<i>The Selection</i> (review)
2012; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 65; Issue: 10 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2012.0472
ISSN1558-6766
Autores ResumoReviewed by: The Selection Kate Quealy-Gainer Cass, Kiera . The Selection. HarperTeen, 2012. [336p]. ISBN 978-0-06-205993-2 $17.99 Reviewed from galleys M Gr. 7-10. Thirty-five girls are randomly selected to compete for Prince Maxon's hand in marriage and the opportunity to become Queen of Illéa, a dystopian society founded on a strict caste system. As one of the selected, seventeen-year-old America has the chance to elevate her family from the struggling poverty of level Five to the royal luxury of a One; she has no real interest in winning the competition, however, as her heart belongs to her childhood sweetheart, Aspen (a lowly level Six). Pressure from her family, a falling out with Aspen, and the fact that the prince turns out to be both good looking and charming make her reconsider her options as she stays in the palace with the other contestants. A slight, predictable plot and superficial characterizations straight from central casting give little depth to this series [End Page 502] opener. Vague references to rebel forces and unrest in the country's provinces add a bit of tension, but the focus remains firmly on America's relationships with the two male leads, who offer so little in regards to either romance or wit that readers will surely question America's insistent interest in them. America herself is likable primarily for her sweetness, but her handwringing over her romantic prospects and her reluctance to even question the selection process make her seem more insipid than genuine. Thankfully, the author avoids the backstabbing and catfights that one might expect from such a Bachelor-like premise, but the other contestants are afforded little more than a single defining characteristic. Readers looking for love in a hopeless place will be better served by Lauren Oliver's Delirium (BCCB 2/11) and Scott Westerfeld's Uglies trilogy (BCCB 2/05). Copyright © 2012 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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