The Selection

“True love is usually the most inconvenient kind.” 

Summary
The Prince of Illea, Maxton Schreave, needs to find a proper wife. He has his pick of 35 beautiful girls from all around the country, who came to his palace to compete in the Selection. It’s  their chance for a better life. America Singer is one of those girls. Though she never wanted it, she catches an eye of the young prince. The only problem is that she is still in love with someone else.

Writing
The prose is light and simple. It’s really easy and fast to read.

Characters
I am conflicted. On one hand, I am a fan of deep and complex characters. But on the other… I am not sure if they would fit right into this story. It’s a rather shallow and silly book, so why would the characters be anything but?

America is supposed to be relatable, but she is just annoying, stupid and irrational. She is portrayed as a kind and compassionate person, and in a way she is, but it’s very hard to root for her, when almost every word that comes out of her mouth makes me either cringe or roll my eyes.

The other two sides of the love triangle – Maxon and Aspen – are handsome. And that’s basically their whole personality. I mean, I am aware that in saying that I am doing a disservice to Aspen, because he is a good guy. At least at the beginning of the book. But he annoyed me later, by risking his and America’s life just to feel her up a little. That ruined his entire character.

Plot
There is no plot. It’s just a bunch of girls wearing pretty dresses, going on dates with the same guy and hating on eachother. I mean, the author tries to create some tension by making the rebels attack the palace over and over again. But it’s so badly done and makes so little sense, that it would have been much better if she just completely gave up on trying to create any sort of action.

Overall
Is it silly? Yes.
Is it completely predictable and ridiculous? Yes
But is it fun? Of course!
It’s a perfect summer read. It’s not the most ambitious book, but I had great time reading it, just because I didn’t have to think AT ALL. It’s The Bachelor in the book form.

 

You can find this book on Goodreads and Book Depository