(The Selection is a trilogy by Kiera Cass)
First of all, if you like the typical romance between the poor communal girl and the prince, The Selection is the book for you. Usually, I don't enjoy cliches, but Kiera Cass elaborated something that made her book different from any other: the so longed contest called The Selection.
I would never have imagined a competition between thirty five girls fighting for a prince (although, most of them want the crown, not the prince), the idea is very entertaining and intriguing, that's why I read the book in the first place. However, I found it a bit disappointing.
Kiera's idea is, doubtlessly, amazing, but she wasn't very habile at developing it. As the story unfolded, the lack of details made it incomplete and unsatisfactory — it practically jumped from the beginning to the end. The love triangle, involving America (the protagonist), Maxon (the prince) and Aspen (the guard) is uncreative and annoying. The whole picture is already a cliche, and apparently, the intrigues are poor in originality too.
The characters, though, are well developed. America's dynamic with Maxon is frustrating in the most excruciatingly marvellous way, and it's impossible not to fall for the prince. You quickly sympathize with the couple and their ideals, you love their friends as well and hate their enemies. I congratulate Kiera for her wonderful job at transmitting the characters' feelings (it's amazing, really, how you cry, fear and laugh along with them). I don't regret reading The Selection, but I don't recommend it either, at least not to those who seek for something different and original to read.
(Please, forgive any orthographic or grammatical errors, I am NOT fluent in English).