This cover - LOVE it! |
Title: ‘The Selection’
Author: Kiera Cass
Publisher: HarperAudio
Narrator: Amy Rubinate
Time: 8 hrs. and 7 min.
Source: Audible.com
I was searching Audible for something new—something YA with a bit of a
twist. I have listened to several dystopian novels, and I tend to really enjoy
them (as long as I enjoy the reader).
I have to say, I was not prepared for what was to come with this audio.
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.
My Thoughts:
When I posted on
Instagram that this was my latest audiobook, I had numerous readers tell me who
much they loved this book.
One put it like
this: it’s the Bachelor meets dystopian YA.
That is the
perfect description of this novel.
The plot of the
novel is engaging. From the moment I entered the world Cass has created, I was
taken in. Sold. No need to even think twice. This was a world that I could
tolerate. A new dystopia full of beautiful gowns, likeable female characters,
danger, etc.
Of course, this
story is so much more than that. It is a story of one girl’s journey to
discover her own heart—her love for one and her possible love for another.
America Singer.
Oh what a name—and what a character. I really enjoyed Cass’ development of
America, a girl whose dream was to marry her one heart’s desire; a girl whose
dream is shattered with the call of her name; a girl whose dream changes as
most assuredly does she.
But America is
much more than that. She is not like the others in the Selection. She is
talented beyond words, has a gentle heart, a solid head, and possibly the only
member of the Selection who can save their world if she is chosen to be Maxon’s
princess.
And what of
Prince Maxon? He is not at all I expected. I figured that Cass would develop his
character slowly, to allow readers to grow with him. This was not what happened—from
the moment he was a part of the storytelling, I was sold on his character.
While America is there nursing a broken heart, I am rooting for the mending to
be at the hands of Maxon, a boy growing into a man searching for a wife who will be his true partner, not just
his princess.
I don’t think I’ve
enjoyed a dystopian male character like this since Peeta. I want to marry
Prince Maxon.
This story is not
all wonderment. There are 35 girls vying for Maxon’s heart. Well, really
just 34 since America is there for the food. But that will soon change when she
meets the man behind the prince, the one who really wants to rule the country
fairly.
Since there are
34 other girls involved in the Selection, expect drama with a capital “D.”
Readers will find it all: mean girl(s), sweet girl(s), blooming friendship(s),
alliance(s), jealousy, revenge. Most of all, readers will find an engaging, fun
story that brings dystopia to a new level—one where love is meant to be the
center, at least for the public’s sake.
I must also
include the rebel attacks. After all, this is a dystopian tale, and while
Prince Maxon’s hunt for a wife is the intended focus, the true focus is on how
the world around Maxon is falling apart, and how America can help him
keep a clear head while Maxon decides which ladies will suit him the best.
I cannot wait to
read the sequel, which I’ve read a lot of complaints about. Mostly that America
cannot make up her mind as to who she wants the most—and while I haven’t read ‘The
Elite’ just yet, let me say this: she is a teenage girl searching for the truth
in her own heart. Of course she will have doubts; of course she will go back
and forth on where her heart lies; this is a series and if America and Maxon
both picked right away, there wouldn’t be more story to tell. I plan to just
enjoy and see where Cass takes me, but I am hoping it leads America right into
Prince Maxon’s arms because that is where she belongs.
Team Maxon!
With all of that
said, I want to add a word about the reader. She was fabulous. She breathed
life into all of these characters, transporting me to the world Cass created
without reading it on the page. This is the ultimate goal I expect from
audiobooks. The reader sells the storytelling almost as much as the writer, and
for me, Amy Rubinate captured all of these characters for me.
I loved her.
What’s the best audiobook you’ve heard in a
while? Share below—I am always looking for great audios.
Happy Reading!
- The
Hodgenator