What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:
*Note: My reviews usually contain spoilers. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.*
Books
The Selection by Kiera Cass
For this week, I took a deep dive into another YA series. The first book of Cass’s series sets up the universe of a war-torn, dystopian future United States, called Illea, where a complex caste system determines people’s standing in society, from the monarchy all that way down to the “untouchables”. Our protagonist, America Singer, is on the lower rungs of society, a Five who shares her rank with artists and musicians.
Life is difficult for America and her family, who have to scrape by with odd jobs they can pick up, and America in particular resents the social structure in which she grows up because it prevents her from being able to marry her secret boyfriend, Aspen, a Six. Up to this point the novel sounds very much like a lot of similar series that came out around the time, but it was from here that things started to diverge a little bit from the tropes I’ve seen.
As a form of morale booster, the monarchy holds a The Bachelor-style competition where the wife of the heir to the Illean throne is chosen from among the ranks of the ‘common people’ and the proceedings are broadcast throughout the nation. After a rather strained conversation with Aspen – in which he feels insecure about being unable to provide for her due to his lower rank – Aspen calls things off with her, and America submits her name into the draw for The Selection at her mother’s request. Naturally, her name is drawn, and from there she – and we – are thrust into the world of the elite. Even though her heart isn’t in it, America forms close relations with other girls in the competition, as well as some rivalries.
The biggest difference between this book and other similar ones, however, was that she also immediately befriends Maxon, the same heir she is supposed to be attempting to win the favor of. Maxon has also taken a liking to her, and despite the fact that they are going against the rules of the selection process, he asks her to be her spy and confide in her about the other girls, and how fit they may be to be the future queen. Little does she realize that all the time she is spending with Maxon are really his attempts at dates, and that he is trying to win her heart.
As more and more girls are sent home – or choose to go home after an attack on the palace – America wonders about her place in this world and starts to learn more about the history of Illea, as well as the nature of the war that currently wages on both its fronts. I feel that this is going to take up a significant portion of future books, and that America is going to be a key player in the imminent battles. This is also compounded by the fact that Aspen has now joined the military and has been assigned as a palace guard, which will also complicate her relationship with Maxon further.
While there isn’t anything particularly special or different about this book, there is good writing, and I’m reading it more out of curiosity to compare with the adaptation of the series that is slated to be released soon. I’m not interested in the love triangle that Cass is establishing at all, but I do want to know more of the history and social structure that make up this universe.
Colourful Granny 