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The Selection

by Kiera Cass

The Selection series by Kiera Cass has 10 known books (10 published). It is best read in publication order, starting with The Selection (2012). The Crown is the latest book with a fully recorded publication date.

Books
10 known books (5 novels + 4 novellas + 1 collection)
Published
10
First published
2012
Status
completed
Shelved under
Romance
Start here: The Selection (2012) — then read straight through in publication order.
Book one
Cover of The Selection
The Selection (2012)

Reading order

The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.

  1. The Selection

    Novel
    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.
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  2. The Elite

    Novel
    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.
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  3. The One

    Novel
    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.
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  4. The Heir

    Novel
    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.
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  5. The Crown

    Novel
    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.
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  6. The Prince

    Novella
    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.
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  7. The Guard

    Novella
    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.
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  8. The Queen

    Novella
    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).
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  9. Happily Ever After

    Collection
    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.
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  10. The Favorite

    Novella
    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.
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Key facts about The Selection series

Our list has 10 books in The Selection series. Since all 10 are out now, you can read the whole list today. 5 are novels, while the rest are 4 novellas and a collection.

Start with The Selection, since it opens the publication order in 2012. The Elite is book 2, from 2013. The One is book 3, from 2014.

The Heir is book 4, from 2015. The Crown is book 5, from 2016. The Prince is book 6, from 2013.

The Guard is book 7, from 2014, while The Queen is book 8, from 2014. Happily Ever After is book 9, from 2015. The Favorite is book 10, from 2015.

The list keeps the books in date order, while each title links to its own page. Each book page shows its dates and editions.

The Crown is the latest book with a full release date, out on 3 May 2016. Since the catalogue marks the series as complete, we list no next book.

The books came out between 2012 and 2016, while their length runs from 55 to 416 pages. That is a run of 4 years.

Kiera Cass has 14 books on our list. Additionally, they write The Betrothed. We shelve the books under romance.

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.

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