The Elite by Kiera Cass

Summary:
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. (from GoodReads)

Summary:
I saw the issues that other people had with The Selection and while I agree with most of them (the lack of world building, the similarities to The Hunger Games, the crazy names), I still enjoyed the story. It wasn't the best writing but it was still fun. Unfortunately, the things that were wrong in The Selection are magnified in The Elite.

I'm sorry, but a love triangle cannot sustain an entire novel; there needs to be some plot. The main conflict of The Elite was whether America should choose Maxon or Aspen. America would fluctuate between the two men and it was the most boring thing to read about. Love triangles can be amazing or they can be contrived. I honestly don't care about any of our three characters and that made this book difficult.

The little plot we got was about the rest of the Selection, now that there were only five girls left. That aspect was just a rehashing of the first novel. The only exciting parts came when the rebels attacked the building. But even that lost some thrill when the characters are just stuck in hiding not doing anything.

There is one part where America has to make a presentation about a charity she would support as princess. The position she took was interesting but I saw it coming from a mile away. So I wasn't even surprised by the "twist."

I did a Waiting on Wednesday on The One because I am a teeny bit curious about what happens but if never finish the trilogy I won't be that disappointed either.

Rating: 6 out of 10.
FTC: borrowed from the library.

2013/HarperTeen/323 pages.

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Summary:
For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined. (from GoodReads)

Review:
I have been waiting so long to read The Selection and I'm glad I finally got the chance to. Seriously, I've wanted to read this since before it was published in April 2012! Now there's another book already out and I think it's been optioned for a tv show? Someone update me!

Anyway, I actually really enjoyed The Selection. If you look on GoodReads, there are a ton of reviews that list the flaws of this book. There are actually quite a few, including the ridiculous names of the characters (Aspen? Maxon? America??) The history behind the creation of Illea wasn't explained very well along with the reasoning behind our country returning to a monarchy. Is it possible to start a monarchy when you have no actual royal family? Wouldn't the royal family want to marry their son to girl from another country for an alliance instead of to a "commoner"?

However, if you suspend your disbelief, you can still be entertained by The Selection. It reminded me a lot of both The Bachelor and The Hunger Games, though it seemed like a ripoff of the latter. They even have all the girls go through interviews with a host who is identical to Caesar Flickerman. Seeing the girls interact with each other and the prince was very interesting, but I especially liked the relationship between Maxon and America. I was rooting for him to pick her obviously.

The conflict in the story is that America is in love with a boy from a caste below her so she can never marry him. Even though she's part of the Selection, she still pines for Aspen so naturally we have a love triangle. I personally prefer America with Maxon, but I can see why some people might like Aspen better.

I had trouble putting this book down because I wanted to see what happened with the contest and if America would ever develop feelings for Maxon. Unfortunately I have to wait until I read The Elite to figure out what happens!

Rating: 7 out of 10.
FTC: borrowed from the library.

2012/HarperTeen/339 pages.