The Selection by Kiera Cass

Title: The Selection

Author: Kiera Cass

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: April 24, 2012
Received From: Bought

Summary: 

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.
But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.
Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

Review:

The Selection by Kiera Cass was unlike anything I had ever read before. It was a dystopian but with a fairy tale twist, but unlike in many other dystopian novels Kiera Cass was not so focused on world-building that nothing happened in the first book. Instead The Selection was engaging, fun, and entertaining. 
 
America is a wonderful protagonist. She was strong and so willing to help her family but she didn't have that robot feel where I couldn’t connect with her. America felt so real, and I am sure that if I met her she and I could be great friends. Kiera Cass has created a great cast of characters because even though there are so many, it never seems as if they are there just for filler. They all have a purpose and have such different personalities that I couldn't wait to learn more about them.
 
The dystopian part to The Selection, while important to the plot and why the Selection is happening, is not so in your face that people who don't usually like dystopians will be turned off. When I was reading it I thought of it mostly as a fairy-tale with a dystopian setting. Because truly that's what it is.
Kiera Cass has created a world with castes, romance, and unrest that kept me up all night wanting to know more. I cannot wait for the next book in the series so I can find out what happens next!
 
Cover thoughts: I adore this cover! Yes it is a girl in a dress but visually it is different and I so want that dress!