At first I found the story hard to believe. The whole idea simply didn't align with what I remembered of The Selection, and my perception of America and Maxon as characters. I couldn't believe they'd put Eadlyn through this. Even after reading it, I still don't think it makes complete sense. 
 What won me over was Eadlyn herself. I love when teenage girls are allowed to be selfish and arrogant in literature without being villified for it. I truly find her interesting. It's also fascinating to see the Selection from the other side of the whole process, and I think Kiera Cass really handled that well. 
 I thought this was a standalone book so was getting worried the ending would be too quick, but thankfully there's a second volume to wrap things up. I'm not entirely sure I like the direction it's going in, but I guess we'll see !