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.
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.
I was not a big fan of The Selection, the first book in this series. It lacked the desolation,
drama and desperateness I like to see in dystopian. But there are times
where the second book in a series out does the first so I thought it was only
fair to give The Selection series another go.
Unfortunately this just wasn’t for me. I have to be honest, I found The Elite quite boring, it was page after page of nothing. There is no real action, no real substance and nothing to really get behind. In the first book you had the selection process and the introduction of Maxon and palace life to make things a little more interesting but in this there was nothing like that. I had hoped that the rebels and the dystopian setting would be more important in this book but it was not to be.
I struggled with the characters, America is a bit vapid and I find it difficult to care about her. Her constant mind changing is annoying. One minute she wants Maxon, then Aspen, then Maxon, then Aspen. It was to repetitive and not interesting enough. There is nothing else to her apart from her endless relationship issues.
The men are not much better, Aspen is flat and lacks personality, I like him more than a lot of other readers it was not enough for me to actively support him. Maxon is just as bad as America, he wants one thing one minute then something else the next. I honestly couldn’t care which one America ends up with as long as they just stop all this indecision.
The Elite is not a bad book, the writing is alright and I can see its appeal. Some readers will love this in the same way that some people loved Gossip Girl and Dawson’s Creek and all the other teen dramas that have invaded our screens over the years. These things have never been for me and I have always preferred something a little grittier.
I also think that this series is meant purely for its original target audience. As an adult it is easy to get bored with this and pick holes in it, but if I was thirteen again then I might have a completely different opinion. I would have probably loved it and as an adult blogger who reviews YA books I do have to remember that these books are not always right for me and my age group.
If you like books that focus solely on relationship dramas and are a teen then I would recommend this series to you. It ticks a lot of boxes where the genre and age range are concerned. If you are older and like a little more bite to your fiction then I would stay away.
I am glad I gave this series another go and I think I understand its purpose a little more. If given the opportunity I would read and review the last book in the series just to see how it ends, but it is not something I would chose to spend my money on regardless of the authors behaviour, at the end of it all The Selection is just not for me.
Unfortunately this just wasn’t for me. I have to be honest, I found The Elite quite boring, it was page after page of nothing. There is no real action, no real substance and nothing to really get behind. In the first book you had the selection process and the introduction of Maxon and palace life to make things a little more interesting but in this there was nothing like that. I had hoped that the rebels and the dystopian setting would be more important in this book but it was not to be.
I struggled with the characters, America is a bit vapid and I find it difficult to care about her. Her constant mind changing is annoying. One minute she wants Maxon, then Aspen, then Maxon, then Aspen. It was to repetitive and not interesting enough. There is nothing else to her apart from her endless relationship issues.
The men are not much better, Aspen is flat and lacks personality, I like him more than a lot of other readers it was not enough for me to actively support him. Maxon is just as bad as America, he wants one thing one minute then something else the next. I honestly couldn’t care which one America ends up with as long as they just stop all this indecision.
The Elite is not a bad book, the writing is alright and I can see its appeal. Some readers will love this in the same way that some people loved Gossip Girl and Dawson’s Creek and all the other teen dramas that have invaded our screens over the years. These things have never been for me and I have always preferred something a little grittier.
I also think that this series is meant purely for its original target audience. As an adult it is easy to get bored with this and pick holes in it, but if I was thirteen again then I might have a completely different opinion. I would have probably loved it and as an adult blogger who reviews YA books I do have to remember that these books are not always right for me and my age group.
If you like books that focus solely on relationship dramas and are a teen then I would recommend this series to you. It ticks a lot of boxes where the genre and age range are concerned. If you are older and like a little more bite to your fiction then I would stay away.
I am glad I gave this series another go and I think I understand its purpose a little more. If given the opportunity I would read and review the last book in the series just to see how it ends, but it is not something I would chose to spend my money on regardless of the authors behaviour, at the end of it all The Selection is just not for me.
2 stars
Published
April 23rd 2013
by HarperTeen. A free copy was provided for review. Image courtesy of Goodreads.
Review by Kate Phillips
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I got it on NetGalley and I'll be starting books 1 and 2 pretty soon. Too bad it wasn't as good for you, I have really high expectations. I better calm myself so I'm not disappointed. I'm not really big on teen relationship drama.
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