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Before thirty-five girls were chosen to compete in the Selection...

Before Aspen broke America's heart...

There was another girl in Prince Maxon's life...

Don't miss this thrilling 64-page original novella set in the world of the New York Times bestselling novel The Selection. Also features a teaser to The Elite, Kiera Cass's hotly anticipated sequel to The Selection.

64 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 5, 2013

1164 people are currently reading
63386 people want to read

About the author

Kiera Cass

40 books65.8k followers
100 Things I Love:

Being married. Cake. The smell of Autumn. Motherhood. Books. Elephants. Back rubs. On demand movies. Actually going out to movies. Faith. Cinnamon rolls. My family. Butterflies. When my kitchen is clean. Crayons. Pink. Tote bags. Dancing. Organizing via color coordination. That my wedding dress was tea length, not floor. Baking. My house. Writing utensils. Paper. India. The sound of water. Making videos. Buttons. The word Episcopalian. Making people laugh. Layering clothes. British accents. Pinterest. Animation. Fireworks. The smell of the Ocean. My wedding rings. Aprons. Reasons to get dressed up. Sex. Pop music. Stars. Taking walks. Daydreaming. Stickers. School Spirit. My friends. Living in a small town. Japan. Singing. Painting my toenails. Pranks/ practical jokes. Painting. Stretch canvas. Costumes. Dipping my fingers in melted wax. Style. Soda. Spending an hour typing at a coffee shop. Musicals. Back to school season. Mopeds. Good hair days. Naps. Not walking up but looking at a beautiful staircase. Driving alone. My ankles. Playlists. Spending entire days in pajamas. Holidays. Telling stories. Spontaneity. Theme parks. Bookshelves. The word copacetic. Boxes. Empty journals. Surprises. Doing things in groups. Doing things alone. Getting real mail. Decorating. Small forks. A good hug. Gift cards. New Years Goals. Going out to dinner. When someone else remembers some great story about me/us that I’ve forgotten. Toy stores. Fireplaces. Breakfast foods. Journaling. Crying for a good reason. Doorbells. Pointless adventures. Voting. My birthday. Reasons to make wishes. Recycling.

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5 stars
28,907 (33%)
4 stars
27,955 (32%)
3 stars
22,821 (26%)
2 stars
5,931 (6%)
1 star
1,466 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,202 reviews
7 reviews
March 25, 2013
Does anybody else's heart melt in to warm chocolately happiness whenever they think of Maxon?
Profile Image for Sam.
127 reviews13 followers
July 29, 2013
I can't wait to read this!!!!! OMG OMG!!!
Jonah Hill photo fangirl.gif

Prince Maxon!!!!
There was another girl in Maxon's life
SHOO photo himym18.gif WHAAAAATTTT???????
============
Update:(Read) 7/29/13
Profile Image for ♥ℂĦℝΪՖƬΪℕÅ.
230 reviews3,958 followers
December 11, 2018
Buddy read with my, girl Desireé :)

3 Knowledge isn’t love ★'s

“There was something about her.. Even the way she didn't like me drew me in, and I couldn't help but smile.”

This novella is fast passed and really easy to read. But for me, it was just alright. I didn't love it but I can't say I hated it either. It's written in Prince Maxon's POV which was initially what drew me to want to read it in the first place. It takes place a couple of weeks before The Selection which just so happens to be on his 19th birthday. I really enjoyed the first few chapters. The ones that took place before. It was nice seeing all the work that went into the preparations for the 'lottery' that really wasn't a lottery at all! And seeing it all through Maxson's eyes. It was wonderful to be inside his head, to see his fears and doubts throughout the whole prosses and what his expectations were going into it and whether or not if he'd find love in the end. I have loved Maxon from day one and this just helped solidify it even more. He's charming, sweet, passionate, a bit sheltered and he generally cares about The Selection and each one of the girls. I also enjoyed having his thoughts on the girls as well. Especially the one he has about America :) Maxon is so damn easy to love! The last couple of chapters were retellings of Maxon and America's first couple encounters in The Selection just through Maxon instead. And they were pretty boring because of it. Therefore that's why I'm giving it just 3 ★'s. Even though I didn't love it I do recommend this to The Seclection fans because it does give some good insights.

“If she were (looking into my eyes), she’d have seen how absolutely floored I was the first time I finally, truly saw her. The clouds moved at just the right moment, fully lighting her face by the moon. She was dazzlingly beautiful. Underneath thick lashes were eyes blue as ice, something cool to balance out the flames in her hair. I felt a strange flutter in my chest, like the glow of a fireplace or the warmth of the afternoon. It stayed there for a moment, playing with my pulse.”

Illustration of Maxon & What I picture he'd look like.
Profile Image for Stephanie (Bookfever).
1,089 reviews194 followers
March 6, 2013
Alrighty! After months of waiting for this one to come out, I finally read it. Woop! Woop! It was a pretty good read and I'm glad to have been able to get a glimpse of Maxon's mind.
The Prince takes us back a few days before the selection where Maxon prepares himself or tries to anyway. He struggles with his nerves a lot, wondering if there will be anyone at all he'll like. Also we meet a friend of his, Daphne. That's the girl the description talks about. Personally I don't think Maxon has any feelings for her, though she herself is very clear about those. And I decide I do not like her. I wish for Maxon and America to be together. If only... Anyway. Daphne leaves again to go back to her home in France and that's that. Then the story moves on to where the selection starts and where he meets America in the garden onto the first official meetings with the girls. We also get some insight to what he thinks about some of the other girls. Not sure how I feel about that but fine, he's allowed to have opinions. I also have decided I dislike his father a lot.
But overall I liked this novella about Maxon. I really love this guy. Especially when he doesn't know what to do when girls cry. Poor fella! ;)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Isa Cantos (Crónicas de una Merodeadora).
1,009 reviews43.6k followers
December 4, 2016
Nunca voy a tener suficiente de Maxon, ¿okay? Podrían escribir un libro entero sobre cómo limpia los lentes de sus cámaras para tomarle fotos a America y yo lo leería. Ese es el nivel de amor que tengo por este personaje... que no existe... que nunca va a salir de las páginas de un libro... *llora desconsoladamente*, jajajaja.

El punto con esta historia corta (QUE ES DEMASIADO CORTA Y ME PARECE FATAL PORQUE LA DE ASPEN TIENE MÁS PÁGINAS ¬¬) es que vemos a Maxon unas semanas antes de que empiece la Selección. Conocemos sus dudas, sus miedos y, sobre todo, un poco del ambiente del Palacio y de las relaciones entre el Rey y su hijo. Porque, vamos, todos los que hayamos leído La Selección sabemos que el padre de Maxon es un capullo y que no se merece nada de lo bueno que le ha pasado, empezando por la Reina Amberly y su hijo Maxon.

Ahora, lo mejor de esta historia es que vemos algunas de las escenas de La Selección desde el punto de vista de nuestro crush literario favorito <3. Ver desde los ojos de Maxon ese primer encuentro con America en los jardines, o la primera entrevista que tiene con ella... y darnos cuenta, a la vez que él, que quedó totalmente fascinado por esa chica pelirroja y de respuestas inteligentes es precioso.

¡Ojalá existiera toda la saga contada desde el punto de vista de Maxon! Jo, cómo lo extraño.


❅❅❅


"—¿Está nervioso, señor?
—¿Ante la idea de casarme con una chica a la que aún no conozco? No, es algo que hago cada día —respondí, con una mueca, y los presentes soltaron algunas risas".


"¿Qué era lo que la hacía sonreír con aquella ilusión? ¿Sería yo? ¿Se le habría pasado lo que fuera que sentía por mí? No parecía muy contenta de haberme conocido, pero... al final me había dedicado una sonrisa.
Al día siguiente tendría que empezar de cero con ella. No estaba seguro de lo que buscaba, pero en gran parte era lo que veía en aquella fotografía. Quizá fuera su carácter decidido o su sinceridad, o tal vez la suave piel del dorso de su mano, o su perfume... Pero lo que sí sabía, con meridiana claridad, era que deseaba gustarle.
¿Cómo iba a conseguirlo?"
Profile Image for Ninoska Goris.
272 reviews173 followers
September 20, 2017

Español - English

La historia El Príncipe está ambientada dos semanas antes de la Selección, a partir del cumpleaños 19 de Maxon y, aunque nos da la oportunidad de saber como se siente con el proceso, esta historia solo me sirvió para saber el porque de la actitud de la reina Amberly con la reina de Francia Daphne en el libro La Heredera.

✨✨✨

The story The Prince is set two weeks before The Selection, starting on the 19th birthday of Maxon and, although it gives us the opportunity to know how he feel about the process, this story only served me to know why the attitude of the queen Amberly with the queen of France Daphne in the book The Heiress
Profile Image for Jessi Galloway.
25 reviews13 followers
March 6, 2013
So...
My reaction when I realized not only was there going to be a Novella to the Selection series, but one from Prince Maxon's POV-my reaction might have looked a little something like this...


yes.yes.Yes!

My Reaction when I saw that I would have to wait until march...

Yeah, I know the feeling.

Profile Image for Jerlyn.
124 reviews80 followers
March 10, 2013
3.10.13
I love that this novella is in Maxon's POV but i'm also disappointed because it was so short. I WAS EXPECTING MORE FROM MAXON'S SIDE OF THE STORY. *sigh*


12.25.12
OH. MY. GOD. It's written in Maxon's POV!!?!?

description
157 reviews191 followers
March 11, 2013
Oookay, unf.
I was worried about the other girl.
But at the end everything was good!

I just love how Maxon thinks, how all his life he had been taught to be someone, of how to be the prince and how he in his own way he rebels against it.

And I loooove his POV the first time he met America in the gardens, he really did fell for her at the begining.

Review before reading:
Gimme, gimme! Gimme NOW.
Ooh, Maxon. I'm not the kind of girl that chooses teams, but baby I'm Team Maxon all the way! And not just because he's a princeling.
Profile Image for Stacia.
101 reviews8 followers
Read
November 17, 2014
The Selection by Kiera Cass

10-2-12; 10:45pm : WHAT IS THIS? WHY AM I JUST NOW HEARING ABOUT THIS? GIMME!

I hope they actually PRINT this! All these e-novellas are really getting me down. :c


12-30-12; 12:13pm : NOOOO. ebook only?! :c


3-2-13; 9:14am
Unfortunately, i will not get to read this book. Which is such a bummer. I'm really upset about it and the multiple e-book short stories being released. :c No e-reader = no bueno.
Profile Image for Imme van Gorp.
784 reviews1,836 followers
August 9, 2025
|| 2.0 stars ||

I'd like to preface this by saying that there isn't much wrong with this novella, but the problem is more so that it just doesn't add anything to the story. I didn't find Maxon's character to be particularly interesting in this and neither is the general plot of the series given more depth/detail with this prequel. It was just a bit 'mweh'. I didn't care much for it.


'The Selection' series:
1. The Selection - 3.0 stars
2. The Elite - 2.5 stars
3. The One - 3.0 stars

Novellas:
0.4. The Queen - 3.0 stars
0.5. The Prince - 2.0 stars
2.5. The Guard - 2.5 stars
Profile Image for l.
67 reviews65 followers
Read
May 11, 2013
IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER. IT HAS A COVER.
Profile Image for deb ☆.
198 reviews92 followers
January 3, 2022
i still don’t know if i like the universe of the selection or not
Profile Image for eliza.
55 reviews36 followers
March 7, 2024
i love hearing maxons perspective!!
Profile Image for jolie.
151 reviews471 followers
April 16, 2025
4.5 stars

maxon schreave walked so wes bennett could run.


ngl this book edged me a bit in the beginning when they were building up to it 😣 i was expecting the novella to be completely ab daphne and the story between them but it wasn’t and i’m so glad. likeee i thought daphne was maybe nice after hearing ab her in the one but she was a completely delulu bitch. “you do love me” okay miss queen of gaslighting whatever you say! he would reject her and she wouldn’t accept it like?? you got your answer, and you just say no? like please humble urself. also i hate her bc she made my bby maxon doubt himself. #1 maxon defender right here! i dare say i know him better than that bitch who was his only friend.

i LOVED this book otherwise. his pov is saur cute i wish the entire series was in pov 😔 seeing those little moments from the first book in maxon’s pov made me so happy. i loved how smitten he was w her from the start. he wanted her, even after she rejected him like?? alexa play “i love me some him” by toni braxton 😋 you can’t tell me he isn’t the blueprint. istg this series deserves twice the amount of novellas as bttm.

spoiler for the elite!

what i didn’t like tho was seeing how he kinda objectified celeste. idc if she didn’t mind, i hate when men have the audacity to do that. ig it adds on to the plot of the elite where they made out, but i also hated that scene.

series review! ⋆。𖦹°⭒˚。⋆
novellas:
the queen
the guard
the favorite
the epilogue
the maid

full length books:
the selection
the elite
the one
the heir
the crown

pre-review

sorry guys the girl they’re referring to that maxon is w is actually me !! i think they got it wrong tho bc we’re still together 😁
Profile Image for Carmen de la Rosa.
613 reviews364 followers
May 10, 2020
El Príncipe se lleva acabo unos días antes de la Selección, donde Maxon se prepara o intenta hacerlo de todos modos.
Él lucha mucho con sus nervios, y se pregunta si habrá alguien que le guste. También conocemos a una amiga suya, Daphne. Esa es la chica de la que se habla en la descripción. Personalmente no creo que Maxon tenga ningún sentimiento por ella, aunque ella misma es muy clara en eso. Y he decidido que no me gusta ella. Deseo que Maxon y America estén juntos. Daphne se va de regreso a casa en Francia y eso es todo.

Luego la historia avanza hacia donde comienza la Selección y donde se encuentra con America en el jardín en las primeras reuniones oficiales con las chicas. También tenemos una idea de lo que piensa sobre algunas de las otras chicas. No estoy segura de cómo me siento sobre eso, pero está bien, se le permite tener opiniones. También he confirmado que no me gusta mucho su padre.
Pero en general me gustó esta novela sobre Maxon. Realmente amo a este chico. Especialmente cuando él no sabe qué hacer cuando las niñas lloran jajaja.
Profile Image for Jessielou.
8 reviews
May 17, 2013


Gimme, gimme, gimme!!!! If you're gonna tell me there's a novella in Maxon's point of view that doesn't come out til march 2013, then don't tell me until the month, or even the week before! I can't deal with all this waiting!!!!!

Please give me a sneak peak?
Profile Image for TJ *Book Twins Reviews*.
1,179 reviews2,592 followers
August 27, 2017
Short and sweet. This little novella features my favorite Prince. Maxon is too sweet and sheltered. I adore him and wish this book was longer. Highly recommended for diehard fans of the series.
Profile Image for Nicola Michelle.
1,813 reviews17 followers
May 6, 2020
I often wondered what would be running through Maxon’s mind during the start of the Selection; he seemed so confident and assure of himself, it was nice to see a snapshot into his real thought processes in this short story. It’s so hard not to be drawn in and taken aback by Maxon’s character, his patience, his kindness and his vulnerabilities and insecurities which we get to see a bit more in this story.

I love a backstory and loved the slight overlap between The Selection and this, adding Maxons thoughts to encounters we’ve already come across in the book. As well as his initial anxieties about the starting of the Selection. It was also nice to read about his relationships with her parents as well as a friend we got to meet from his past. Glad I read this, I can’t wait to read The Elite!
Profile Image for • Lindsey Dahling •.
420 reviews814 followers
April 14, 2019
Oh, it was fine. It doesn’t add much to Maxon’s character other than seeing he’s a pile of nerves all the time.

It would’ve been fun to see him interact with the other girls on the dates we don’t get to see (and America annoyingly never asks about), but we don’t. We barely get to see his first interactions with a few of them (Celeste, Kriss, America, and one he found boring whose name I’ve already forgotten).

You can read this or skip it. You’re reading fluff either way.

Also, my autocorrect keeps changing Maxon’s name to both Macon and Amazon, depending on its mood, and my life is such a struggle.
Profile Image for Saboteadora.
231 reviews164 followers
October 31, 2021
Mucho más interesante que el de la reina, para mi gusto, aunque claro, Maxon es un personaje principal y este libro se desarrolla a la vez que el principio de La Selección. Es justo lo que me gustaría leer en muchas otras historias: lo que está ocurriendo desde el punto de vista de otro personaje.
Yo recomiendo leerlo después de "La Selección".
Es divertido comparar los distintos momentos que ya hemos leído desde el punto de vista de América con los mismos momentos narrados por Maxon.
Y ahora sé por qué se empezó a interesar por Celeste.
August 29, 2025
i love maxon SO MUCH *Added to my list of book bfs* . yeah thats it what sm more? (jk) so um this novella is good and i really got pissed off from this girl daphne like she was like “you do love me” like bitch- but either ways this was good.
Profile Image for Candace.
1,179 reviews4,957 followers
October 30, 2015
Quick and easy read, providing a glimpse of Maxon's thoughts. If you enjoyed te first book in the series, you'll probably like this little extra as well.

Retelling a few of the pivotal moments from 'The Selection' from Maxon's POV helped answer some of my lingering questions about what he was really thinking and what his motives were. Background information related to the selection of candidates and preparation for the "lottery" was revealed, exposing a few more pieces of the puzzle. Maxon's father and mother play more prominent roles in this book.

Profile Image for Angelica.
871 reviews1,231 followers
April 8, 2017
Not as good as The Queen, but good enough I guess. This is the second novella in the Selection series and, as the title would imply, it is told from the point of view of Prince Maxon.

This shows Maxon as he was before and in the first few days of the Selection. The problem was that I didn’t actually start liking Maxon till The Elite.Up until things started going wrong, and the action started to actually build, I always though Maxon to be pretty bland. The entire first book her was kind of just ‘there’ for me. A little ‘meh’ if you will.


While seeing this side of him definitely helped his case, I think it could have delivered more. I get why it didn’t. Doing so would have ruined a big reveal in the later books, but I wanted more nonetheless. I wanted a deeper behind the scenes look at Maxon and his life, and at what he dealt with in his life before the selection. I just would have wanted more. Oh, well.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,202 reviews

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