The Selection (The Selection, #1) in Book Nerds :D

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The Selection (The Selection, #1)

Kiera Cass

Start date: September 1, 2022

Finish date: September 30, 2022

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What Members Thought

Jan 09, 2016 Mandy (Bookishlove85) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: distopian, read-own

Oh how I needed to read this book right now.

We start this book by meeting America Singer, living as a 5 in her countries caste system. She is known for her ability to create beautiful music as her choice of career. She is the middle of 5 children, the oldest who is at home so she feels obligated and that it is her duty to help support everyone. The selection letter arrives and entering is the last thing from her mind; until the man she is loves tells her she should try in order to help her fami ...more

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Dec 01, 2017 Jade Diamond rated it liked it · review of another edition

My rating for this book is probably higher than it should be, but I found it enjoyable. I enjoyed reading this book, I didn鈥檛 have high expectations for it. I鈥檓 not sure what it was, but it was a little better than what I expected.

As I expected, the characterization in The Selection was weak. America Singer is portrayed as compassionate, down to earth and is generally pretty likable. However, she鈥檚 also kind of a special snowflake鈥� She is portrayed as better than the other girls because she goes My rating for this book is probably higher than it should be, but I found it enjoyable. I enjoyed reading this book, I didn鈥檛 have high expectations for it. I鈥檓 not sure what it was, but it was a little better than what I expected.

As I expected, the characterization in The Selection was weak. America Singer is portrayed as compassionate, down to earth and is generally pretty likable. However, she鈥檚 also kind of a special snowflake鈥� She is portrayed as better than the other girls because she goes 鈥渓ight on the makeup鈥� and likes to wear jeans instead of dresses. America is also constantly told how pretty/beautiful she is, and you guessed it 鈥� doesn鈥檛 believe it!

The way America is written as a special snowflake would normally annoy me, but I actually really enjoyed her as a character and loved her banter, wit and her overall personality.

The world building isn鈥檛 that great either. All of the world building and history is given to the reader in the form of 鈥淗istory lessons鈥� in classes at the castle which are really just a disguise for lots of gigantic info dumps in which we may as well be given a page of dot points instead of it being mushed together with dialogue.

The writing is unremarkable, and at times just straight up bad. The dialogue is stilted and at times cringey, but it was easy to read. Also, let鈥檚 get one thing straight. While this book is marketed as a dystopia, it should not be considered dystopian at all. The competition in which the girls do not have to participate in has no negative outcomes, in fact the outcomes of losing the competition are still pretty positive. As I said before, the caste system is sketchy and the only thing that could possibly point to this being a dystopia is the poverty, which even then, is not explored in enough depth to even be considered a huge deal compared to the extravagant risk-free competition to win the heart of the attractive, kind, caring Prince Maxon. The palace does keep getting attacked by rebels. What is that about anyway?

This is pretty much The Bachelor meets The Hunger Games, so I honestly had fun with parts of it. I mean, a bunch of girls from various castes competing for the prince in a dystopian world is going to either be horrible or seriously entertaining. This was both.

Anyway negatives aside, I did enjoy this book. It was a light, easy, fun read and I smashed through it. It may be silly, but serious wasn鈥檛 exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up and it made for an enjoyable read. I鈥檒l probably get around to reading the next ones soon too. ...more

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May 25, 2019 Lacy rated it liked it

Shelves: royalty, the-hunger-games, the-selection

Reread and Buddyread with fyre.katz

I still think Aspen is an ass. And I realize upon rereading, this book offers no kind of closure. It reads more like a first section, not the whole book. The Selection is still a fun favorite series of mine. 馃摎馃挄 ...more

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Sep 28, 2017 Imogen Reeves rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I loved the book. I thought it would take me months to read not days. I'm loving Aspen & America's relationship at the beginning of the book but I felt like Aspen changed a lot since America's name was called for the selection in ways I don't really like. I love how America & Maxon's relationship has formed over the course of the book along with her maids. ...more

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