Reviewed by M. Koopmans, December 2020
The Selection by Kiera Cass is a young adult romance/dystopian novel about America Singer. The book takes place after World War IV in which a whole new country was formed called Illéa which stretches across North America. Within this new country there are 35 provinces which are much like Districts in the Hunger Games. In this new country there is a royal family who has a son that is of age to get married. To find him a wife, all the women that are of age in all the provinces are able to put their name in a lottery of sorts and one woman from each province will be chosen to go to the castle for a chance to be the new queen. Every woman was tripping over the chance to fall in love with the precious Prince Maxon, every woman except America Singer. If it wasn’t for her secret boyfriend begging her to put her name in she wouldn’t have won and got to go to the castle, resulting in her flying headfirst into a life she never wanted.
I specifically loved this book for its complex love triangle and its plot that always made me want to keep reading. This book is best suited for middle school aged kids due to its theme of romance, however it is not a hard read or inappropriate. Also, I strongly recommend this book to people who enjoy the reality TV show The Bachelor or The Bachelorette because much like in The Bachelor these 35 women are fighting for the affection of the Prince. So, if you enjoy the mystery of who is going to win and the drama between competitors this is definitely the book for you!