That Time I Gave a Book a Second Chance: A Book Review

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.

Hello Loves!

I spent the rainy day yesterday redesigning the blog a bit. Let me know your thoughts on the new look and whether or not you preferred the old look. I’m also looking into the possibility of going self-hosted ;).

As for today’s review, this book took a second chance before I finished it through. Read all my thoughts below!

Ownership: Own  
Genre: YA Romance / Dystopia 
Publisher:  HarperTeen
Published: 2012
Pages: 327
Price: $9.99 (paperback)
Place: Amazon,  B & N, Book Depository, GoodReads, IndieBound

The Selection by Kiera Cass follows America Singer as she’s swept up into the world of life at the palace when she’s selected to participate in the Bachelor-style competition hosted by the royals of Illéa. As per the rules of the current times, princes must select a wife from the citizens of Illéa no matter what caste they might be in. America cannot imagine ever being a part of the competition to win Prince Maxon’s heart. She’s quite content being a Five. Plus, she’s already secretly in love with Aspen. But when her name is drawn and she sent to the palace, suddenly America beings to realize that she might want more than what she had dreamed of having before.

I have to be honest and say that when I first picked this book up over a year ago I just couldn’t get into the story at all. For some reason America just wasn’t connecting to me. But when I heard my co-worker talk about how great America was as she read a copy of The Selection, it lead me to picking up the book for another try at the storyline. Maybe I had been reading America’s character wrong… Maybe I was in a bad mood when I first read it… Needless to say, when I picked up The Selection a few months ago to give it another go, I got swept up in the storyline and read through the book quicker than I thought I would.

I really ended up enjoying America this time around. I liked her spunk and her willingness to not only not take crap from Aspen or Prince Maxon, but also not take crap from the other girls around her. I enjoyed that she was willing to be friends with some of the girls and that she truly tried to champion some of them. I also liked how honest and up front she was with Maxon from the beginning.

Let’s talk Prince Maxon now. He was definitely a gentleman and I loved seeing him be awkward, but sweet while also throwing around some charm. I quickly started rooting for him and America! I also loved how understanding he was with America and how he gave her space, but also was slowly trying to win her heart.

While I enjoyed seeing their slow romance begin to bud in this first book, I also had some moments where I wanted to throttle the both of them (this only increased in book 2). With that said, I think Cass did a great job developing these two characters and the secondary characters as well. I didn’t think that the “love triangle” played too big of a role in this first book, but it does seem to increase in the later books. Also, I did wish we got to see more of Maxon’s point of view, but I understand that this is America’s story and it’s more important to see her character development and arc. (Plus, I hear there’s some novellas that give some Maxon POV!).

Anyway, I really enjoyed this novel! Cass does a great job building this world with the different castes and the politics. While the overall plot was focused on the romance and America developing into a stronger version of herself, the novel also included a good deal of suspense and a little bit of political intrigue that I’m interested to see develop within the series.

Overall, this was a great first book in the series and I can’t wait to see what happens to America and Prince Maxon next! If you’re looking for a lighter dystopian, with some sweet romance and a kickass female MC, then make this book your next read!

Thanks for stopping by! Let me know if you’ve read The Selection and your thoughts on America and Prince Maxon. Are you Team Maxon or Team Aspen? How do you think Cass handled feminism within this novel? What America enough of a kick ass MC for you? Love to hear your thoughts!

As always, Happy Reading!

*Disclaimer: None of my links on this post or on this blog are affiliate links. If I ever begin to participate in affiliate links, I will let you know. 🙂

Follow Me: GoodReads | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin’ | Facebook | YouTube