The Selection by Kiera Cass
(Format used for this read: Audiobook)
Yall may be wondering this month why I won’t have as many reviews as I normally do within the span of 4 weeks.
Confession: I am NOT reading as much as I usually do.
I totally thought that being in quarantine the past million weeks on end I would be consuming books at LIGHT SPEED.
Not the case AT ALL, yall.
Lots of reasons for it actually….having trouble concentrating and NEVER BEING ALONE are my two main ones.
(any of you other mamas of school aged kids out there feel like you stepped back in time to those baby/toddler years where you were with them babies 24/7?!?…I’m like “MANNNN, I already DID my time with this no break mothering…WHY AM I BACK HERE?!?” I know…I know…definitely don’t make me mother of the year but I’m KEEPIN IT REALLLLL)
Plus I have been doing some ShaunT challenge groups that have HARD ASS at home workouts, so I haven’t been on a regular running schedule either, which is where I consume most of my audiobooks.
So…I’m hoping this weird “book funk” passes soon because like in so many other areas…I miss my normal reading self.😥
Alright…enough of all that… time for the review!
Yall know by now that YA books are one of my utmost guiltiest pleasures of my middle aged life.
My top 3 reasons why I love them (although there are MANY and I will share them ALL with you one day!)
- Magical situations of any sort whether it is characters, settings, objects, stories, whatever…My Muggle heart is fascinated and ALL IN WITH THAT STUFF
- I am a SUCKER for TOTALLY UNREALISTIC romance…and I am embarrassed to admit it 🤣
- dystopian societies…which doesn’t actually seem so far fetched from reality anymore 😬 so I don’t know if that will remain in my top 3 for too much longer…..
Quite a few friends have recommended this series to me and I thought this would be a fitting time to dive into it.
No magic is involved in this book, but there is definitely some young love and dystopian chaos. (plus there is ROYALTY, which ALWAYS fascinates me in ANY kind of genre…or reality!)
Here is the official summary:
“Prepare to be swept into a world of breathless fairy-tale romance, swoonworthy characters, glittering gowns, and fierce intrigue perfect for readers who loved Divergent, Delirium, or The Wrath & the Dawn.
For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape a rigid caste system, 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, and competing for a crown she doesn’t want.
Then America meets Prince Maxon—and realizes that the life she’s always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.”
The way I would describe this book is that it’s kinda like a less scandalous The Bachelor… sprinkled lightly with a bit of the book of Esther …shaken up with a less violent Hunger games.. and even a teensy dash of The Princess Diaries.
Sounds freaking good, right?!?🤣
BECAUSE IT SOOO IS YALL.
I mean…of COURSE it has some fairly predictable outcomes AND some kinda cheezy moments…but that kinda goes with the territory in this genre, am I right????
And why I GET TOTALLY INTO THIS SHIT, YALL.
But what it ALSO has is suspense, intrigue, crowns, fancy gowns, girl drama, love triangles AND A ROYAL FAMILY.
So let me tell you why this book reminds me of each of those things listed in that equation up there:
- The Bachelor: 35 girls are picked to compete to become the wife of one prince. He goes on dates with each of them, the girls have rivalries with each other, there are photo shoots and TV interviews…you get the drift. But less scandalous in that there are no steamy hot tub or locked hotel door moments AND these girls are like 18 years old 🤣 You totally develop a “favorite” early on and start pulling for certain girls to get “voted off” fast too..just like allll you Bachelor fans out there do EVERRRY season.
2. The book of Esther: Okay this *may* be stretching it a bit BUT if you are familiar with the story in this part of Scripture, you will remember that girls are selected from all over the land for the sole purpose of being with the king. 🙄 They are chosen for their beauty and then have a flurry of people giving them the makeover of a lifetime with elaborate beauty treatments that take MONTHS. In this book, the girls “finishing” doesn’t take MONTHS, but as they described all the things they were undergoing Esther is TOTALLY WHAT I THOUGHT ABOUT. (my feminist side here cringed a HELLA LOT in this part….I’m not against makeovers or beauty treatments..shoot I am ALL FOR THOSE IN EVERY WHICH WAY…but I am against doing them all just to be “accepted” and “presentable” for a MAN…ESPECIALLY because you are being TOLD to do it for a man🙄…but whatever…)
3. The Hunger Games: A dystopian nation split apart into a caste system by 8 number rankings. The number you are born into determines your job, income, and “place” in society…the lower the number, the lower the ranking. (I can’t remember if they explained how families originally GOT their numbers…) Very reminiscent of Districts in Hunger Games, except in that book all districts are separate. In this book, each ranking of number lives among other numbers but they all have their designated place. You are only to mingle with others in your caste and it is very difficult if not almost impossible to change your caste in a beneficial way. Plus there is unrest among citizens and rebellions starting to rise up against authority…
4. The Princess Diaries: The way that the main character America gets swept into this fancy way of life she is not used to, yet she remains true to her genuine self completely reminded me of Mia. America is not as goofy or awkward as that precious teen, but she always speaks her mind and resists conforming to expectations placed upon her.
I don’t want to say too much more because yall know I am not a spoiler of things…and there is a LOT I could spoil here…
Anyway, at this point in reading my ramblings, you either are intrigued by this book or have decided that is sounds like juvenile trash and will wait to use one of my recommendations for your next read when I post a more adult/serious book 🤣
I think that this story was a GREAT distraction from the stress that is our daily life right now…if you need one too, go read it.
Yall know I already checked out the next book in the series so stay tuned for my thoughts on the continuation….