Despite its flaws, this charming book is difficult not to fall in love with.
Summary
America Singer is one of The Elite, and Prince Maxon only has eyes for her.
If she wins the competition for his heart, she will leave her pre-destined life for a world of luxury. But the outcome is less than certain: the threat of rebel violence just beyond the palace walls is escalating into war and bitter rivals are ready to take her down.
And as America’s feelings for Maxon grow stronger, ex-lover Aspen waits for her in the shadows. Where do her loyalties truly lie?
My Thoughts
There’s something strangely addictive about Kiera Cass’s The Selection trilogy. I thoroughly enjoyed The Selection. In my review I wrote: “It made me feel young, but at the age of 23, I didn’t feel that I was too old to be reading it. It was refreshing. It gave me butterflies and made me anxious, and provoked other emotions in me at all the right times. I’ve read books that make me feel disconnected and nonchalant, but The Selection had me turning the pages like my life depended on it.”
I felt a little differently about The Elite. There were moments when America annoyed me so much with her inability to decide who she loved, and those moments made me feel like I was too old for this book. I didn’t get so many butterflies, and didn’t feel quite so emotionally attached. I also felt that the book was focused too heavily on the love triangle. I would have liked to have seen the rebel threats play a bigger part in the story, instead of being mentioned but quite quickly forgotten.
That said, for some inexplicable reason, I still couldn’t put this book down. It’s almost like a guilty pleasure for me. I knew that the love triangle was pretty ridiculous and couldn’t believe that both men were still chasing America despite the fact she’s so fickle. I also knew that the whole idea of a competition to marry a prince is a little girl’s dream that I definitely should have grown out of by now.
But despite all that, I still loved reading it. It’s probably partly because it’s such an easy read. Kiera Cass doesn’t tend to dwell on anything too much: she gets straight to the point, spending just enough time on each thing to make you feel satisfied but not bored.
Plus, there were some gripping moments in there that I particularly enjoyed. I won’t give anything away, but I loved Marlee’s part in the story, and also the King’s. I have questions about America’s father, and also her maids, too. In fact, I even now have questions about Maxon and his intentions. So I really am looking forward to reading The One when I get my hands on it.
Overall, I’d recommend The Elite to anyone that enjoyed reading The Selection, though don’t expect to be quite so enamoured by it. You will feel frustrated, and find yourself wanting to shout at America when she can’t make up her mind, but it’s somehow worth it for the peculiar addictive quality this book has.
What did you think about The Elite? I’m really curious to know. Tell me your thoughts in the comments section below or on Twitter, and share links to your reviews!
If you liked The Elite, you might like:
Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
12 YA books all grown-ups should read
There were times in this book where I found myself rolling my eyes and getting frustrated with the love triangle, but overall, I really enjoyed it! I thought it was cute and balanced the light and dark aspects very well, and I’m really excited to see what happens in The One. 🙂
Great review!
Alice @ Alice in Readerland
I love this series! America was pretty annoying but like you this series was like a guilty pleasure, it was So entertaining and I loved it. Especially The One, it was such a perfect “ending ” ♡ I’m really excited for THE new books