Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - The Elite

I loved the first book and I feel The Elite is quite underwhelming. I expected that we would explore further into the rebels, but all we know is that they love to read. Granted that America mentioned how the rebels might be trying to find Gregory' diary, but it was in passing. Nothing really happened in this book, although I loved the event with foreign ambassadors and how America's relationship with her maids got closer.

I miss the America that was introduced in The Selection. She was more carefree and her relationship with Maxon was built nicely. Although the friend-to-lovers trope might be overused, I do love it in the first book. America and Maxon's relationship in the second book was... meh? I feel like I can't trust Maxon in this book. I know it is the concept of the Selection but it is hard to believe his devotion to America when he goes dating other girls at the same time. The same thing goes for America as she wants Maxon to herself yet she runs to Aspen when her relationship with Maxon went south. All in all, it's hard to root for any of them when they are acting so selfishly.

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riyket75's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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gothmiku's review

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lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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lisa_m's review against another edition

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lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

So little actually happened in this book it's comical. I have a really hard time actually explaining what happened in this book. There were some more explanations of how Illia came to be which was interesting but I don't know if I actually still support America and Maxon.

I mean Maxon is mostly great and I understand his decisions. America on the other hand got more and more annoying and I can't identify with her at all anymore. I'm almost hoping Kris will win.

These books are clearly a fantasy. The female reader is supposed to see themselves as America and feel the rush of being so loved by two people. That did not however work for me. I don't understand what anyone sees in America. It is constantly stated how bland and inadequate she is but still everyone absolutely loves her. Her actions are so ridiculous and over exaggerated. Maxon keeps telling her how much he cares about her and then he looks at someone else once and she immediately assumes the worst. She really doesn't trust in his words.

I will still be reading the next book in the series because as annoyed as I was it was still great entertainment. I am invested in the characters and their relationships even though I don't particularly like them.

The whole book is quite patriotic and I just wish we got to see more of the rebels. They show up every few chapters to destroy stuff and steal books and that's it. For a moment I was actually hoping they would kidnap America and she would then join them. That would have at least brought a bit of excitement into the story. I feel like a lot of plot points have been set up and very under explained. The series has the potential if an amazing finally but I'm worried the author will go in the more simple direction and just leave a lot of stuff unexplained.

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