The Elite: Book Review

Author: Kiera Cass

Genre: Romance/Dystopian

Ratings: 4 Stars

POV: First person

Series or Single: Book 2 in The Selection Trilogy

Summary:

On day one, thirty-five girls arrived at the palace, in hopes of marrying the dreamy Prince Maxon and earning the crown of Illéa. Now, only The Elite remain, and America Singer is one of the six. But unlike everyone else, her situation is different. She has to choose, between her first love, Aspen, and her second love, Prince Maxon. Competition is fierce, and America is struggling who to pick. All she hopes for is more time, but all the time she has is slowly slipping out of her grasp, and America knows she must act fast.

Review:

Thumbs up for this sequel!

I was definitely satisfied with The Elite. It picked up from where The Selection left off perfectly and reminded its readers on parts they might have missed. A great start to a thrillingly romantic novel.

There are a lot of hate-love characters and scenes that surprised me. Especially when America's friend Marlee, attempted something seemingly natural and was punished greatly. As of every dystopian novel, society is divided in some sort of way.

Here we have the castes. There are eight castes in total, each one with a specific area of interest the members of the caste must follow. America and her family are Fives, which mean they are musicians and artists. The story takes place in the palace of Illéa, a small and growing country founded by the well-known hero Gregory Illéa in a not-so near future.

Despite lacking the passion and inspiration in the first book, The Elite was still entertaining and exciting to read. Characters like Celeste and Maxon will blow you away as you wave your fist in the air. And more mysterious and less explored characters like Nicoletta and Queen Amberly will make you frown or scratch your head.

The author clearly wanted her readers to feel the same way America felt, and I can be sure that she accomplished that. But I can't say the same for the unique love triangle of America, Aspen, and Maxon. Both of whom America loves are equally flawed. Maxon can be a bit of a brat sometimes, to me only, I guess. And Aspen just doesn't have a very interesting personality to start with, and it lacks motivation immensely.

There is definitely a change in personality for America in this sequel. Originally, she was doubtful and yet, loud and hopeful about her love with Aspen. But after she realized she was Selected, everything slowly began to change. In The Elite, America showed courage, foolishness, and caution as the competition began to heat up.

The way America faces challenges puzzle me a bit, but in a way, they all make sense in the end. America is definitely the next, different-type of dystopian Katniss Everdeen, possessing similar qualities and intentions. I am against the way America faces her obstacles head-on, as it seems very foolhardy at times.

The other characters the book aren't meant to help encourage America, instead, they're meant to break her and confuse her. I think the author's intentions for this was to give America a chance to have confidence in herself, and that was one of the immediate changes I noticed in this book. 

It would have helped if the author explored more areas of curiosity, though. I am still in awe about the caste system, and I would for sure love to learn more about its history and individual lifestyles. A possible theory for leaving such areas unexplored may be to let them shine in the third and final book.

One of the most notable characters is the kind and generous Marlee Tames, America's only friend that was suddenly lost to her. Marlee is the perky and bubbly one of the pack, with mixed feelings about everyone and a complicated relationship with the prince. Later, it is discovered that Marlee was hiding a secret from America, and only when it was too late was it revealed. I for one, did not see that coming.

Then there's mean old Celeste. She's kind of like the teacher's pet in a different way. Celeste is a rude, yet talented and beautiful celebrity model with a hatred for all the other competiting girls. She would do anything to get someone else kicked out for whatever reason they had. The boastful and jealous personality in Celeste can definitely be related to real people in life. America usually finds her with her nose in a magazine looking at all her own ads.

America's love triangle with Maxon and Aspen is different in a way that it is more interesting than regular romantic novels. I can understand the way America is falling for two guys with totally different personalities.

Prince Maxon is a One and is cautious, yet playful. Aspen is Six, with a funny and kind, yet serious and hardworking personality. What you will find definitely interesting though, is the different reasons America falls for each one. Each also want America and have different dreams of the future with her, and America longs for both. The decision she will have to make in the third book will be tough, and I can't say I fully trust her in her decisions.

A slight minor flaw in the story is the brief important parts. Some scenes are just too important to be taken lightly, and it just didn't reflect on America's response. Repetition is another issue, as the sequence of love gets kind of boring after a while. America falls for Aspen, then Maxon, then Aspen… you get the picture.

But the biggest flaw I am not happy about is that this story lacks enough depth. There is some for the majority of the scenes, but not enough in parts where it is needed the most.

The way it ended was in no way to how The Selection ended. I was shocked by how cliffhanging it was and couldn't even imagine how America could take it all in.

If you are looking for a book with suspense and romance that will keep you up reading all night, The Elite is for you. I strongly recommend starting with the first book in the series, and I promise you, you will not be disappointed. But you have been warned, brace yourself for whatever comes next.

- Ashlyn, Aspiring Author of Today

PS: My review is also avaliable here at http://www.rileybanks.net/2/post/2013/07/book-review-the-elite-by-kiera-cass.html