The Elite by Kiera Cass
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GoodReads Summary:
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, check 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.
My Review:
Please be aware that while this review will NOT have any spoilers for The Elite, there definitely will be spoilers from the first novel, The Selection. Please read the review for that one at this link.
Continuing with the series, I was again impressed with how this story has unfolded. Honestly, I just didn’t know what to expect of this series. I definitely didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. But I have been enjoying it and I am eagerly looking forward to the release of the third book this spring.
What really impressed me with The Elite is that it is completely open to becoming a love triangle, and honestly, I am getting tired of those so much. They are incredibly overplayed. But it doesn’t feel like that to me. I feel like each boy (Maxon and Aspen) represents a different choice. Its not the choice of who to be with but rather the choice of a lifestyle. What world does America want to be a part of: the one that she knows, or the daunting one as a princess, then queen? That seems more of the question. She loves and cares for them both, and I think that its possible for a person to love more than one person. So its not about choosing between them but choosing the life she wants for herself. That is so incredibly important, hugely important, more so than the two boys.
I also just love the world that Kiera Cass builds. She takes this sort of futuristic, dystopian world and makes it so incredibly familiar to us but also makes it very new as well. The problem that can occur with dystopian worlds is that they tend to be much the same. They start to sort of blend together. Kiera takes those sort of expectations of a dystopian world but imagines them so much bigger and I just love that. She takes little bits and pieces from others and creates an amazing world, and I feel like it built even more in this novel. We really begin to learn that there is so much more going on besides just the Selection taking place inside the palace.
I just learned that Kiera is going to be at Wonder Con in April, which is my favorite convention only second to Gallifrey One. So now I’m even more excited about WC, and I’m totally going to attack her and beg her to tell me what happens in The One. The way she left off in this book left me going “SERIOUSLY?” and I can’t wait to see what direction America takes in her life and what the future of the country she lives in is.
My Rating:
4 out of 5 stars
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