Title: The SelectionAuthor: Kiera Cass Edition: hardcover (received from RAK)Series: The Selection #1Released Date: April 24th, 2012Publisher: HarperTeen
Goodreads / Amazon For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.
But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.
Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.
WARNING: There is going to be A LOT of gushing in this review. This has to be one of my favorite books of 2012, and I'm so happy I have a copy of it to call my own! I'm just warning you ahead of time that there will be a lot of exclamation points, a lot of synonyms to 'awesome', and very many caps.
America Singer as a character.
The other girls.
Aspen vs. Maxon.
The whole ordeal with the competition & caste system.
Awesome cover. Awesome premise. Hopeful tv show.
As the school newspaper editor, I had the opportunity to have a mini-book blog on our paper, and a few weeks ago I asked Kiera a few questions! She was kind enough to return to answers for my article, and I decided to use the same interview when posting this review!
Here's a little bit about Kiera:
Kiera Cass is a graduate of Radford University and currently lives in Blacksburg, Virginia, with her family. Her fantasy novel The Siren was self-published in 2009. Kiera has kissed approximately fourteen boys in her life. None of them were princes. You can learn more about Kiera's books, videos, and love of cake online at www.kieracass.com.
Q: Who or what inspired you to write The Selection?Kiera: The Selection came from wondering about the “what ifs” of other stories, mainly Esther (from the Bible) and Cinderella. I just wondered if Esther, before she was shipped off to the palace to compete for this king, maybe liked the boy next door. Even if she lost, she was never coming home. Did she maybe care about someone else and have to let that love die? I was very curious about her heart. And Cinderella never asked for a prince. She asked for a night off and a dress. We assume that she lived happily ever after because she got a man, but what if that wasn’t the case? What if this was way more than she was prepared to deal with? Those two thoughts merged in my head, and I knew I wanted to write a story about a girl who would come from a humble background and would gain the attention of a prince, but she wouldn’t want him because she was already in love. And I knew that she would go through something (which ends up being The Selection) that shows her more of the world than she was ever prepared to see.
Q: List three words to describe your novel.Princess Funtime Explosion
Q: What is it like being an author? Is it different from your previous lifestyle?It's busy but mellow. It's not like being an actor or musician. No one really cares about what I do, they mostly care about my characters. So I can still walk around in PJs and play with my son. I love my job, and it fits in perfectly with my life!
Q: What do you enjoy most about being an author?Honestly, I just love storytelling. It's just so much fun. I also like connecting with readers.
Q: What advice would you give to teens that are aspiring authors?Get a thick skin! People can be mean. And learn as much as you can now. There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes of making a book, so do your research. Also, don't skip the basics. You really need to have the technical side of writing mastered, so listen in English class, okay?Q: What was the most difficult part of writing The Selection?Realizing that I got America wrong. With The Siren, Kahlen was very bitter about what had happened to her and wanted the world to know. So when I started putting America's story on paper, I just thought that everything coming was from her. It took me a while to see how reserved she was, and that I was saying things that she didn't want said or pushing the story in a way it didn't really go. I ended up rewriting a lot of the book.
Q: Have you always wanted to become an author?No! In high school I was a choir geek. I wanted to go to Broadway, and I studied music, dancing, and acting like crazy. It's for the best that it didn't pan out. I wasn't very good!Q: Do you have any other works in progress?We are currently editing Book 2, and I'm working on Book 3. After The Selection Trilogy is done, I have an idea of what's coming next, but I can't say!Q: What do you do when you face things like writers block or other bumps in your writing journey?Listening to playlists, designing clothes, making family trees, drawing blueprints... whatever it takes get me excited about the story again, that's what I do.
Q: When it came to publishing, what was the hardest part?Patience! It took 2 years from signing the contract to The Selection hitting shelves. I had to work hard to go with the flow.
Q: Did you prefer the route of self-publishing for The Siren, or did you like the route you took with The Selection?Self-publishing was cool because it gave me a lot of control, and I learned a lot about self promoting. But now that I've gone the traditional route, I could never go back! It's amazing having such a great team of people to help make The Selection everything it could be. I can't believe how lucky I am!