Friday, December 27, 2013

Friday Share (3) : When Reality TV Show Meets Dystopian Society

Friday Share is a weekly meme hosted here at Spare Reads to spotlight 1-2 novels at a time based on a particular theme.

Woohoo! It's Friday again :) Happy holidays everyone! 

Christmas is one of my favorite holidays in the year and I hope you had as much fun with your family as I did.

Aside from eating all the delicious homemade gingerbreads, I also enjoy watching reality TV shows to kill my free time during this long winter break. Property Brothers, Kitchen Nightmare, ANTM... (I watch a lot of these...) I love the drama and entertainment in a good reality TV show.

Well, guess what, you can find traces of reality TV shows in books as well! This week, I would like to bring you the new edition of the weekly feature post Friday Share - When Reality TV Show Meets Dystopian Society. Excited? I know I am :P

The Selection
by Kiera Cass
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release: April 24th 2012
Pages: 327
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 a palace and compete for the heart of 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.
My Notes:

Have you seen the reality TV show The Bachelor? If the answer is yes, you will definitely see some similarities when reading The Selection. The competition of future queen set in this story has the same essence of The Bachelor but there are far more stakes involved in The Selection. The dystopian background also brought more challenges and interesting twists to America's relationship with Prince Maxon. I can't wait for the final installment of the series to come out in 2014 and I hope it will be a fantastic closure to the storyline.

14 comments:

  1. My Goodreads friends have rated this book from 1 to 5 star. Honestly, I'm little unsure about this one, but I'll probably give it a try.

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    1. I think I gave this book 4 stars. Some warnings though: there is a love triangle and some quite cliche stuffs. But overall, it was an pretty interesting read.

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    2. Thanks for warning. I don't have high expectations for this book. But all those mixed reviews and that beautiful cover, I just have to read it :)

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    3. You have no idea how much time I wasted gushing over the covers of this series. They are GORGEOUS!

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    4. Yes, indeed. They are all mesmerizing. Btw, my dear, thank you for adding my blog to your favorite blogs <3
      I love to read Spare Reads, I came here almost everyday :D

      Baileys @ Unladylike Reviews

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  2. I loved The Selection! I just finished reading it, literally! Like, two days ago. I was worried because, yes, my Goodreads friends had rated it from 2 stars up to 5. Whaaaat? I don't know why, now, because it seemed a pretty straight-forward book. The love-triangle didn't suck, heh...well, I thought it was okay for once! And I loved America!

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it! My friends always say The Selection is like Hunger Games + The Bachelor. I'm hoping to see more about the riots (south/north rebel forces) in the third book. Their true motives seem to be very mysterious.

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  3. I've seen so many people compare this to the Bachelor! I've never actually seen the show but I know the concept and must agree that the Selection is pretty similar. I really want to read the last book too.

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    1. I know! I'm waiting on it too. Especially that now America is all determined to flight for XXX, I can't imagine what kind of things she would do to win his heart and trust back again.

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  4. I really loved this book, I was surprised I got so into it. Can't wait until the 3rd book comes out!

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    1. Haha, I'm glad you liked it. One tidbit: I liked most people's names in this book except the MC... I don't know I just feel like "America Singer" is such a funny name...

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  5. I watch the Bachelor purely for laughs, with a little side dose of, "Thank God I'm not like those women!"

    I haven't read The Selection yet, because I just have this idea it won't appeal to me. However, when an opinion is so divided, it makes me more likely to see where it stands for me. I'll probably pick up the first book at some point.

    Stephanie @ Inspiring Insomnia

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    1. So the rules of this princess competition in The Selection is pretty much like The Bachelor, but the contestants are definitely much better than those women on the show :P I would love to see how you feel about it!

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