What. The. Crap. 
 This book is not a standalone. Alert, alert, if you are naive like me, please be informed, this book is not a standalone. More than likely this is book one in a series. 
 Uuuuuug!! I LOVED The Selection. Then they stretched it into 3 books. By book 3, I was so over it, I almost didn't read it. Then they put this new series out, a sort of spin off, and I'm like, YES!! I would love to read about a female lead selection! How fun!! 
 Then I got to the ending. If it weren't a library book I'd have thrown it across the room. Not cool, Kiera Cass. YA trilogies are so played out, I feel like publishers should flat out refuse them from here on out. Oh, you want to write a series? Oh, you think you have enough content for three books? Take it back, edit it, fit it in one, and we'll think about it. That should be the new standard. 
 ANYWAY! I liked that there's a lot of room for our female protagonist to grow. I'd have liked it more if she'd done any of that growing in this book. She did not. I think that she's rather unlikable, and I'm not certain that was the authors intent. 
 There were too many boys at the end of this book for me to really differentiate. The standouts were Kile, Erik, Henri... that's really it for me. 
 SPOILERS HEAD! STOP READING NOW IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK! 
 I am team Erik. (I know, I can hear myself, stop judging.) Screw the rest of the boys, that translator is my pick. I feel like Kile is going to be a top contender, and then she's going to let him go because he doesn't want to be trapped in the castle. *dreamy sigh* 
 Also, I feel like they're going to adapt Swedenway's government system, instead of the one they have. These are the things that are hinted at. 
 Josie is super annoying, in that little sister way. I think that Eadlyn is way too hard on her, because Eadlyn is a selfish, spoiled brat. Please make her better. Please.