Killer Instincts
romantic suspense
Series · romance
The Selection
The Selection series by Kiera Cass has 10 known books (10 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with The Selection (2012). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is The Crown.
- Books
- 10 known books (5 novels + 4 novellas + 1 collection)
- Published
- 10
- First published
- 2012
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Romance
- Last checked
Start here: The Selection (2012) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
The Selection
The Selection is the first novel in Kiera Cass's The Selection series, a romance title, published in 2012 at 328 pages. It opens the series that ran from 2012 to 2016, and is followed by The Prince.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Selection - Book 2:
The Elite
The Elite is the 2nd novel in Kiera Cass's The Selection series, published in 2013 at 336 pages. It follows The Prince and precedes The Guard in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Elite - Book 3:
The One
The One is the 3rd novel in Kiera Cass's The Selection series, published in 2014 at 306 pages. It follows The Queen and precedes The Favorite in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The One - Book 4:
The Heir
The Heir is the 4th novel in Kiera Cass's The Selection series, published in 2015 at 353 pages. It follows The Favorite and precedes Happily Ever After in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Heir - Book 5:
The Crown
The Crown is the 5th novel in Kiera Cass's The Selection series, published in 2016 at 276 pages. It follows Happily Ever After in the reading order. It's the final book in a series that ran from 2012 to 2016.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Crown - Book 6:
The Prince
The Prince is a novella in Kiera Cass's The Selection series, published in 2013. It follows The Selection and precedes The Elite in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Prince - Book 7:
The Guard
The Guard is a companion novella in Kiera Cass's The Selection series, published in 2014 and retelling events from a supporting character's viewpoint rather than America Singer's own -- one of four such novellas (with The Prince, The Queen and The Favorite) that fill in the wider cast's side stories.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Guard - Book 8:
The Queen
The Queen, another 2014 companion novella at 65 pages, retells scenes from a supporting character's perspective within the Illea Selection's world, later collected alongside its three sibling novellas and a bonus story in Happily Ever After (2015).
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Queen - Book 9:
Happily Ever After
Happily Ever After is a story collection in Kiera Cass's The Selection series, published in 2015 at 416 pages. It follows The Heir and precedes The Crown in the reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Happily Ever After - Book 10:
The Favorite
The Favorite is a 2015 companion novella in The Selection series, expanding a supporting character's side story around the same events as the main trilogy, part of the set of four novellas Kiera Cass wrote alongside America Singer's core story.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Favorite
About The Selection
In the caste-stratified kingdom of Illea, a televised competition called the Selection picks thirty-five girls to compete for Prince Maxon's hand in marriage, offering the lowest-caste contestants a life-changing shot at royalty. America Singer enters mostly to help her struggling family and to escape heartbreak over a boy she isn't allowed to marry — she has no interest in winning, which is exactly what makes her stand out to Maxon. What follows is part reality-TV competition, part rebellion story, as America gets pulled deeper into palace politics, a rebel movement attacking the monarchy from outside, and a genuine, complicated connection with Maxon that keeps colliding with her feelings for her first love, Aspen.
Kiera Cass leans fully into the Bachelor-meets-Cinderella premise — gowns, eliminations, a love triangle played completely straight — while using the caste system and the rebel attacks to keep real stakes in play underneath the romance. The trilogy follows America through her Selection; a second trilogy shifts the point of view to her daughter, Princess Eadlyn, decades later, running her own Selection in reverse (thirty-five suitors competing for her). Several companion novellas fill in supporting characters' side stories along the way.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in The Selection series?
Five main novels — The Selection, The Elite, The One, The Heir, The Crown — plus four companion novellas (The Prince, The Guard, The Queen, The Favorite) and the collection Happily Ever After, which gathers those novellas together.
What order should I read The Selection in?
Start with the original trilogy — The Selection, The Elite, The One — then move to The Heir and The Crown, which follow America's daughter Eadlyn. The companion novellas are optional extras best read after their matching main book.
Are The Heir and The Crown about the same characters as the first three books?
No. They jump forward a generation to follow Princess Eadlyn, America and Maxon's daughter, who runs her own reverse Selection with thirty-five suitors competing for her.
Do I need to read the novellas?
No. The Prince, The Guard, The Queen, and The Favorite are optional side stories from supporting characters' points of view. Happily Ever After collects all four in one volume if you want them without buying each separately.
Is The Selection series finished?
Yes. The story concluded with The Crown in 2016, and Kiera Cass has not announced further novels in this world.
If you like The Selection
Reading order last verified .