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

Title: The Elite (The Selection #2)

Author: Kiera Cass

Published: April 23, 2013

Source: Bought

Buy The Book: Amazon/Barnes andNoble/The Book Depository

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars!

Goodreads 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

My Thoughts:

The Selection was one of my favorite reads last year and I was dying to get this one and it definitely was everything that I was hoping it would be. The Selection ended way too fast for me and I wanted to understand so much more then we got to see in the first book and I definitely got that in the sequel, Cass has taken her series to the next level and engrossed me even more in her series. 

The Elite picks up right where The Selection left off, there is 6 girls left in the competition and it is becoming even more important to each of the girls, to stay each for their own reasons. America still isn't sure who she wants Aspen or Maxon, throughout the book I felt like I finally knew which one she wanted but, then something would happen and she would change her mind all over again. Normally a flippant girl who can't choose between her two love interests in a triangle would drive me crazy. Each time  she changed her mind I felt she  was justified in her actions and I could understand why she was confused. Throughout the first book I was completely Team Maxon but, you definitely got to see a different side of his character in this book and  I was almost off his team  but, he kept me on his side somehow. 

I absolutely loved getting to know more  about  each of the characters, we get to know more about most of the girls left in the competition and what each could bring to the table if they were chosen to be Princess. Maxon, was also someone who we got to see a different side to also, as much as it disappointed me to see my shattered dream of a perfect fairytale prince, it gave his character so much more depth and made me feel so much more real. We learn more about his parents the King and Queen also, giving a interesting understanding to what life would be like for America if she wins The Selection.

The rebels are still at their games  and we learn bits and pieces of what they may be capable of although, to me it was never  quite revealed exactly what their motives were. One of my favorite parts was getting to learn so much more about the dystopian world, combining with the romance and competition, this book was a perfect fit for me. 

America is really coming into her own and beginning to grow up for the first time, she is coming into the weight of understanding what it really means to win this competition. She is not only going to become Maxon's wife but,  a leader and someone the whole nation is going to be relying on to make decisions that can affect them all. 

Overall, Kiera Cass gave me everything I was looking for in this sequel, so much of what I wanted to know from the first book was revealed.  While The Selection focused so much of the competition, The Elite opened up to understanding every character and the world around them . While in the end I  felt like  America finally made a choice in which man she is going to choose, I am still not quite sure if it will be a decision she is going to stay with but, I definitely can't wait to find out!

Want to learn more about The Elite? Check out the links below!

Bookaholic Corner 

Blkosiner's Book Blog 

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