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Jul 20, 2017RebelBelle13 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Let's be fair. We all know this is no literary masterpiece. The writing is simply ok. The names are ridiculous. The author tells instead of showing. The world is not nearly explained enough. Despite all this, I have to say that The Selection is entertaining. Everyone likes a story about a large group whittled down to one winner- hence the popularity of TV shows like The Bachelor and Survivor. Maxon's character is actually endearing, and I didn't hate America as much as I thought I would. Let's talk about her name too. I know everyone touches on this, but I have a theory- that America Singer was a place-holder name until Cass thought of something better or more appropriate, until either she ran out of time to change it or the name actually grew on her. It can't be the name she originally had in mind for the character. I think the story would have been so much better had it swapped perspectives between America, Marlee, and perhaps two other of the Selected. That way we wouldn't know for sure which was going to win. The story would have been longer, more interesting and way more of a mystery of who would win Maxon's love and the crown. You know America is going to come out on top, because she's the only perspective we see- and you're not going to follow one girl's story for three books to only have her lose. I also would have loved to have seen Cass really describe the castle better- instead of calling the paintings and flowers 'beautiful' or the decorations 'ornate', tell me what colors they are. Describe them to me. Tell me about your world. How far does Illiea stretch? What are the kingdom boundaries? Cass doesn't give us nearly enough. This book would have been amazing had it been longer and there had been more description, backstory, and perspectives. As it stands, I'm giving it a 3.5, simply due to entertainment value.