📖 The Selection

Numbers are like social classes, one is the best and eights are the worst. America Singer has been dreading The Selection that everyone's been raving about. She doesn't want to leave behind her secret lover, Aspen. However, her family's delighted about the chance to get out of their middle low-class daily life (ranked 5th) and after realizing that applying to The Selection can eventually allow her to marry Aspen, she immediately changes her mind. During the application process, she notices wealthy and elite girls dressed up while talking with her mother. The 35 girls (including her) are to have their photos taken which wasn't even mentioned, explaining why those with a higher class were especially dressed well. Nonetheless America takes her photo with a bright smile, thinking of the future with Aspen. Unfortunately before preparing to leave for the palace, Aspen breaks up with her because he feels like he's not good enough being ranked 6th. She prepares her luggage to live in the palace with 34 other girls to gain the favor of Prince Maxon. Immediately she encounters the snobby and annoying Celeste Newsome and they soon become rivals. On the bright side she also gets to meet Marlee and they become close friends. Initially, America just wants to find a way to get kicked out, but slowly finds that she's falling in love with Prince Maxon. To make things even worse, not only does she encounter Aspen who got drafted in as a knight but also becomes a threat to other competitors after becoming a crowd favorite. Who does America really love? Will she be able to move on to the next section of the competition - does she really want to? In this riveting novel of The Selection, it features the tangled themes of romance, friendships and family. I really recommend this story because the competition part reminds me of The Hunger Games but more concise and with a different plot.

《The Selection》的世界里,数字象征着社会阶级:一等是最高贵的,而八等则是最底层。America Singer 一直对大家热议的"Selection"选妃比赛感到恐惧。她不想离开自己的秘密恋人 Aspen。然而,她的家人却为这个能摆脱他们中下阶层(第五等)生活的机会而感到兴奋。后来她意识到,参加 Selection 也许最终能让她有机会嫁给 Aspen,于是立刻改变了主意。 在报名过程中,她注意到那些富有的上流女孩都精心打扮着和母亲谈话。被选中的 35 位女孩(包括她)都要拍照,而这一点事先并未说明,这也解释了为什么高阶级的女孩们穿得格外华丽。尽管如此,America 依然带着灿烂的笑容拍下照片,心里想着与 Aspen 的未来。 不幸的是,在她准备前往王宫之前,Aspen 却因为自卑——觉得自己身为第六等配不上她——而与她分手。America 收拾好行李,前往王宫,与另外 34 位女孩一起争取 Prince Maxon 的青睐。她很快遇到了傲慢又惹人厌的 Celeste Newsome,两人迅速成为对手。幸运的是,她也结识了 Marlee,并成为了亲密的朋友。 起初,America 只想找办法被淘汰出局,但渐渐地,她发现自己爱上了 Prince Maxon。更糟糕的是,她不仅再次遇到了被征召成为骑士的 Aspen,还因为成为观众的宠儿而对其他竞争者构成了威胁。 America 真正爱的人到底是谁?她能否晋级到比赛的下一阶段——而她真的想继续下去吗? 这本扣人心弦的小说《The Selection》融合了爱情、友情与家庭等复杂主题。我非常推荐这本书,因为其中的竞赛元素让我想起《The Hunger Games》,但情节更加紧凑,故事发展也截然不同。