The Selection - by Kiera Cass

The prince is looking for his future queen. All girls age 16 are eligible to submit their application for the 35 spots available for The Selection (reminds me of the Bachelor). The Selection is a big ordeal and is televised for the entire country to see. America Singer is one of the girls from a lower class who submits her application and is selected to compete for shot at winning the prince and a future crown. However, she's in love with a boy back from where she's from. She didn't want to apply in the first place, but is coerced into doing so by her mother, and Aspen. America finally does meet the prince and develops a friendship. However, this friendship turns into something more. America struggles with her feelings and doesn’t know whether she should try to win the prince or be true to herself and stick with her first true love.

The Elite is the second book in the series where the girls are narrowed down to just a handful. As the competition continues, the girls get to witness first hand the uprisings in the North and South that impact the country. There are times throughout both books where America is wishy-washy and can’t seem to make up her mind, but I guess that’s par for the course when there’s a love triangle. I’m interested to see where this goes in the final book, The One.

• The Selection
• The Elite
• The One (due out May 2014)