About the Series
The Selection series has been an awesome adventure and started out as a girl already in love being forced to participate in a competition she wanted nothing with. But throughout these three books, we’ve witnessed America stand her ground for what she believes in, fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, and truly find herself.
The Selection is a series to read again, and lucky us, Kiera Cass is releasing a companion series, continuing America’s story through her daughter in The Heir.
The review of the series includes reviews on each of the following books (listed in order of release):
Note: The review of the second and third books may discuss spoilers from the first (and second) book(s).
The Selection (The Selection, #1)
Release Date: April 24th, 2012
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.
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
• Maid describes how one of her coworkers was almost almost raped by one of the rebels. The rebel was killed by one of the guards.
• Both the Hero and Heroine are virgins
• Kinda cheating (Since you don’t really know what the Hero is doing with the 34 other girls)
• Does have OW (The Hero is basically the Bachelor; he dates 34 women at the same time as the Heroine).
• Does have OM (The Heroine’s ex-boyfriend wants to get back together)
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• But the Heroine and OM do have steamy kissing scenes
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does Not have a separation between the Heroine and Hero
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.
Rating: 3.75/5 stars
“True love is the most inconvenient kind.”
This is especially true for America, who is in love with Aspen, a man who is a caste below her and, therefore, their relationship must be kept a secret.
“I’m not choosing him or you. I’m choosing me.”
But once America’s part of the Selection, she’s surprised that the Prince isn’t that bad. And that maybe she could fall for him. But what about her first love, Aspen?
What started as a “fluffy” cute romance book to read slowly grew into epic proportions. By the end of The Selection, I was so attached to the characters and America’s story that I devoured the pages quickly. By the end of this book, I couldn’t help but fall in love with Maxon, but like America, I had my hesitations. Because there is always Aspen.
What interested me the most about The Selection was that America didn’t want to be in the Selection. She already had the life she wanted, but she couldn’t back out when she was put into this situation. The writing was well done, and I didn’t feel any lags in the story, which was good. I adored the sub-story in this book with Marlee and the guard. ADORED IT. And I feel that it also really brought to light how strong America is, with how she does what is right no matter the consequences to herself.
The Elite (The Selection, #2)
Release Date: April 23rd, 2013
Now with the group narrowed down to the six Elite, the competition to win Prince Maxon’s heart is fiercer than ever—and America is still struggling to decide where her heart truly lies. Is it with Maxon, who could make her life a fairy tale? Or with her first love, Aspen?
America is desperate for more time. But the rest of the Elite know exactly what they want—and America’s chance to choose is about to slip away.
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
• The Hero’s father abuses him.
• Both the Hero and Heroine are virgins
• Kinda cheating (You don’t really know what the Hero is doing with the 5 other girls–although it is confirmed he kissed a few of them)
• Does have OW (The Hero is basically the Bachelor; he dates 5 women at the same time as the Heroine).
• Does have OM (The Heroine’s ex-boyfriend wants to get back together)
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does Not have a separation between the Heroine and Hero
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Note: This review is of the second book in the series, so it may contain spoilers.
“It turns out I’m absolutely terrible at staying away from you. It’s a very serious problem.”
Maxon and America are starting to get closer…
“All I want is your promise to stay with me, to be mine. Sometimes it feels like you can’t possibly be real. Promise me you’ll stay.”
Maxon is willing to commit to America, but America is still on the fence, trying to sift through her feelings for Maxon and Aspen. But America’s time is running out, as the other girls in the Selection know precisely who they want.
The Elite was probably my favourite book of the series, precisely because America finally chooses who she wants to be with (not until the end) and because America shows her backbone! It was awesome and exhilarating how America stood up for those who couldn’t speak for themselves. And even standing up to the king!
The Elite also felt more fluid since so much was happening; it was definitely the opposite of “the filler book,” which is so prevalent in trilogies (although the series is no longer a trilogy). There were so many more characters, and the raids helped up the ante and tension levels in the book.
I cannot stress how much I loved The Elite and the ending! I was on the edge of my seat, blinking unbelievably at my page. But phew, luckily, all was good in the end.
The One (The Selection, #3)
Release Date: May 6th, 2014
When she was chosen to compete in the Selection, America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon’s heart. But as the end of the competition approaches, and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she’ll have to fight for the future she wants.
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
• Kinda cheating (You don’t really know what the Hero is doing with the 3 girls. America does catch him with Celeste; Maxon does it to show America how he felt finding her with Aspen.)
• Does have OW (The Hero is basically the Bachelor; he dates 3 women at the same time as the Heroine).
• No descriptive sex scene with OW/OM
• Does have the Hero and Heroine pushing away
• Does Not have a separation between the Heroine and Hero
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Note: This review is of the third book in the series, so it may contain spoilers.
“Break my heart. Break it a thousand times if you like. It was only ever yours to break anyway.”
America finally chooses who she wants to fight for, but is it too late?
“This isn’t happily ever after. It’s so much more than that.”
Finally, we get to see America get her happily ever after. But with who?
I put off reading The One for so long because I didn’t want the series to end. But I’m happy that I finally read it! Although I liked the previous book more, The One was much more focused on the rebels and how they would affect Maxon’s rule as King. It had a compelling plot due to minor plot twists as more information about the rebels came to light.
The One was written well, but the connection between America and Maxon wasn’t as secure as in The Elite until the end. However, my main annoyance was how indecisive the characters were. It was weird because, in the beginning, Maxon was never unsure about America; only America was deliberating because she had been in love with Aspen. But in the end, Maxon was questioning everything, and only because America wouldn’t say she loved him. I understand and support America even: would you feel comfortable saying “I love you” to a guy who’s kissing other girls to see if he wants them to be his Queen? I get it; it is the Selection. But I feel that he should have fought for her once he decided he wanted America and knew she wanted him (like at the beginning of The One). It was incredibly frustrating.
I also felt the ending was really rushed, like a lot. One second, Maxon can’t look at America and the next, that (sorry to be vague, but I don’t want to spoil anything) happens. I feel like America should have questioned Maxon on his feelings because if you love someone as much as he said he loved her, he should have been willing to hear what she had to say. And trust me, I get how love can make you act brashly, but this was their future they were talking about. If it weren’t for the thing mentioned previously, he could have lived to regret his decision for the rest of his life.
• Maxon catches America with Aspen (the Guard)… Maxon is pissed that America never told him her ex-boyfriend is a Guard at the palace
• Maxon breaks-up with America because she didn’t tell him who Aspen is. He doesn’t even listen to her!
• Maxon changes his mind about who he choses! He dumps America, and to get back at her(?) chooses Kriss. Like, he proposes to Kriss and she accepts.
• A Red Wedding situation happens, where basically everyone inconvenient to the plot dies.
• And, all of a sudden Maxon forgives America and acts as if he didn’t say all those horrible things to her! And, he acts as if he wasn’t engaged to someone else two minutes ago.
• And, America acts as if Maxon wasn’t a complete asshole.
• So, America and Maxon live HEA.
That’s why the ending wasn’t at all satisfying. I knew who the final choice would be, but how it went down felt so ingenious.
Also, TBH, Maxon states early on that America is his choice… yet he continues to date all the other girls (including kissing). So, that’s another thing that felt inauthentic.
Okay, venting over.
The One was a good book for the end of the series, but it wasn’t amazing. Also, apparently, The Selection series isn’t finished yet. Kiera Cass has plans to release novellas and a companion series focused on America’s daughter.
Books I Haven’t Reviewed in The Selection Series
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