Review The Elite (The Selection #2) by Kiera Cass

Review The Elite (The Selection #2) by Kiera Cass

Synopsis: The hotly-anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestseller The Selection.

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult, Romance

Recommended for: fans of the Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo, Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, Eve by Anna Carey

Other books in the series:

The Selection The One

ADD TO GOODREADS

My opinion:

I was laughing out loud when I read the acknowledgements section, because Kiera Cass knows her readers so well! She predicted us staying until 3 AM to finish The Elite and that's exactly what happened in my case. I devoured The Elite. Gods above, her book kept me glued to the pages from cover-to-cover and that's just something since I read it in 5 hours.

The Elite was a wild ride. I wanted to shake our main characters way more times than I could count. I wanted to hug them. I wanted to bump their heads together and yell: "SEE?! YOU LOVE EACH OTHER!".

“It wasn’t like I made his world better. It was like I was his world. It wasn’t some explosion; it wasn’t fireworks. It was a fire, burning slowly from the inside out.”

Want me to develop the reasons I turned into a goddamned ticking bomb? There are two big issues. Heck, make that three.

1. America Singer. Where was the heroine I admired so much in the first book? She appeared from time to time, but in the rest of the book she was washed out by an America that couldn't make up her mind about two guys. And she was frustrating, stubborn and sometimes so whiny I just wanted to drive some sense into her little head. One sec she loves Maxon, next she despises him. One sec she wants Aspen to ease her worries, but in the next one she runs to Maxon. And I get it when she becomes angry for a solid reason, but when she switches from one guy to another just on an assumption I tend to lose my mind a little bit. The facts that her stubbornness only makes her more blind to the bigger picture and she instantly assumes what's worst seems to be a self-implied sabotage to obtain her happiness.

“You know that you’ve found something amazing, and you want to hold on to it forever; and every second after you have it, you fear the moment you might lose it.”

2. Prince Maxon Schreave. Oh, Maxon, Maxon. He has his own share of stubbornness that made me want to strangle him a couple of times. He has America right were he wants her, but he still gets closer and intimate with other girls. That fact alone sends our main character into an emotional spiral that confuses the heck out of her and any previous character development is wiped out. Gone. K-BOOM. And that becomes exhausting at some point in the book. He's still romantic, selfish and kind, but he has a little devil on his shoulder that wants to make America jealous -- at least this is how I can explain his secretive and unhonorable behavior.

“It turns out I'm absolutely terrible at staying away from you. It's a very serious problem.”

3. America and Aspen's relationship. I hated how they seemed to be so careless and reckless with their relationship. Stolen kisses and little notes is just not the way to maintain secrecy. I kept waiting for someone to discover them and accuse them of treason. *gulp*

About the love triangle... You know, I actually enjoy love triangles in books (please don't hit me), but the one from The Selection series really got on my nerves in this sequel. Besides that, I have no idea who America will end up with. Maxon screwed up in this book, America acted selfishly most of the time and Aspen doesn't realize that in his pursuit for America, he risks both of their lives. Surprisingly, I'm still Team Maxon, because I truly think he loves Mer with all his heart and it's not his fault that she's a confusing, undecided and exasperating girl. Aspen is also a great guy, but I believe his love for America belongs to the past.

And just a quick note: my respect for King Clarkson dropped to a very low level. Actually, now that I think about it, I have no respect for him whatsoever.

Now that I got the negative things out of the way, I'm gonna ramble on some things I loved. Marlee, for instance. I felt so ashamed that I didn't trust her at some point in the first book. I love her to pieces now! The maids are truly amazing as well. Couldn't help thinking they deserve their own book and I was glad we got to know them better. And the Queen, although disappointing at times with her preference for not stating her opinion, was wonderful in the end. Also, we got a little happy treat by meeting America's family in the beginning and that was the perfect way to deliver some temporary peace. Oh!! And the Italian girls were pure awesomesauce and I hope to see more of them!

I also really liked that the world-building was enlarged this time around. We got to find out how the country of Illea was founded and how despicable Gregory Illea was. Good thing he's dead or I might have felt to need to kill him.

The last part of this book proved that things can go on the right path again. There were a couple of times when I was was completely proud of America. A twist had my heart crying for Maxon and my punches aching to hit a certain character. There was a scene with Mer and the prince that had me on the verge of tears, thinking that that was it for them. The end. They both ruined their future with each other. But a little hope shone in the horizon and I was doing a mental happy dance!

“You’ve changed me forever. And I’ll never forget you.”

I want a lot of things now that I've read this book. I want King Clarkson to suddenly end up in a ditch somewhere. I want Celeste to drown herself in some dresses. I want Kriss and Elise to stop acting like innocent little princesses. And I want to know what the rebels are looking for. But most and foremost, I want America to stop being a tramp and choose one guy, once and for all. I want her to mature, to leave behind any childish stupidity. If I get all these things (or something along those lines, at least) in the final book, I'll be satisfied no matter who will America end up with. I want a plausible closure with the same amount of feels being delivered that I really hope won't border on frustration.

Kiera Cass still rocked my boat with her mesmerizing story. Just a touch of humor to ease the tension, romance and backstabbing girls and probably too much drama for my taste. But it was gripping, entertaining and full of twists and that's all that matters in the end.

All in all, I tremendously enjoyed The Elite, but it wasn't as good as The Selection from my point of view. I was kept at the edge of my seat, because this book just made me drown in a sea of constricted emotions. It was a sublime literal pain. Nonetheless, I cannot wait to read The One. I'm giddy and anxious and scared and hopeful altogether. Fingers crossed America ends up with Maxon. *grin*