Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Elitas

America Singer is insufferable. She just follows emotions without thinking. That's literally the whole book. So read this if you want a girl flip-flopping around about what she feels.

I was holding out hope for Maxon, but he disappointed me so much. Boo. Marlee disappointed me too. She did wrong, even if her sentence was harsh. Aspen is still a jerk.

The only character I like at this point is the queen and we probably only got one paragraph of her. The maids are still really nice, too.

Also, what is going on with palace security??? They can afford so much luxury, yet they apparently can't find a way to keep someone from breaking into the palace every two seconds. Not to mention we have the world's best detective team here who clearly is figuring out what the rebels want. (Spoiler, THEY STINK AT DETECTIVE WORK.)

I usually try to find nice things to say about books I have negative reviews about but I can't for this. It's false romance, predictable, annoying and uninspiring. And I hate that I need to know what happens to these characters. 😂

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amelianotthepilot's review against another edition

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1.5

Yet again this series is rough. The book cover is truly doing so much work here it is gorgeous.
damn these suck. it’s so back and forth the whole time, within one sentence America decides she's fully into maxon only to decide in the next sentence she’s actually going home and will date aspen. Aspen sucks and Maxon is too mature and kind to her. I still don't understand how these books were spread out like this, I think the whole selection plot could be one book instead of 3-absolutely nothing happens in this book you can honestly skip it. Yet again the rebels are still meaningless.
lol at my old 2014 review tho💀 (I was 15)

repeat: My main problem with the series in general is the random blatant sexism and racism. The girls in the selection are just wives who will bare children, they're objects, and while this is poked at (maybe once) it's not actually called out for being bad. The racism lies mainly in one character being Asian and is referred to as 'exotic' and also seems to be a 'conglomerate Asian' of just random various Asian stereotypes and cultural dress. But furthermore the two groups of rebels the north (implied Canadians) are described as 'civilized' and 'smart' while the south (implied Mexico and South America) are described as 'barbaric' and 'uncivilized', attacking viciously without purpose. There is also heavy classism. Although this is meant to be a dystopian plot device dividing the characters and their upbringings, the characters who rise classes basically immediately forget their struggles and upbringing and the commentary and morals end up not existing. America easily fits into her new raised class and bosses her maids around while displaying minimal niceties the reader is supposed to commend her for.
Overall this is a simple, albeit lacking 2000s dystopian with blatant problems and racism but at least it has pretty dresses and a fun little plot I guess....

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abigailhaagen's review against another edition

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4.0

Slightly more annoyed at the characters in this one because they got mad over simple misunderstandings, but I still devoured this story.

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izzy_grace2010's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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faeriefox's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Would round up to 4⭐

This was good. America was annoying during parts of it and I was annoyed at the constant use of redhead as a derogatory term, but otherwise I really enjoyed it! It made me feel a lot and I love Maxon. Still hate Aspen.

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chickenlady's review against another edition

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lighthearted tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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wrappingpaper's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I enjoyed this book more compared to the first of the series. The odds were heightened and it felt like more was happening, especially near the end.

I found America to be slightly annoying at certain parts because of the way she was handling having a double romance however I’m glad that she seems to be making a clear choice now (which i hope she sticks to).

The story is also getting more political with more focus on the rebels and the country as a whole. Overall I’m very excited to read the third book and see where Cass takes the story next.

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