10 books like The Selection

Scarlett has always wanted to attend Caraval, a mysterious game/performance that often incorporates an audience member and blurs the line between reality and fantasy. She finally gets her chance just as she’s on the cusp of marrying and moving away. But Scarlett’s in for far more than she bargained for: the audience member chosen for this round of Caraval is her beloved sister, who is whisked away and must be found before the conclusion of Caraval’s five nights. This first-in-series is chock full of fantasy, adventure, and romance.

My all-time favorite book. (Don’t tell that other book.)

The parallels between the depictions of the Night Circus setting and the network of theme parks in my own book are no accident. The only thing more influential to my depiction was my actual four summers working as a performer in good old-fashioned American theme parks, where I learned the truth behind industry legends like [redacted].

The steadily escalating duel between the young magicians of the Circus is a pleasingly slow burn, as every maneuver by one of the combatants deftly and carefully raises the stakes. Then all hell finally starts to break loose, innocent bystanders are lost, and the formerly romantic setting of the circus becomes almost diabolical. I’ve read the book several times, and I can never predict how the duel will be resolved, because I’m too swept up in the emotional ride.

Plus, it’s magic, so who… show more.

Branded is one of my favorite dystopian novels and really inspired how I write my own dystopian because it explores the dystopian realm beyond chosen ones and government overthrows. This book gave me permission to make my fans cry because I put their hearts in a blender and laughed just like these authors did to me. Branded is about a girl thrown in prison, branded with the sin of lust, and forced to rely on her gorgeous guard…who puts us through a whirlwind of emotions as we see his hatred…and not-hatred…expressed throughout the story. Tissues are required for several different exciting and heartbreaking reasons.

I enjoyed Perfected because it was a very, very soft and gentle take on dystopia where young girls are genetically engineered in labs and trained with special traits as young girls only to be sold to wealthy families as pets. They’re treated as puppies who are dressed in fancy clothes, paraded through events, sat on pretty couches and chairs, and very, very few make it through without being manipulated and used in worse ways. When she falls in love with her owner’s son, and he starts to fall for her, bad things happen. I love putting twists on dystopian worlds so this one was a brilliant, unusual concept that brought such a unique look into the genre and its possibilities and gave me permission to do the same.

This one was very unique in that it barely introduces the dystopian world in the first book and focuses on it much later in the series despite the significant impact it has on the characters from the very first page. The lead is male, which is becoming less common these days, and gives us a more calculating look into the world of dystopia. I enjoyed seeing things from another angle as that really reminds me to explore those less-common threads in my own writing as well. And what could be more interesting than people disappearing on their birthday and then finding out who is taking them, right?

Similar to my story, this is about a girl forced to marry the son of a dictator against her will…only instead of fighting to save her own life as she’s about to be murdered, this girl is the murderer trying to take out her new husband. She’s being manipulated by her family to act as an assassin and starts to waiver in her mission when her new husband proves to be absolute book boyfriend perfection. It’s kind of the opposite of mine where my leading lady is cunning and manipulative to save her life, this leading lady is trying to be stumbling through being stealthy enough to murder a man who was supposed to be her older sister’s victim—not hers.

Prepare yourself for a future where death no longer exists. In the world of Scythe, humanity is now governed by a computer system so advanced that poverty, illness, and mortality no longer plague the human race. Instead, a group of people known as Scythes decides who lives and who dies in an attempt at population control. 

Enter Citra…a young woman with a good head on her shoulders. She boldly accepts the opportunity to be trained as a scythe. Citra must decide just what kind of executioner she wants to be and if she has what it takes to judge the value of human life. 

A monstrously large mansion full of mysteries and puzzles to be solved. A large cast of vivid, diverse characters, including four rich hot brothers. A rags-to-riches story with a likable kick-butt heroine. And a twisting turning plot that kept me guessing to the end. Those are just some of the reasons I loved this book, besides the masterful writing. 

Fun fact—I’ve seen the author of this book speak at writers’ conferences and she was such a compelling speaker that I checked out her book. But I bought her book (all three in the series actually and I have her next one on preorder for next year) because it has everything I love in an escapist read. 

This book is such a heartfelt tale surroundings two sisters raised by a woman who cared little of their emotional states and only of perfection in the arts. While revolving around the real world, readers are taken to a mystical realm with the protagonists as they discover magic and the fae exist. It’s the struggles we all face in life that this book touches on. As an artist I can understand the need for perfection in my art, like the characters.

I read this trilogy when I was a teenager and couldn’t put it down. The blend of historical fiction, magic, and forbidden desires was easily devourable, if that’s even a word. Set in 1895 at an English boarding school, it’s incredibly atmospheric and full of secrets you’ll want to unravel faster than you could turn the page.