3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Tori and her family believe her high IQ, intelligence, and flawless dance skill secured her spot as a Selected in one of Maine's elite prep schools. They're right; but there's so much more going on here. This is a clean YA novel, but it's a very dark dystopia. Darker than the average YA dystopia. Our girl goes through a lot. It's great that she's resilient and resourceful, but I wish she didn't have to be. Her life is far from charmed and this book may drag down some readers who are already struggling with unrealistic goals and pressure.

Selected was good in the beginning but half way through I got lost. But it picked back up and I had to keep reading to see what unfolded for Tori. It seems like there might be a sequel but it's going to be from Tori's twins point of view. This definitely peaked my interest because I can't wait to learn about the life he lead.

Selected is set in Maine during the Year 2040. Faced with the threat of civil war, the United States divided each state into their own country, becoming the Countries of America. The main character, Tori Aldridge is selected to attend a prestigious school, Easton based on her incredible talent for dancing. In return, Tori’s mother and brother receive food, housing and clothes, all of which are hard to come by in this new world.

There are 4 types of students at Easton: Cerebrals, Athletes, TechNerds, Legacy Kids and Sponsored. Tori is a sponsored student, meaning she has to eat a special diet in the cafeteria, maintain her grades, attend therapy and dance well in competitions. The book goes through the day to day living of Tori at Easton. Rumors start spreading that Tori’s twin brother, Trevor has run away and murdered several people. Tori is on a mission to find out what really happened to her brother.

This book was an okay read for me. You can definitely tell this book was geared toward YA readers. I didn’t find myself as invested in the book as I wanted to be. I think the idea of the book is great but I didn’t feel it was executed well. I found a lot of the book to sound like “filler” and not have a lot of substance. Things really didn’t pick up until around 30-60%. I found the use of “my boyfriend,” “my buddy,” “my best friend” really distracting.

“2040. Country of Maine, COA – Countries of America”

Future New Maine, formerly Maine, now its own separate country along with the rest of the states is the setting for Selected by Barb Han. Selected is a Young Adult Dystopian with elements of mystery, suspense, and romance.

When Tori is selected to attend the elite prep school, Easton, she thinks her prayers have been answered. Her family will now be provided with food and shelter and she’ll get the education that will allow her to go to college. But all is not right at Easton, to begin with the social system is seriously flawed and people have a way of going missing without a trace.

Ms. Han writes a compelling story about a selected group of students at the mercy of a system that has ulterior motives hidden under an agenda that is too good to be true. Selected has a quick moving plot, engaging story-line, and characters that are flawed and appealing. I’m hoping that there will be a second book in this series and from the ending, it looks like there may be. This is a great story for anyone who likes Young Adult Dystopian Suspense with a touch of romance and science fiction.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

A big thank you to Entangled Teen, Barb Han, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of Selected in exchange for my honest review.