Review: The Selection

Title: The Selection
Author: Keira Cass
Series: The Selection
Volume: 1
Genre: Romance, Drama, Dystopia

Why I Read It: I actually tried to pick it up soon after it came out, but the first couple of chapters are very weak. I picked it up again because the last book's cover has been released, and it reminded me that I haven't read them. I finished it this time.

A Quick Introduction: 35 girls will be chosen to go to the palace and compete for the prince's hand. For most this is a dream come true, the only way to escape the rigid caste system in place. America Singer doesn't want to be chosen- she doesn't want to have to leave her secret love. But against all odds, her name is chosen. And the more time she spends at the palace, and with the prince, the more she begins to question the future that she's always imagined for herself.

What I Thought: In a lot of ways, this book was exactly what I perceived it to be the first time I picked up the book- melodramatic and shallow. America can be quite an annoying character at times, mostly in that she is not believable character- she seems to cater to a lot of the tropes that the industry thinks readers like. It is the same with a lot of the other characters in the story. I also feel like a lot of the plot points weren't really explained in depth (like the rebel attacks). They weren't given a very good base, so the world isn't as engaging. I feel that there was potential at some points of the story, but I wish that those points had appeared more often. This books was pretty formulaic overall, catering to the tastes of the YA atmosphere recently.

I wouldn't say that I hated the book, but I don't really have much in the way of complex feelings about it one way or the other. It was just another YA book, without too much to stand out in my memory. I also have The Elite, which is the sequel, out of the library, and we will have to see if I end up finishing it.