sarahjay
Written on Jul 12, 2014
"Sixteen-year-old America Singer is living in the caste-divided nation of Illea, which formed after the war that destroyed the United States. America is chosen to compete in the Selection--a contest to see which girl can win the heart of Illea's prince--but all she really wants is a chance for a future with her secret love, Aspen, who is a caste below her"--
- ISBN10 148299173X
- ISBN13 9781482991734
- Publish Date 4 February 2014 (first published 24 April 2012)
- Publish Status Active
- Publisher HarperCollins Publishers Inc
- Imprint HarperCollins
- Edition Library Edition
- Format Audiobook (CD)
- Duration 4 hours and 35 minutes
- Language English
Reviews
angelarenea9
Written on Jul 9, 2014
This novella was essentially what Maxon was up to for the first part of book one of the series (The Selection). I am usually not into re-reading scenes I just read from someone else's perspective but I really enjoyed this, and was honestly disappointed when it ended. A lot of times the novellas are not as good as the primary works, and feel a little neglected, but I didn't find that that was the case with this one. I think one thing that helped was that there were a lot of new scenes. I could picture what would be happening on America's end, but it was something completely different. I think it also helped that it was a little bit faster paced than The Selection because we already knew what was going on, and had seen the scenes, it focused more on Maxon's thoughts and perspective rather than explaining the plot.
I think that this novella brought a lot to Maxon's character. When I initially read the series I was very frustrated by him floating around with multiple girls, but after this story I could see a boy who just seemed to want companionship, and went from having one long distance friend to having all of these girls.
I also enjoyed hearing about him and Daphne, because I feel that it was a story line that I found myself wondering about.
Basically this is one of the better novellas I've read and anyone who's read The Selection (and liked it) should give this novella a try.
Vicki
Written on Jun 22, 2014
Jun 2014 = 5 stars
Sam@WLABB
Written on Mar 13, 2014
Mercy
Written on Feb 14, 2014
stefu1
Written on Jan 14, 2014
The only reason why it doesn't get a 5 is because i feel like It didn't really give any extra info on Maxon, that it was rather lacking in that sense.
violetpeanut
Written on Sep 2, 2013
All in all, entertaining but definitely did not blow me away.
Check out my full review on my blog, Cherie Reads.
Briana @ Pages Unbound
Written on Jul 17, 2013
My feelings about The Selection are pretty mixed and fluctuated rapidly during my reading of the novel. Until about page 100, I was tempted to DNF and understood why many readers have. The writing, to put it not so politely, is painful. The sentences are short and choppy and an inordinate amount of them being with “and.” Their content does not fare much better, as they contain protagonist America’s flighty and often selfish thoughts. In my notes, I pegged America in the first several chapters as “whiny” and “prone to panicking over nothing.” Although my assessment of her character does not change completely now that I have finished the book (and also the sequel The Elite), she does improve. After page 100, she begins to mature a little and even the prose reflects that. I was ultimately able to enjoy the novel as something of a guilty pleasure, crooning as America does over the luxurious lifestyles of the Ones and swooning a bit over guys.
And make no mistake: the dresses and the guys are what these books are all about. Marketing has pegged the series as a mix of romance and dystopia, but unless one is willing to call a society dystopian based primarily on the existence of a caste system, there is not much to panic about in The Selection. Yes, things are bad: people are poorly paid and often starving, social mobility is close to impossible, rebels keep attacking the palace, and a war has been raging internationally forever. The thing is, however, no one seems too worried. If the characters themselves seem to accept this all as a fact of life, are not too concerned about the draft or the rebels or their chances of dying, I find no reason I, outside the world entirely, should be. America and all her friends (enemies? frenemies?) in the Selection are all having catfights over who has the best dress and who most often makes out with the prince. The focus on them and their shallow concerns makes it difficult to believe the country has real problems. (It is possible this is intentional, that the Ones are attempting to distract the masses from their problems by offering
America’s biggest problem, of course, is supposedly which guy to choose. Her options are friend and longtime boyfriend Aspen, whom she was prepared to marry just days before being chosen for the Selection, and Prince Maxon, whom of course she has never met before the competition. A reader might suspect Aspen has the advantage in this little love triangle, but the reader would be wrong. Aspen barely makes an appearance after the beginning of the book and America spends her days fighting thirty-four other women for Maxon’s affections. This does not, however, stop America from believing Aspen is a factor, and apparently she is going to spend three books changing her mind every few chapters about which boy she loves, with no apparent provocation swaying her one way or the other. America is nothing if not a bit flighty. While I found her antics and concerns amusing and even bordering on interesting in The Selection, I began to tire of them in The Elite.
Is it even worth America agonizing over the decision? It is difficult to say. Aspen seems like a solid guy and America spends a lot of time outlining how much he cares for his family, how dependable he is, how smart he is. The reader, however, might also take note that he is proud and potentially sexist. He is ready to break up with America at the first sign she is providing for him, instead of letting him provide for her. Maxon is more of an enigma, unfolding as the book progresses. He creepily refers to everyone as “dear” and, of course, sees no problem in dating dozens of girls at the same time, but he does have some good qualities, including kindness and honesty. At the end of The Selection, I am Team Neither of Them But Leaning Towards Aspen, but that could change as the series progresses.
Despite the negative tone of this review, I am continuing the series. As mentioned above, I have already read The Elite at the time I am writing this. The Selection has a number of faults, which become more obvious the more I think about the book. It turns out it is remarkably easy to make fun of the writing, the plot, the characters…everything. However, if a reader is in the right mood, looking to settle down to a bit of fluffy reading about girls in ball gowns gossiping about guys, The Selection can be a lot of fun. I would not actually recommend this to anyone I know to read because I have a large mental list of better books to recommend, but I will not refrain from admitting I got a bit of enjoyment out of it.
Content Note: Minor swearing. Oblique references to sex.
Kelly
Written on Jun 24, 2013
I was waiting for 'The Rebels' to make a grand statement, but sadly it never came. It was entertaining, but really more of a teen romance than the post apocalyptic dystopian that it's shelved at on Goodreads.
mrs_mander_reads
Written on Feb 23, 2013