The Selection

This is a post I meant to write at least a month ago and I kept putting it off at first because after I read the acknowledgments in the book, I couldn't take it seriously. And then I just forgot all about it. I'm not even sure I can write a proper post at this point because it has been so long since I read it.

The Selection (by Kierra Cass) is yet another dystopian novel. There are so many these days, not that I am complaining. Dystopian fiction is my favorite book genre. The story in this novel is...Different. At first, I was sure I would hate it. Here is the premise. There are eight different castes, one being the richest and eight being the poorest. America (the main character, not to be confused with the United States or North/South America) belongs to five (who make their living as artists, musical or otherwise). She reluctantly enters a contest to be invited into Prince Maxon's home as a potential bride, along with thirty-four other women.

Does it sound like The Bachelor? It is. Once these women move into the palace, their time there is broadcast on TV. I have never taken a particular interest in The Bachelor, I haven't even seen one episode. That is one of the main reasons I did not think I would enjoy this book. Part of me is just hopelessly cynical. But I can't deny that I am a fan of love stories. So even though, initially, my reaction to this book was to roll my eyes, I found myself becoming emotionally invested in these characters as the story went on.  The cynical part of me wanted to hate The Selection, but I couldn't.

The events in this novel take place after the fourth World War. Can you believe it? Not only were we stupid enough to have a THIRD World War, we went and had a fourth as well. America became the 'American State of China' before being invaded by Russia. Eventually, America regained its independence, but the country's name was beyond damaged and no one wanted to be associated with it. Therefore, it was renamed Illea, after the man who saved the country.

The citizens of Illea are not given history books. They are expected to just "know" their country's history. Because of this, most people are unsure of what happened in the past and have conflicting information. This is the most interesting aspect of The Selection. Without this detail, it's just another romance novel. I will read the second novel because I am curious as to what there is to hide about Illea's past.

I probably would not recommend The Selection to anyone unless they really enjoy romance novels. I certainly would not recommend it to someone who loves dystopian fiction. As I said, I did become invested in the characters and their relationships, but there are other books out there that do both genres better.