The Selection by Kiera Cass

Amazon Description: "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."

My Review: I initially thought this book seemed shallow and stupid, and when my sister bought it, I wasn't really too excited to read it. But then she finished, and I decided, Why not? So I read it...and I finished it in like a day. The Selection is an amazing book! It is technically a dystopian book---but only in the loosest sense of the word. There in no cliche evil, corrupt government, no brave uprising or resistance (or whatever word each dystopian book chooses to use). Instead, The Selection veers more towards the type of dystopian book that The Pledge by Kimberly Derting (my review of that book here) is: a more fairytale-ish world with monarchies and kingdoms and queens. The country that America lives in, Illea (the country that used to be the U.S.A.) doesn't seem to messed up or corrupt. The plot of the book is also really fun, the idea that the girls have to compete for the prince. It's sort of like The Princess Diaries + Princess Academy + The Hunger Games = The Selection! The setting of the palace was really fun and I loved the relationships between the girls. Prince Maxon was also really cool. Instead of being the cliche, typical brooding, moody male lead character, he's open and sweet and noble---which is really new in YA books! But what made this book truly brilliant was the voice of the main character, America. She actually sounded like a teenage girl! Brave, determined, selfless...yet also funny, a good friend, witty, temperamental... She seemed like someone I could have been friends---or someone I would WANT to be friends with. Her voice was really great to read through. All in all, this regal-yet-suspenseful book is a breath of fresh air among all the stale YA and dystopian books out there, and I think everyone should read it!

Cover: C'est si beau! I didn't like the cover at first, but after reading the book, I think it's gorgeous, and it's very representative of the book. Pretty, but it has more layers to it, once you look a little closer. 

Overall Grade: A+