Looking for books like The Selection series? This series is just so fun to read as a great feel-good, guilty-pleasure, lighthearted reading option. Everything—from the beautiful dresses, to the dystopian setting, to the game show aspect, to the love triangles—makes The Selection the type of book that makes you feel happy even if you don’t quite know why!
Well, if you’re looking for other Young Adult reads that have a similar feel or similar aspects to The Selection, then these six books and series could be just what you’re looking for! There are a lot of books out there that claim to be like The Selection but are 1) boring, 2) way too angsty, 3) super, super, surprisingly dark, 4) terribly written, 5) just plain annoying. So when you’re trying to narrow it down to find similar books to read, it can be quite a challenge! But the books on this list consist of some books I personally really liked, as well as a few that you’ll see I included more because so many Selection fans absolutely adore them. So go ahead and start reading these—you’re sure to find a new amazing book to read!
1. The Crown’s Game by Evelyn Skye
If you’re looking for books similar to The Selection, then The Crown’s Game could be a really good book to pick up! This book has more fantasy elements to it, but does feel very similar in some of its themes, in the competition aspect of the novel, and in its writing style.
Vika Andreyeva and Nikolai Karimov are two young enchanters in Russia. The only problem? There can be only one enchanter! If there’s more than one, then the magic of the land is divided…and this can’t happen as the Imperial Enchanter will need to draw on all the magic of the land in order to protect the tsar and the Russian people.
So what do you do when there’s too many enchanters? Luckily, there’s already a policy in place: initiate the Crown’s Game. Unluckily, this game ends with the victor becoming adviser to the tsar…and ends in death for the defeated enchanter!
Vika and Nikolai have honed their magical powers and trained their whole lives for this. But when the tsar initiates the Crown’s Game and they come face-to-face for the first time, Nikolai soon finds himself falling for his fiery opponent while Vika finds herself drawn to Nikolai’s magic. But when Pasha, the heir to the throne and best friend of Nikolai, falls for Vika without knowing who she is, everything becomes even more complicated! Will Nikolai be able to defeat the girl they both love? Will Vika find herself able to kill another enchanter in order to win the game?
This book sounds dramatic, and it definitely is, but it’s also a really fun book to read. The magic is delightful, the setting in Russia is so spectacular, and there’s a feeling of whimsy throughout that makes this lighthearted even as it touches on darker subjects. Like The Selection, the romance elements are sweet as the characters all grow to learn more about each other. And there’s a love triangle, of course! Actually, multiple love triangles. Or squares? But if you’re looking for a YA book like The Selection to enjoy, then grab a copy of The Crown’s Game and start reading now!
Buy The Crown’s Game now on Bookshop or Amazon!
2. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
When you’re wondering what to read after The Selection series, Red Queen could be an excellent book to choose. It has a fun premise that sets up a world of division plus the main character is a commoner brought into a world of royalty, just like The Selection, which makes it a favorite read for many Selection fans!
In the world of Red Queen, the people are divided by the color of their blood: red or silver. Those with red blood are commoners, while the Silver are the ruling elite who are born with special abilities (like being able to control the weather, manipulate metal, or heal others with a touch).
Mare is a Red girl from a poor family living in the Stilts, until one day she finds herself called to work in the Silver Palace. But an accident at the palace leads to Mare discovering that, despite her red blood, she possesses a power like that of the Silvers! With her powers exposed to a large group of Silvers, the King and Queen declare she’s a long-lost Silver princess rather than admit that a Red has the power of a Silver. Now, Mare must live as a princess in the palace and not betray her hatred of all with Silver blood…
But when the Red Guard, a resistance group, contacts Mare and asks her to help bring down the Silver regime, she agrees and enters into a dangerous world of lies and betrayals. Will Mare be able to help the Red Guard? Will either of the Silver princes join her side and help her in the fight to end the imbalance of power? Or will it all end in tragedy for Mare and those she loves?
I first picked up this book because the premise sounds amazing (Special powers? Yes, please!). But I debated about putting it on this list, as I did enjoy the first book but as the series went on I was not as fond of the direction the other books took. If you plan to read these, just know that in a lot of places this is darker and more adult than The Selection series. There’s a lot of unhappiness and betrayal and angst that doesn’t get resolved and it passed my personal tolerance thresholds for things like this! That being said, I know tons of Selection fans who adore these books…so my recommendation is to give it a try, and if you like it then you have a whole series of fun books to read!
Buy Red Queen now on Bookshop or Amazon!
3. Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim
If you’re looking for similar books to The Selection, then Spin the Dawn should definitely be on your radar. This book is an incredible YA fantasy with a strong female protagonist, a lovely love story, and even lots of beautiful dresses (I never say no to a beautiful dress 😉)!
Maia Tamarin has always dreamed of being the greatest tailor in the land. The only problem? She’s a girl, and girls can’t be master tailors. But when a messenger summons her ailing father to the court to be the next royal tailor, Maia decides to disguise herself as a boy and go in his place to compete to become the next tailor to the emperor.
Through a competition filled with backstabbing and lying tailors, Maia fights for herself and her family and soon comes to learn more about herself than she ever expected! But when the court magician, Edan, seems to see through her disguise as a boy, will all be lost?
Then, as a final test of her skill, Maia is set to the challenge of sewing three impossible magical dresses. Will she be able to create these dresses sewn with the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of the stars? Or will she die trying?
With Spin the Dawn, one of the most magical aspects of the book is the rich folklore and blending of cultures. You get a very solid sense of the world Maia lives in, even though it’s a fantasy world. Though there are snippets of the story that remind of other books and fairy tales (like the Mulan aspect of Maia disguising herself as a boy and taking her father’s place), in the end this is a vibrant book that creates something completely new and enchanting to read!
Spin the Dawn offers some of the competition aspects of The Selection, although this doesn’t end up being a big focus of the book. But it does have a female lead you will adore, descriptions of pretty clothes you will sigh over, a sweet romance, and a substance to it that makes this an altogether excellent read. If you liked The Selection, then there’s a pretty good chance you’ll love this book too!
Buy Spin the Dawn now on Bookshop or Amazon!
4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
If you’ve been reading in the world of YA for any length of time at all, then you’ve likely already read The Hunger Games. If you haven’t, then what are you waiting for? But this book makes it onto this list of books like The Selection for a few reasons, most notably the dystopian and game show aspects of the novel.
The Hunger Games is set in the post-apocalyptic nation of Panem, wherein a glamorous Capitol is surrounded by twelve outlying districts that get progressively poorer the further out you go. Each year, each of the districts sends one boy and one girl to the Hunger Games where they will fight to the death with the representatives of the other districts on live TV.
Katniss Everdeen is a girl from District 12, and one year she finds herself forced to represent her district in the annual Hunger Games. Will she be able to win and stay alive to return to her family? And if she does win, will she lose her humanity in the process?
This bestseller is similar to The Selection with the competition on TV aspect, although The Hunger Games shows a grittier reality than the glitzy one of Cass’ novel. Both novels are also located in a post-apocalyptic North America, and of course both have the ever-present love triangles! While the premise of The Hunger Games and the story line is far grittier, it is still an exciting read and is similar enough that any Selection fan should definitely add this one to their lists!
Buy The Hunger Games now on Bookshop or Amazon!
5. The Jewel by Amy Ewing
When you’re looking for a book like The Selection, you may also want to consider reading The Jewel. This YA book has a lot of similarities to The Selection, from class divisions to the glittering facades of the royalty, and a lot of Selection fans really love this series!
Violet is a girl from the Marsh, one of the poor areas of the city, and she’s been raised to be a surrogate for the royalty. Now that she is old enough, it’s time for her to go to the Jewel where she will be placed with a rich family who will buy her as a surrogate in an auction.
While the Jewel to most means wealth and opulence, Violet quickly learns about the cruelty and violence in the rich’s way of life here in the Jewel. And soon she begins to wonder what happens to the surrogates and where they are all disappearing to…and what can she do to avoid their fate?
This story has all the opulence and glittering wealth you could ever hope for, and the surrogates are treated somewhat like pampered pets from time to time (although they are also often abused in one way or another). This is a fluffy, light story despite the grim sounding subject, and of course there’s a forbidden romance! Because what would a YA book be without a forbidden romance?
On the surface, this book sounds quite a bit like The Handmaid’s Tale, but for young adults. However, if you go into this book with that in mind then you will be disappointed! It’s a lot more surface-level rather than deep, and I think there are some fairly large plot holes that aren’t ever explained (like, why can’t the rich have babies themselves anymore?). It wasn’t my favorite on the whole, but if you’re looking for a light, surface-level read to entertain you for a few hours, then this book is enough like The Selection that you may end up really enjoying it!
Buy The Jewel now on Bookshop or Amazon!
6. The Betrothed by Kiera Cass
The last book on this list is one I haven’t yet had a chance to read, so I can’t really recommend it one way or the other, but it’s Kiera Cass and sounds quite similar to The Selection! The Betrothed is by Keira Cass and has a royal setting and sounds like it has a love triangle of sorts, so perhaps it’s like The Selection but with different characters? Here’s hoping!
Buy The Betrothed now on Bookshop or Amazon!
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