into America's life, just when she's trying to change, feels overbearing. With America's prolonged love for Aspen and questioning emotions over Prince Maxon, it will be interesting to find out who she chooses... if she chooses anyone... and how. She made it a point, which could be a premise for the second book, to take care of herself first.
First Line: "When we got the letter in the post, my mother was ecstatic." (1)
Last Line: "I pulled back the covers and leaped into the morning." (327)
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Quotes
"I needed to keep up my appearances if I wanted to stay. And I did. I needed to stay." (237)
"This whole time, the power had been in my hands as to when I would leave. I was abruptly aware of how important it was to me to stay." (316)
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Hardcover, 327 pages
Published April 24th 2012 by HarperTeen
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