In a dystopian world, the former United States, now named Illea, is torn by strife and a strict caste system that separates the rich from the poor while forcing people to follow certain professions. Combine this world with The Bachelor (or later Bachelorette), and you get The Selection. Please be warned, this review will contain spoilers.
*Spoiler Alert*
The Selection series is broken into two parts. The first part is three books; The Selection, The Elite, The One, and a short story collection entitled Happily Ever After. These books follow the Selection of Prince Maxon Shreave from the point of view of candidate America Singer. The second part is two books, The Heir, and The Crown, and follows the child of America and Maxon, Eadlyn, as she is forced to go through her own Selection process.
So, what is the Selection?
In Illea, there are eight castes. Eights are the poorest of the poor, and each cast gets richer until it gets to the Ones, which are the Royal Family of Illea and their immediate family. Furthermore, each caste is a specific profession. Most teachers are Three's, while America's family are Fives, which are artists and musicians. Whatever caste a person is born into, they are in for life (unless they are able to marry up / down).
As a means of connecting with the people, and to placate the growing unrest in Illea, which has multiple rebel factions that attack the palace on a surprisingly consistent basis, the royal family holds the Selection. The Selection calls for thirty-five eligible women, consisting of every cast and every region of the country, to be invited to the palace to compete for the hand and heart of the Prince. America is one such girl who ends up being chosen.
The first three books follow America's time in the Selection as she makes friends, enemies, and falls in love with Prince Maxon, a man she initially dislikes. There is a romantic triangle, as most YA romance books have, but the one between America, Maxon, and Aspen (a Six from her hometown) is weak compared to others. While Cass tries to make it believable that America might pick Aspen, it is clear very early on that she will choose Maxon by the end.
The whole concept is a bit ridiculous, but Cass is able to make it work due to her exquisite writing and character voice. Despite the annoying love triangle, America is a believable and wonderful voice to describe events, both good and bad. Her fear when rebels attack the palace is palpable, as is her love for Maxon by the end of the series. Though not an impartial observer, America's views on life inside the palace, and outside it, create a living world for the reader to enjoy, especially because America grows as a character over the course of the series.
That's not to say it's perfect though. The love triangle aside, there is very little about the world outside the palace. The reader learns of the caste system, they learn what a Five lives like, and they learn what life in the castle is like both for the Prince and his potential wives. However, it is clear there is much more about the world of Illea we are not privy to, and the lack of details is unfortunate and weakens the series as a whole.
The second part of the series has Eadlyn, Crown Princess of Illea, hold her own Selection with thirty-five men. A key difference though is that King Maxon and Queen America have dissolved the caste system. Though Illea no longer has rebels, and the people love the King and Queen for removing the oppressive castes, there is still discrimination and a lack of choice for many people.
Though Eadlyn is an interesting character, she actually seems to regress over the two books, and that is disappointing. Initially, she isn't someone who believes in finding love, but by the end, she falls in love and is astonished at how wonderful it feels. However, as she gains this new emotional capacity, she seems to become a weaker person, plagued by far more self doubt. It's an odd choice by Cass, and doesn't endear Eadlyn to the reader.
The key plot points are equally perplexing. Much of the plot in The Crown revolves around a villain who isn't introduced in the first book, making the whole thing feel forced. While there are moments in The Heir where it's clear Eadlyn may have feelings for her eventual husband, Erik, it isn't obvious until the big reveal, which makes it hard to comprehend where the emotions came from. Furthermore, everyone she seems to have feelings for in the first book either decides they love her as a friend/sister, or are gay and can't be with her. It's a convenient way to remove people from contention, but comes off as lazy writing.
Though ridiculous, America's trilogy seems as though it could happen. The events of Eadlyn's arc are not the same. Many of the actions taken by Eadlyn or her parents are obviously bad ideas, and when they fail, the reader can't be surprised like the characters are, as there was no chance of the success the characters hope for. Also, when Eadlyn becomes Queen due to her father's abdication, the general acceptance the end of the reign of a beloved ruler of twenty years, for a girl not even out of her teens, is absurd. The ending is no less ridiculous, as Eadlyn throws the country into massive upheaval, though the series' end means the reader is left wondering what the ramifications of Eadlyn's extremely shortsighted decision will be.
I can't speak as to the exact reason Cass wrote the second part of the series, but I can say definitively that the original trilogy would have been better off without it. The short story collection, Happily Ever After, adds four novellas centered on America Singer and those around her. It provides some new views to the process, but ultimately doesn't add anything that really stands out as a necessary addition to the universe.
The Selection by Kiera Cass - 7.5 (The Selection - 9/10, The Elite - 8/10, The One - 8.5/10, Happily Ever After - 7.5/10, The Heir - 7.5/10, The Crown - 5/10)
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