This is kind of bending the rules, but I realized I never listed this book for the Just For Fun Challenge.  I’m a bit behind due to not getting my April book finished.  Since it’s catch up month, here I go!
The Selection by Kiera Cass

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Well, where do I begin? I remember when this book came out, and the blogs I followed raved about it. I thought it looked strange, and I decided to overlook it. At some point, it caught my attention a few months ago, and I put it on my wish list. I participated in a book swap, and I gave this to my partner, and she gave it to me! I couldn’t believe the coincidence! And once I began reading it, I had to force myself to put it down in the evenings. Very few books are like that for me. I have much to say, but this is at the top of my list. I planned to use it as a “just for fun book,” and I may eventually. No matter–the read was completely worth the time invested, and I absolutely must read the rest of the series!

Let’s look at the bad, shall we? Uh, was there anything bad? There was some mild profanity, but I meant very minimal and almost not worth mentioning. Again, there was no sex–nothing! It was mentioned, but with the rule in the government, this was something discouraged anyway. (Are you confused? Read the book!) I have nothing else negative to say.

As to the positive, I could go on about this book for some time to come! The idea behind the book was impressive. Imagine the U.S. being overthrown and going back to a monarchy rule with a caste system. Sound crazy? Well, who knows what the future holds? This is a dystopian novel, but it is without the gore and violence that so many tend to feature. There is much suffering, and it is clear that this experiment is not without trouble. There are rebels, and there is fighting. Real danger is there, but that is not the focus of this book.

The idea of the Selection is something that captured my imagination from the beginning. I am not a “Bachelor” fan, and beauty contests don’t intrigue me. As I read about the contest to marry the prince, I felt like I was reading a loose adaptation of the Bible story Esther. As the story went on, I kind of forgot about that and became completely immersed with Maxon and America. The author has a fantastic sense of humor. So often, books are not funny in this post-modern society, but this book was full of a myriad of humorous episodes. The relationship between America and Maxon was breath-taking, and when Aspen returned to the story, I knew who I was rooting for. Don’t be surprised when the ending does not conclude the story. It reminds me of the love triangle in “Hunger Games,” but the story is much more enjoyable.

One more thing I must say. Once in a while, I find a male character in a book that truly captures my imagination. I am not one of those readers who often delights in romance. I will often complain about sappy romance and the like. I don’t like to name “book boyfriends” because most of the men in romances are not my kind. One night, I found myself swooning over the romance within the book, and I have to say that I haven’t felt like that while reading a book in ages. I definitely would succumb to Prince Maxon’s advances if given half a chance (and if you know me, that does not make logical sense.) You can guess who I am pulling for, but if you have read the series, please DO NOT ruin it for me! I hope that the other two books in the series live up to my expectations. This book has joined the ranks of top books for me!

(Note–I only just realized the third book has not come out yet, and I will be reading the second book in a couple of months.)

View all my reviews

Update–the second book is officially out in hardcover.  It was already available on kindle.  And on the 6th, the third book comes out.  I am getting a signed copy from Target for that.  So I should have all books by the beginning of next week!  This is a book that I invite everyone to check out because it is much more romantic and much less violent than other dystopian novels.

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