Review: The Selection Series, by Kiera Cass

[cgraziani]

Loved this series. I generally don't like to start a series until they are all out or until there are a few books out, but I couldn't help myself with this series. I read the description and was hooked. I waited impatiently for each installment. I am very excited to hear about the 4th book that is coming out. Keep'em comin'.

[angelinamay88]

I have read every book in this series except for "the heir" which I don't think has come out yet. I'm waiting for it.
I didn't really like this series, because it seemed like a copy of another book, "The Princess Academy" by Cynthia Voigt. There were way too many similarities, and I must say, The Princess Academy was better. Cass's writing seemed rushed and undeveloped, as though she had a plot, and decided that the first draft would also be the final draft. The way things happened in the book was frustrating because every event and person seemed very staccato and forced. Though one thing I liked about the book was the way Cass described things. She didn't get super-detailed, instead letting the reader create their own imagery in their head.

[JillyB]

I began this series thinking that it would take me till the second or third book to really get into and love it but I was very pleasantly surprised! The Selection is sort of a combination of The Hunger Games and The Princess Diaries. It paints the picture of a disoptian future with just enough of reality thrown in that it makes it seem almost possible that you could one day live in a time and place where everyday girls become princesses. I love the humor that Kiera Cass throws in, but she also hits some pretty hard hitting topics as well. This future has a caste system that only seems to be working for those on the top and is the middle of a war that is crippling their small country, not to mention the rebels that could attack at any moment. The system of government is a bit archaic so capital punishment is used for even the smallest of offenses and the King's word is law. All of the back ground politics make the story seem very believable as well as help paint the picture of what life in the palace is compared to everywhere else in the country, so I really loved that she threw in so many little details. I was also very happy that the love angle wasn't too sappy, it would have been very easy to make it all too fantastical with a handsome prince and an everyday girl who falls in love with him. It stayed away from all the cliche lines that most other writers of this genre can't help but fall into, and it had a very whimsical, playfulness to the back and forth of the main characters. Altogether, I would recommend this book to any young girl who dreams, if even a little bit, of becoming a princess and maybe just the redheads out there who are looking (finally) for a heroine they can really relate to.

[IndieMae]

I love this series. It is very captivating and the characters felt very real to me. I loved the new type of society where they have a caste system. America is a feisty girl and I love it her attitude! The romance also felt very real and not sappy. I just hated Aspen! Haha, he was annoying.

[Elizabeth_Edquist]

I loved this book! I finished it in a matter of hours and have read the second and third books in the two days following that! They're easy reads, but so captivating. Kiera Cass has something new for you at every turn; just when you think you might have figured things out, she throws in a curveball and that, in my opinion, is what a good book should do! I can't wait for the fourth book to come out! And if anyone has any recommendations for me based on my enjoyment of this series, I would love some input on what to add to my lengthy list of "books to read"!

[gatorgirl_823]

I read the first book in the series and was not that impressed...maybe I should give the second one a try and see if it gets better. Just wasn't working for me last I tried to read it.

[roughink]

The Selection Series by Kiera Cass is a fun, light, young adult read with some deeper aspects to wade in at points.

As with many series in the young adult world, I responded to the first book most strongly. The heroine, America, is relatable, genuine, and has a sarcastic and kind feel to her character. Cass has created a believable cast in the other girls involved in the selection, as well as a solid world-structure to her setting. The typical love triangle is predictable, but overall done relatively well, and Maxon is a like-able romantic interest. There are quotable lines, a decent amount of intrigue, but by the third book the plot line is dragging slightly and there is crowd-pandering involved, which is a hard trap to fall in by the end of an anticipated series. Overall, though, the characters are enjoyable, the plot interesting enough to keep readers involved, and the world that Cass creates is detailed enough to intrigue - though could use more thorough follow through at points. It is definitely a lighter read than other dystopian series of the genre, and targets its young adult female audience quite well. America is a heroine that girls would want to be, and Maxon (for the most part) remains on top of his white horse. Fun, pretty well-written, and creative.

[Jamie fred84]

So far I'm loving these books, there's another one coming out next month and they remind me of a royal teen version of The Bachelor. I'm not a teen by any means but I love the whirlwind first romances without all the unnecessary pornographic details.

[95ashcat98025]

I absolutely loved this series as Kiera Cass did an excellent job creating a dystopian setting with its clear, although rather degrading, rules. Aspen created a love triangle that could have both America and himself killed, yet they both took the chance as America continued to woo Prince Maxon's heart. Cass stole my heart the way America stole Maxon's with this series, as it was truly wonderfully constructed. Any girl in America's position would have done what she did, no matter the risks, in each aspect of the selection.

[Sarah Clay]

I liked this series the first time around, but upon reflection...not so much. Its similarities to The Hunger Games alone astounds me:

-Future, fallen/rebuilt America
-Caste system
-Low class girl
-Travels to higher class to compete
+Hates it, despite the luxury
-Has boyfriend-ish at home/brooding and grumpy
-New love interest who worships the ground her feet touches/is super sweet
-Rebellion
-Large role IN rebellion
-First boyfriend causes issues
-Strong-willed female character with similar personality
-Breaks the rules A LOT
-Everyone hates her for breaking the rules
-Conflict between main character and leader (Snow & the king)

Basically The Hunger Games with less blood and more drama. And more "giggling." If you can get past that, it's a pleasant read. But I can't. I really do wish I could...

[95ashcat98025]

(Contains Spoilers- Read at own will!)


While it is very similar to the Hunger Games without bloodshed and more giggling, that's more or less the point. This series focuses more on romance than the Hunger Games however, because the Hunger Games was more about surviving in their world, and less about the romance of The Selection. In the most recently published book, The Heir, it's fast forwarded twenty years into the future from America and Maxon's story and is about their daughter and her struggle with the Selection process as well. While the Hunger Games does fast forward to show that Peeta and Katniss had children, it does not go into nearly as much detail as the Selection.

[lilaceverdeen]

I'm not really a fan of this series BUT I did not dislike it.

I like how Kiera Cass built the world but I want more information about the world and the people. I also want more information on why the rebels hated the system so much. I know it's unfair that you classify people on what they do for a living but I feel like there is something deeper than the caste system. I am not contented with what America and Maxon gathered to the son of Illea (I forgot the first name).

And don't get me started with the characters. I'm very annoyed with America! She is the most annoying character that I have ever read! She is inconsistent. She loves Maxon and she won't tell him and then she will wonder why the hell Maxon is getting closer to her other competitor. I hate her decision making and how she keeps things to herself that would have make things easier if she did not keep it buried in her mind and wait for things to unravel because such mess will not occur and would have been fixed if she says what's on her mind!

Maxon is sweet but he does not really strike me as the prince charming type. And Aspen? Yeah that guys who push away America and then wants her back when she is already in love with someone else!

But even so, I enjoy it believe it or not.

[Sarah Clay]

I also don't dislike it still, to be honest. I won't read it again, but I won't bash it, either. My only complaints were the startling similarities to The Hunger Games and the characters.

[csimmons032]

I wasn't too sure how much I would like this book in the beginning. It seemed like was going to have a theme similar to the tv The Bachelor, which it did. I am not a fan of that show which is why I was a little reluctant to read this book. However, it only took a couple of chapters for me to be completely hooked. I literally could not put the book down. I is one of the best Young Adult books I have read in a while. I loved the story line between America and Maxon, and I thought that Aspen was completely wrong to not let America make her own decision. This story was much more captivating and charming than I thought it was going to be. Another thing that I liked about America and Maxon's relationship is that they are taking it at a slower pace to be absolutely sure about their feelings. They don't just jump into a serious relationship. Another thing that I enjoyed about this book is how easily America was able to make friends even though she is technically in a competition with these girls. Now I can't wait to get the other books so that I can see what happens to America and Maxon.

[VinuW]

This series was AWESOME!!! I read the first three books at a stretch. I liked the fact that the author blended a fairy tale world and a dystopian world together.