Last week, I finally read The Selection. No, not the whole series. Just the first book in the series.
Yeah, I know. How on earth could I have not read The Selection within the four years it's been published and raved about? Just didn't take the time, I guess. But last week I finally decided to check out the legendary story.
And wow, now I understand why it's so popular! There are a bunch of things the author did fantastically, the story was interesting from the start, now I want to completely explore this setting Kiera Cass has created, and man this book is really cool!
Plus, as a writer, I picked up a bunch of writing things as I read (hooray, constructive writer habit!). Here are a few of them:
Setting. It's one of the things I heard was done really well in this series before I started reading. And that claim has been proven! There isn't (at least in my opinion) an information dump on a single page. Aspects and parts of America's world and its history are explained briefly when it's relevant to what's currently happening to her--like for example, the way Illea came to be is explained while America listening to a history lesson. The explanations that America gives in her narration are naturally phrased, simple, and are connected to what she's doing/where she is.
The protagonist America is also really likeable. Her narration isn't flawlessly grabbing in the first sentence (though maybe no book has that), but her relatable, interesting personality pulls you in. America loves her family and her boyfriend. She adores singing, doesn't whine about working all the time, and she's sympathetic towards lower "castes" in her society. We can sympathize with her when she mourns the unfairness of social classes, and by the end of Chapter Three I was glad when she was happy.
America also does the unexpected. Knowing that she can't stand the prince at first, you might figure that she would be a little cold, but would at least be silently cold. But the way she actually spoke to him on their first meeting? Jaw drop! The part where she says she says she's going to stay to enjoy the food is one of my favorite lines in the book!
How do you make an entire trilogy about a dating competition when the guy already likes the protagonist? I'd wondered that before reading the story. Were the parents interfering? Were there some kind of weird court rules that the couple had to overcome? Was the prince just stuck up or majorly indecisive? No. I was surprised and impressed by what kept Maxon from choosing America in this first book: America herself is an obstacle. Her feelings for a former boyfriend make her hesitate from fully loving Maxon.
And then there's the sudden plot twist about three fourths into the story! SPOILER ALERT!!! Aspen, the former boyfriend America still cares about, shows up in court and the unsuspecting Maxon posts him right outside America's room! Oh, the dramatic irony! Didn't you just want to shout: What are you doing, Maxon? That's the guy who's keeping you from your true love! America is thrown into a spin of confusion, and new problems bubble up that will last at least through the second book. It keeps the events of the story from becoming monotonous--and it was so unexpected!
The Selection is really cool! Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
Any Selection fans out there? What's your favorite thing about the series? :)
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