Sunday, April 22, 2012

The Selection Review & Giveaway

Series: Book 1 - The Selection
Kiera Cass (@kieracass)
April 24th 2012 by HarperTeen
Source: Publisher
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 the palace and compete for the heart of the 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.
I enjoyed this book so much I stayed up until 3 am reading it.  Really.  The Selection introduces readers to America Singer, our protagonist, living in a future dytopian setting.  She has been selected by a lottery to travel to the royal palace and compete with other girls from different regions for Prince Maxon's hand in marriage.  At the palace, she will have to deal with cattiness, backstabbers, and those girls who feel entitled just because they come from a higher class with in the caste system.  Can America handle the girls who have been selected, Prince Maxon's quest to find a future queen for his country, the demands from her family back home, and figure out who/what she really wants to be?

What's good about being selected?
America's family receives compensation for her being away at the palace which they dearly need, because in this world's caste system they're not doing so well, and every little bit helps.  The longer she stays in the competition, they more she will make for her family.  Just by being chosen, America is elevated to a higher class with in the caste system.  She is also able to leave heartbreak behind, and hopefully grow stronger personally, make new friends, and forge a new future for herself.  The selection, for America, is an opportunity to speak her mind, and her voice is heard by the young prince.  Could she possibly influence change for caste system and help the people?

What's bad about being selected?
For America, being selected causes her to rethink all she has thought about love and marriage.  If she married who she loved back home, Aspen, she would lose respectability, and lower herself class-wise, but if she goes on with this competition, will she lose who she everything she stands for?  Is there anyway to make everyone happy?  Her mother wants her to have a better life, her father wants her to be happy, and Aspen wants to take care of her, but his lower caste hinders this.  Will the selection help her with any of this?

So...
So, if reading about a poor girl "winning" a lottery, traveling to the royal palace, competing to marry the prince, all while braving the ins & outs and highs & lows of a future caste system that makes it hard to rise above your station, then The Selection could be the book for you. Cass writes America, Aspen, and Maxon so well you will feel connected to them. You will want America to succeed in her quest to make a better life for herself, which will be hard in this society. 

The Selection is book one in a series, which I was unaware of as I finished the book.  So, when I got to the end of the book I experienced major anxiety over not knowing what was going to happen! Seriously! How could you do this to me, Kiera Cass? Hopefully, I'll be getting my fix in another way.


Lagniappe (a little something extra)
Did you know The Selection is already in the makings for a CW TV series?  Well,  it is!  Let's take a look at who is going to be who!


Aimee Teegarden as America Singer
You may know her from Friday Night Lights (tv show) and Prom.


Ethan Peck as Prince Maxon


William Moseley as Aspen Leger
You may know him from The Chronicles of Narnia movies.
Giveaway Rules
*Please fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter the giveaway.
*You must be 13 years of age or older.
*This contest is open to wherever the Book Depository ships, so check to make sure your country is listed.
*The winner will be announced on this blog post at the conclusion of the contest, be notified by email, and will have 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen.
*Please do not put your email address in the comment section.  Please do write a comment. :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

19 comments:

  1. I'm really looking forward to The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa and the most recent installment of the Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare:)

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    1. I really enjoy The Mortal Instruments series, and you do need to read City of Fallen Angels! I can't wait to read The Immortal Rules. Great choices.

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  2. I am really, really, really looking forward to three upcoming books:

    1) Insurgent by Veronica Roth
    2) Dreamless by Josephine Angelini
    3) The Selection by Kiera Cass

    Two of those are dystopians, and one is based on Greek mythology - and all themes I absolutely LOVE and ADORE! Thank you for this giveaway opportunity! :D

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    1. Love your choices! I'm dying to read Insurgent & Dreamless. Divergent & Starcrossed were two of my favs from last year!

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  3. I am looking forward on reading City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare, Insurgent by Veronica Roth and Until I Die by Amy Plum :D

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    1. Yes! Read City of Lost Souls! Such a great series, right? I can't wait for Insurgent and Until I Die. Love those two series.

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  4. I was really looking forward to reading Shadow and Bone, but thankfully I got to review it beforehand, so now I'm just dying to read Purity by Jackson Pearce and Thumped by Megan McCarthy. :)

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    1. I want, no, need to read all three of these books! I can't wait. They all look excellent!

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  5. I'm looking forward to this book actually..
    Thanks for the giveaway

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    1. Yay! The Selection is an excellent choice! I hope you get to read it soon & enjoy it as much as I did.

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  6. Im most looking forward to The Enchantress The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott, Rift by Andrea Cremer and Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore.
    Thanks for a great giveaway i cant wait to read the selection.

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    1. I have heard great things about Michael Scott's series. I can't wait for Rift and Rise of Nine. I love those two series! :)

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  7. I'm looking forward to Glitch!
    k_anon[at]hotmail[dot]co[dot]uk

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    1. I've seen this one by Heather Anastasiu around on some other blogs, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet. It looks very interesting!

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  8. i'm really looking forward to until i die by amy plum, arise by tara hudson, endure by carrie jones, and of course insurgent by veronica roth : ) thanks for the great giveaway!

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    1. Yes, yes, and yes! All great series by amazing authors. I really wonder how I will find time to eat, sleep, work, and read with all the great books coming out in 2012, don't you?

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  9. The Selection was actually one of them. That's why I'm excited about this giveaway! Thanks!

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  10. Malvina BeatriceMay 3, 2012 at 1:19 AM

    1. City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare
    2. Underworld by Meg Cabot
    3. Golden Lilly by Richelle Mead

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  11. I'm looking forward to reading:
    1. Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst
    2. The Selection by Kiera Cass

    Casie

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