3 1/2 stars & I created a new book self titled frustration. 
 Frustration was the theme of this installment of The Selection series. My inner-feminist was issuing a primal scream while reading. While I love the premise of the series, some (hell, all) of the protagonist's actions drove me batshit crazy. I know 17yo are dumb-shits. I was a dumb-shit 18yo that married too young myself, so I get their stupid actions better than most. 
 (view spoiler)[ watching your friend get caned as a merciful punishment to treason, that could have resulted in death, only to go shack up with your boy toy is beyond... just beyond my scope. She isn't dumb or naive (well, a little bit of both) so you just fought the system only to place yourself in a similar position. yeah, not buying that... not buying that at all. (hide spoiler)] 
 (view spoiler)[ um... you're in a selection for the next Queen, do you really think dicking the prince around with wishy-washy is going to fly. Her internal dialogue says she doesn't think she is worthy of being Princess/Queen/Wife, yet she thinks Max should behave as if the sun sets in her fiery hair. He's here to pick out of 35 girls, 'baby, you ain't #1 until you're #1. So that attitude annoyed the fuck out of me- it was contradictory in the extreme, haughty, as if she were a 1 or 2 in the caste system. Ya feeling me here? I assume we are to feel badly and have a hate-on for Max, but hell, she's doing the same shit. She would never let him in, she wouldn't talk to him. She wanted him to infallibly trust her and tell her all his secrets while she stayed tight-lipped. Yeah, 'cuz he's not already trying to determine everyone's motivations, and that's not flashing alarm warnings in his mind or anything... So yeah, I'm with the Prince on this. & yeah, I'm sure both guys are stringing her along. Aspen really is. My female intuition is screaming... but, she's toying with them, too, now isn't she? (hide spoiler)] 
 All this was done for the sake of frustrating angst. The kind of stuff that a chat would clear up in a nanosecond. "NO, I don't want to hear it. Just go!" *eye roll* 
 While I am ravenous for the next installment.... I'm frustrated beyond belief with the direction the author took the story, and the total personality 'lobotomies' the characters were put through. Angst for the sake of angst has no entertainment value for me, nor do character that do everything out of character. 
 FIGHT! You expect the boys to fight for you, then you better damned well do it in return. Fight for what you want. This entitled, hand-it-to-me mentality goes against the caste was was raised in. No Mary Sue should be Queen or even an officer's wife. 
 (view spoiler)[ act like a dumb-shit then have an inspired speech... um... unless it's an epiphany, you are either smart or not, strong or weak, a survivor or a victim. This back and forth shit took the validity of her 'strength' and diminished it to doormat status. (hide spoiler)] 
 You are what you are, and after reading two books back-to-back, I haven't a clue who any of the characters are...