The Selection

The Selection

by Kiera Cass

America Singer lives in a dystopian future where the United States is gone, and a new kingdom is in its place, complete with a caste system where you stay in the level in which you're born unless something amazing happens.

Something amazing has happened to America.

Born a Five, she's selected to participate in a contest for the future king's hand.  One girl is selected from each of the 35 provinces in a Bachelor-like competition to become the future queen.

But America has already fallen in love with a Six.  She had her future planned out and this whole contest has put a serious crimp in her plans.

Sent to the palace, she's cleaned up, dressed up, and put up against 34 others.  Only one will get to become a One and marry the prince.  Only one gets to help her family get out of poverty and lift them out of their caste level.  Only one gets to be queen.

America's sure she doesn't want to be that one.  But the prince is a nice guy, the girls are almost all fairly decent people, her Six has abandoned her, and her family needs the money.

Can she do what's right and still find her happiness?

Final thoughts:  Billed as The Hunger Games meets The Bachelor, this is a dystopian romance that's more fluff than anything else.  The kingdom seems a little too messed up, with attacks on the palace being pretty regular and the country has very little stability, making the desire to have this reality competition for the prince's hand seem kind of stupid.  However, if you just let go of that and enjoy the fluffy cotton candy nature of it, it can be kind of fun.  Don't expect a deep, meaningful tale of warnings about the future.  It's not here.  Just relax and enjoy the ride.

Rating: 4/5