ARC Review: The Elite by Kiera Cass

The Elite

by Kiera Cass

Series: The Selection #2
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: April 23rd, 2013
Source: Publisher

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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.

Review

There's no denying I loved Kiera Cass' The Selection. I defended the book to the death (and with gifs) on our Twin Takedown. It was a bloody battle, but I think I won. So I was expecting so much for the sequel, The Elite. I'd hoped to get some more of that swoon-worthy romance with Prince Maxon. Pshhht Aspen who?! And maybe even finally get some cool world-building. My hopes crumbled, but I can still say there were good moments in The Elite. Just not the spectacular ones I was craving.

So let's start with the bad and end on a high note.

World-Building
I know many people complained about the lack of world-building in the first book. I was one of the few who didn't mind the mystery because I thought that the romance made up for it. Well, we get some answers in The Elite! Did they make sense...nope! It felt like a mish-mash of countries coming together and evil dictators rising to become King. Nothing was very fleshed out and most was related journal-style, which isn't my favorite literary device.

Also, it's hard to suspend my belief that a future can regress so much that they literally don't know what Halloween is, don't have books, and all the history is passed orally--making their history basically unknown to common folk.

Romance
Secondly, the best part of The Selection was the romance. It was cute and made my heart flutter in my chest. The love triangle seriously intensifies and not in a good way. With Aspen in the castle, America sneaks off to see him without Maxon ever knowing (because she'd get killed probably). Her secrecy doesn't so much bother me, but more the fact that she doesn't care that she's basically dating two guys at once! Or falling in love with Maxon while she's prancing around with Aspen. Maxon has an excuse. It's called the Selection. Where's yours America?

It's obvious I'm Team Maxon. Let's be honest, Aspen's like a high school sweetheart with teenage hormones, but if they ended up married they'd probably divorce in five years. Maxon has always felt like the real deal and at the beginning it's clear America loves him too! But all romance flies out the window because America is very  insecure about the idea of being a princess. And I wish I could relate to her struggles, but...come on. Is it not every little girl's fantasy to become a princess? And if not, I've read this plot before somewhere. It's called The Princess Diaries. Regardless if you're Team Maxon or Team Aspen, America's attitude seriously changes in the sequel--and not for the better

Honestly, I can't give too much away without going into spoiler-mode. So I'll just say she makes some awful decisions. Her character was likable in the first book, but in The Elite she did a complete 180.

The Positives
Now that we have the downfalls out of the way, let's end on that positive note! It's a fast read, that is quite addicting despite the pet peeves. If you like The Bachelor, you'll like this series. Because it's got the drama from the competition in it. Celeste is still up to no good. And we get to see some challenges/contests that the contestants face.

The rebels amp up the stakes and there is a serious "shocking" moment during the beginning that happens to one of the contestants. [Side Note: How do these rebels keep entering the castle? Shouldn't they have heightened security up a tad? This is the kingdom we're talking about! - Also this is unrelated to that shocker ;) Gotcha!]

Prince Maxon becomes more and more likable despite America floundering all over the place. By the end, I honestly was rooting for him to be with another girl because...he deserves someone who isn't cheating on him and loves him 100%. And that girl is actually there.

Sadly disappointing sequel that takes a likable main character and turns her into a girl I wouldn't mind losing The Selection.

Haven't read The Selection  yet? 

Read my review of THE SELECTION by Kiera Cass