From the Bookshelf of Reading Until Infinity …

The Selection (The Selection, #1)

Kiera Cass

Start date: September 1, 2014

Finish date: October 1, 2014

Discussion: Monthly Read

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What Members Thought

May 01, 2012 Maddie rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-own, books-i-own-have-read, ya-scifi

This book was amazing. So glad I decided to re-read it for the second or third time :D The one thing that shocked me was that (view spoiler) Glad it wasn't though, and that it was a gradual thing.
Why's there always that girl that's been created for readers to hate *cough cough* Celeste. She just annoys me no end. So selfish. And the way she (view spoiler) ...more

9 likes · Like · see review

Dec 09, 2021 Lois rated it it was ok

Shelves: books-i-own-digital-copy, dystopian, books-i-read-in-2021, young-adult, audio-book, romance, brain-candy

This is incredibly silly and did not work for me.🤷🏾‍♀️
Good ideas but poorly developed.
Maybe the other books are better but I doubt I'll know.
I read this the day that Goodreads was down most of the day and in truth forgot about it. ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

May 10, 2015 Amanda rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-read-and-don-t-own-or-like, really-bad-books

This book sort of gave me the impression of America's next top model in a post apocalyptic future. In this society people are born into castes. If you are born a one then you are royalty, if you are a two or a three then you are a wealthy upper class person. If you are born a four, five, six, seven or eight then you are very poor, being eight you would be homeless and worth virtually nothing. America Singer is a five, when you are born into these castes you are forced to do what your ancestors d This book sort of gave me the impression of America's next top model in a post apocalyptic future. In this society people are born into castes. If you are born a one then you are royalty, if you are a two or a three then you are a wealthy upper class person. If you are born a four, five, six, seven or eight then you are very poor, being eight you would be homeless and worth virtually nothing. America Singer is a five, when you are born into these castes you are forced to do what your ancestors did before you as professions. For America's seven year old brother Gerad this is a problem. You either have that artistic flare when you're young or you don't. I personally would have been screwed if i was born a five, I'm more of a left brained person than a right brained person. For Americas family you can either be a singer or an artist, America and her mother are singers and can play a variety of instruments. Sixes are servants, and America happens to be in love with a six named Aspen. I wasn't attracted to Aspen's character very much as he wasn't my type, personality wise i loved Maxon a lot more than Aspen. When America fills out the forms for the selection her family is ecstatic, and when her name is called on live television to be one of the thirty five selected she can't believe it. So you meet the girls in the competition a few at a time, which was a lot easier for me as a reader. I absolutely loathed Celeste from the first page we meet her, i knew she would be in the selection from beginning to end simply because she is the most competitive of the thirty five girls. Celeste is a two, so she thinks of herself as better than anyone below a three, we also learn than Celeste is a model, which must be what her ancestors did before her among other things. Marlee was a very likable character and America befriends her immediately. I loved America's lady's maids Anne, Lucy and Mary, they reminded me of the lady's maids on Downton Abbey. I liked Lucy the best because she's so timid and so nice, you learn about an attack on the palace a couple years back and Lucy was almost captured by a deranged man. The whole thing traumatized her and she gets terrified every time an attack happens. Maxon is absolutely adorable! He is everything a man should be, he has a sense of humour and he is so generous with America. America is not sure of her feelings towards him thanks to Aspen, but she slowly starts to like him more as the book goes on. If America wins this competition her whole family with her will become ones and she will become Illea's next princess. Will she be able to put her feelings for Aspen aside and embrace the obvious love that she and Maxon share? This book is definitely a unique one, but it's very obvious from the first page who's going to win the competition. It's also very obvious that Celeste is going to be in it until the end, because she provides competition. A good book but there's no surprises here. ...more

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Nov 02, 2014 Kristy Brown rated it liked it

This book was a little bit of a slow burner for me. Although once I was in, that was that. I liked America, and thought she was bubbly and real. The plot was kind of Cinderella meets The Hunger Games meets Top model! I probably will get the next one as it kept me turning the pages...

3.5 stars x

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Mar 06, 2012 Megan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: blue-covers, behind-enemy-lines, read-in-2015, new-to-me-authors-2015, november-2015, 2015-series-read-along-november-dec

I really enjoyed this book, which was a pleasant surprise as I had seen a lot of mixed reviews.

The caste system reminded me of other books that I've read, but it was only slightly as it had it's own uniqueness to it.

I loved watching the relationships between the girls. Some were so nice and caring, while others you could tell were only there for what they could get out it (the crown, prestige, etc.).

Prince Maxon was a surprising character. From the descriptions of him before America met him I ...more

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Apr 24, 2020 Erika B. (SOS BOOKS) rated it liked it

Good news--so far I'm not on anyone's team with this storyline. This intrigues me more than I can explain! :) Which character will eventually win my love?! ...more

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Dec 08, 2011 Chani rated it it was amazing

Shelves: gave-4-5-stars, in-love, dystopian

**This is a http://readinginthewindowseat.blogspo... review**

I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. That's a big part of the reason I've put off reading it for so long. Kiera Cass creates a world in which caste systems rule the lives of everyone, and the country as a whole is run by a monarch. The main character, America, is convinced by her secret boyfriend to enter the Selection, which is basically a drawing for an episode of the Bachelor, where the Bachelor is the prince. Obvious **This is a http://readinginthewindowseat.blogspo... review**

I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. That's a big part of the reason I've put off reading it for so long. Kiera Cass creates a world in which caste systems rule the lives of everyone, and the country as a whole is run by a monarch. The main character, America, is convinced by her secret boyfriend to enter the Selection, which is basically a drawing for an episode of the Bachelor, where the Bachelor is the prince. Obviously, based off of the blurb on the back of the book, she get's chosen as one of the thirty-five candidates. Throughout the book she's torn between her growing feelings towards prince Maxon, and her old love Aspen. Half the time she's bold, and unafraid of what to say, which I really like. Her meeting with the prince starts off this way and it's was a great way to get the two to meet in my opinion. She comes from a lower caste, so certain things are new to her and a huge luxury, like the food and the clothes. This is where I had a slight problem with the story, in that if she's such a low caste, and food is still hard enough for them to come by (it's mentioned they can't afford for anyone to have seconds at the dinner table) then how come they have popcorn? And why does she have her own room? How big is this house they live in? What kind of neighborhood do they live in if Aspen is able to sneak past curfew into her backyard without being seen practically every night? These questions don't get answered, and it detracts from this visual that her family is really going through such a hard time. I would have at least liked it mentioned that popcorn was cheap, or something like that. And that they're house was small but because her two older siblings were gone she was able to have her own room. Another thing that bugged me was how Aspen ended things with her, and why. He got upset because he's the male, and men are the ones who are supposed to be providing. Huh? In a society where literally every family member's income counts (including a teenager daughter--America gives her money to her family for food and supplies) how could this still be such a huge thing? Especially to someone like Aspen? Yes, it's mentioned he likes taking care of people and takes all the responsibility on his own shoulders. But, he comes off as the type of guy who respects people, meaning I doubt he'd disrespect her so much. Ok, it moved the plot, so while it's upsetting, I still don't hate it. Still, it was annoying. I liked Maxon a lot. He's nothing like the stuffy prince that America thought he was, and I like that he's willing to give her time instead of trying to force her to make a decision. He tries to understand, and he treats them all well. It is a little weird that he calls them, "my dear", because he is still a teen, and apparently bad with women, so that comes off a little creepy....But that's not too important. Basically, I liked it, it flowed well, and I read the whole book in one night. I think America could be a good leader, because she notices things about the caste systems and about people that others over look. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a fast, fun and light read. It's not literary fiction by any means, but it's a cute story with an interesting world and interesting characters.
...more

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Aug 10, 2012 Chayse Sundt rated it it was amazing

The first thing that came to mind after reading this book was that I was glad that I was born a boy and not a girl. The drama that girls are able to get themselves into and the punch that they can bring is something that guys can pray will never ever come upon. Ever!

This book for me was so entertaining but also captivating as well. This book was brought an understanding to me of what women go through when faced with competition. But for America winning this competition is far from her.

I imediat ...more

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Apr 15, 2012 Paula Phillips rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. As soon as I saw this book , I knew I just had to read it . Everything from the gorgeous cover to the blurb and premise of the book drew me in, so I sat there and waited patiently and was lucky enough thanks to HarperCollins to get an ARC . The Selection in a sense had the dystopian feel and theme of The Chemical Garden Series by Lauren DeStefano mixed with an almost contemporary feel of First Date by Krista McGee. The Selection to me was almost like a Cinderella tale, where the Royal Family of As soon as I saw this book , I knew I just had to read it . Everything from the gorgeous cover to the blurb and premise of the book drew me in, so I sat there and waited patiently and was lucky enough thanks to HarperCollins to get an ARC . The Selection in a sense had the dystopian feel and theme of The Chemical Garden Series by Lauren DeStefano mixed with an almost contemporary feel of First Date by Krista McGee. The Selection to me was almost like a Cinderella tale, where the Royal Family of Illea have announced that their son Prince Maxon must find a wife and how the Royal Family have gone about it is that their sent an application form to all the households with females over 16years , the applicants then had to drop the form off at their local post office along with a photo and from the thousands of applicants, thirty-five lucky females will be chosen to be part of The Selection and their goal is to win the Prince's heart and one of those lucky thirty-five will have the chance at becoming the next Queen of Illea . One of the chosen thirty-five is America Singer , she is still recuperating from a broken heart and as no interest in falling in love with the Prince but soon it comes apparent that her and the prince have more in common than they both realise. As the novel goes along , we read as girls are eliminated and America at times shows a bit of jealousy. What will happen though, when the guy who broke her heart Aspen shows up as one of the King's new Guards and of all the rooms to be assigned to , he has been assigned to her room. Will America realise that she is meant to be with Aspen or will she discover her true affections now lie with the Prince ? Will America make it to the next round of girls as more and more are sent home ? I personally loved The Selection and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series, the only downside I found was that it finished quite abruptly with the cliffhanger.
Other than that , for me The Selection deserves a Highly Recommended and a 5P's. ...more

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Jun 28, 2014 Ivy rated it liked it

Shelves: checked-out-from-library, published-in-2012

This book was interesting. Not sure what I think about America. I do like Marlee, Aspen, and Maxon. I'm not a fan of Celeste though. I'm curious to know what the rebels want. ...more

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Apr 27, 2013 Mary rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, dystopia, celebrity-billionaire-royalty, fantasy-fairy-magic, book-digital

Lo primero que llama la atención de este libro es la portada..... al ver un hermoso vestido uno se imagina que toda va a ser color de rosas.... nada más lejos de la realidad.

Es el primer libro de una trilogía y usualmente los primeros libros me resultan lentos, pero no en este caso. Toda la historia se desarrolla en un mundo distópico posterior a la cuarta guerra mundial. El príncipe heredero se encuentra en edad de heredar el trono y adquirir una esposa, según las leyes los descendientes mascul ...more

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May 18, 2013 zac rated it really liked it

4.5 stars.

LOVE TRIANGLES ARE SO...FRUSTRATING!!! MAKE YOUR CHOICE ALREADY!!!!!

Okay, now that this is out of the way, here's a kind of (premature) review (THERE ARE SPOILERS!!!):

Things I liked:

1. Though America was annoying at times, I completely understood her actions and why she felt the way she felt. I feel like most of us are so hard on her because it's very frustrating to see her mourning over a lost love while there's a new one waiting for her right in front of her. I feel like it's easy to ...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Tanya rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites

I liked this book in it's entirety however I felt that I needed a little more convincing in order for it to be amazing.
My favourite characters were America and Maxon because I loved their personalities and I loved reading about their relationship. The author's writing is beautiful especially towards the end where America and Maxon had more time alone together and the way the author describes their relationship left me swoon over Maxon a lot :)
I liked Aspen's character but I was not a fan of the ...more

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