The Selection (Sapient Salvation #1)

Summary:

Twice a year, the alien Lord Toric demands a selection of human women between the ages of 18 and 20 to compete in the Tournament of the Offered for a place in his harem. Maya must get through just one more selection and then she can marry the man of her dreams. She should have been safe, but when a young woman who was supposed to compete dies the day of the selection, Maya is forced into the Tournament. 

Now she must compete against women who have been training for the Tournament for years to hone their skills of poise, charm, cunning, and seduction. And there is only one winner in the Tournament. The losers will be sacrificed. 

Thrown into the fight of her life with no preparation, Maya must shed her innocence and win Lord Toric’s favor. Will she survive the first round, or will she pay the ultimate price for her inexperience? (Summary and cover courtesy of goodreads.com)

Please note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review courtesy of Xpresso Book Tours.

Review:

This book is clearly inspired by “The Hunger Games”, but it is also so much more.  I am usually not a fan of books so close to the original, but this is a case where the authors were able to provide the book with character and personality of its own.  Yes, there were many similarities in the general plotline (and with the Kiera Cass “The Selection”), however the culture and tendencies of each of the characters is totally different.  I know that I will lose half the people reading this with that initial disclaimer so pausing there.

I loved Maya’s spunk and her relationship with her sister.  I found Maya extremely relatable.  The “alien” aspect – again something I typically strongly dislike – was done in a believable way as well and overall the science fiction aspects were interesting.  There were certainly some strong romantic themes in the book as well so be forewarned of steamy scenes!

Warning: Contains violence and sexual content

Rating: 4 stars!

Who should read it? Fans of “The Hunger Games”, “The Bachelor” and science fiction!

Want to read the whole series?

• The Awakening (Sapient Salvation #2)

Want more?  Enter the tour giveaway!