America Singer is a Five, the caste of artists and musicians. They may provide entertainment and culture but it is a seasonal rank that makes her family’s finances a balancing act.

That’s why her mother is thrilled about Prince Jaxon’s upcoming Selection. If America is chosen from the lottery, she and 34 other girls may get a chance to marry the prince of Illea. At least, the family gets a paycheck for each week America is in the palace and America, herself, is brought up to a Three.

But America doesn’t want to be selected. Not only does she doubt she’d get chosen but she’s already secretly in love with Aspen, a family friend and a Six. Marrying down may not be ideal but she believes they can find a way.

But, of course, we wouldn’t have a book if America didn’t get selected so she is sent to the capital and finds that Jaxon is nothing like she expected.

The whole Selection with its 35 contestants and one Prince is such a Bachelor-type set up, and it works everytime. Kiera gives enough of an impression of several girls so you get an idea of the archtypes like bubbly, sunshiny Marlee, catty, sexy Celeste, quiet, regal Ashley etc. There are also set aside times for each of the girls to get interviewed, filmed by camera crews, dolled up for photoshoots and history lessons as they wait for Prince Jaxon to choose them on their one-on-one dates.

The history lesson was clever play within the book and for the reader’s benefit to understand the current world. This is America after WW4 where all the Americas have combined into one Illea with many countries being mashed together like Honduragua, Swendway etc. So, readers will recognize several elments familiar to real life like television, phones, etc. with the glamour of the monarchy and rebel assaults. It’s light-fantasy rather than full on dystopian is the bets way to describe the setting.

As for America, I found her to be a good protagonist even as there’s nothing that makes her stand out from other YA heroines in this genre. She’s fiesty (a redhead), doesn’t have friends, an underdog since she’s a Five unlike the other Threes, and Twos in the Selection, empathetic to others, judgy of the more sexualised, catty contestants, indecisive and a people person, setting her up to be an ideal queen.

And that’s fine, she’s meant to be a stand-in for the reader in this rich new setting of royalty and her awe would mimic the readers.

At least, Kiera doesn’t set up a too-obvious love triangle in the beginning by having Aspen break up with America in a way that highlights her macho pride. It makes Jaxon look even better in comparison when America meets him and offers a different choice. She has no interest in being his future queen as she’s fine with her life and still nursing her broken heart. However, she will be his friend and be an insider to other ladies he should choose.

I love friends to lovers, and their slow-forming friendship helps to expose Jaxon to the wider world of peasants with hardship and America gets an empathetic confidante who reminds her that sometimes there’s a grander picture to the world than just her love life. America’s realization that she’s falling for him and that she

Unfortunately, the love triangle comes back in full swing with Aspen’s unexpected return and America makes the most stupid decision. I know it’s to drag out the drama but she is just so stupid to not realize how it’s going to bite her later. Same with her general slowness in regards to Jaxon’s feelings towards her and the other girls’ jealousy.

I am far more interested in the potential rebel plot introduced by Jaxon’s distinction between Northern and Southern rebels and the latter may be looking for something to topple the kingdom.

Nonetheless, I’m excited to see what’s next even as it is incredibly predictable at parts.

3 stars.