Tuesday, May 1, 2012

The Selection Falls Short

I give The Selection two and half beans out of five and here's why:

While America Singer supposedly does not want to be part of the Selection, a fierce competition between 35 girls to be crowned princess and wife of gorgeous and breathtaking Prince Maxon of Illea, she knows her obvious looks and musical talents could save her family from continuous poverty.
A girl has to make her sacrifices, doesn't she?
But as time passes amidst the glorious presence of his Majesty and maids at her service every hour of the day, she begins to realize that her presumptions of Prince Maxon may have been way too harsh for reality.
Not only that, but he two-year long love of poor boy Aspen remains in the back of her mind through out this televised contest.

The problem I had with this new, futuristic novel that's a first in a trilogy is that too many of the other characters (the other girls competing for the crown, the king and queen) were one dimensional. I felt that while reading, I couldn't feel the competition spirit in the air. It was a bit plotless and I felt like these girls were just roaming around the castle, no real competitive things to prove whether they were princess material or if they were clear compatible matches with Prince Maxon. They had to wait around for someone to slip up and be unladylike, then Maxon would ask for them to pack their things and leave.
Honestly, I didn't see the severity. I felt, while reading, that if Kate Brian, fantastic author of the incredibly mysterious drama series "Private", had written this, girls would have broken rules more often, setting up disastrous pranks, and had teamed up to drive out girls for the taking of the crown. If they really wanted it that bad.
The cover of the book says: 35 girls. 1 crown. The competition of a lifetime. Though, it didn't live up to its expectations.
For apparent reasons, I found myself wanting more. There should have been more. It was quite disappointing. On the good side, I saw flashing elements of a good love story. I liked Aspen and America Singer together, but when Prince Maxon walked into the picture and they formed a likable alliance of friendship, I began to second-guess it all. There was strange, misguided, and unresolved dialogue that didn't get anywhere.
Wooops, I'm talking about the negative parts again. I guess they outweigh the good. Regardless, the conclusion of the book felt like I was still on page one. Nothing was solved, no cliffhangers, and no plot-twists, and definitely no gut-churning surprises or omg-worthy secrets coming to the light.
Oh well. Regardless, I'll still come skipping to Barnes 'n Noble when the sequel comes out. It still kept me interested enough to discover whether she will make her decision on who to end up with, if the competition is worth it, and if the dangers of her country will keep her from her dreams.

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