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

The Elite (The Selection #2) by Kiera Cass
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication date: April 23rd, 2013
Number of pages: 323pgs
Format: Paperback
Purchase: Amazon | The Book Depository | Book World Australia

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 Iléa.

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.

Everything begun with The Selection. America went from not wanting anything to do with it, to a point where she decided it was where she wanted to be.
The first book in this amazing trilogy introduced you to our beloved characters, plot and the world which Kiera created. It was the book in which I fell in love with this story. Not only for America & Maxon, but also because I knew there was trouble  rumbling deep down in the rebellion. Not everyone is happy....

In The Elite, America finds herself competing, in the real sense for the affections of Maxon. But along with the competition, America finds out some interesting things about her country, how it was formed and how some change has to come into affect at some point.
Not everyone is happy about the way things are done. The fact this competition is even around. And those people start to become more of a threat than they were before.

What I loved about this book was that it got a bit more darker than the previous. More attacks. More rebellion. It also had more romantic moments, with more than one boy. But I think America had made her choice very early on... and even though some things have challenged that decision., there is no doubt it sticks and will continue to do so throughout the final book.
I know there are many people who didn't like some of the things, actions that took place... but when I actually thought about the reasons.. I understood why they did the things they did, and I forgave them. They are still... after all young people trying to understand the laws of nature and find their place in the world.

While the actions of both America and Maxon could sometimes get on your nerves, in the long run.. I don't think those problems will cause any affect.


There are some characters like Aspen and Celeste who got on my nerves. Celeste, well.. nobody likes her and she has always been on my last nerve since she was introduced...but Aspen, I felt was in the background and really didn't serve any purpose apart from being in this so-called triangle. Although, toward the end.. I did feel a bit of a hint that he might be able to move on.. with someone else *cough*.

WHY does THE ONE have to be a year away? Since Kiera just announced it won't be released until May 6th, 2014! Ahh.. well, she better give me plenty of AM stuff to tease me with until it comes out.

Review: 5/5