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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
I had been absolutley blown away by the first book in The Selection series by Kiera Cass. I don't know what it was. Maybe the fact that it was a competition, and for a very swoon worthy prince. And the fact that it was something very unique and something I hadn't yet read anything like before. Plus, let's be honest... these covers are GORG. That's what drew me in in the first place. The day this book came out I went and got it. I had to mow the lawn for the money, but I did it because I wanted to find out what happened next in this intense competition.
Ummm... letdown. I finished the book really fast. Next thing I knew, it was over. And it didn't feel that way because time flies when you're having fun. I really didn't have much fun reading this book. Literally NOTHING happened. Okay, well it did. But barely anything for an entire book worth! It seemed it was basically just America crying over whether she should be with Aspen and drop out of the competition or whether she should stay and marry Maxon. "Am I princess material???" was a line used like 8348494 times. Only a couple things actually happened, but nothing that really made it a plot worth. How was this even as long as it was with barely anything going on? And I LOVED America in the first book, but this America seemed SO much different. She was not nearly as strong as she was in the first book, and she cried... this entire time. It wasn't normal for any human being to cry that much.
There was one part of this book though, that WARMED my heart! I don't know what it was. To the average person, it probably wasn't even that cute. But I'm obsessed with Maxon. He's my favorite character. I'm so TEAM MAXON! And something about that moment just made me really see more to Maxon and find out more about him. I just wanted to cry with the cuteness/sadness.
I still deff want to get the third book when it comes out. Maybe even on the day it comes out, because I'm so invested in this competition. I can't wait to see who wins and what happens with America. But this book was just... blah. It was just a randomly placed book to make it a trilogy, but it wasn't very exciting. I hope that third one ends with a bang!
Ummm... letdown. I finished the book really fast. Next thing I knew, it was over. And it didn't feel that way because time flies when you're having fun. I really didn't have much fun reading this book. Literally NOTHING happened. Okay, well it did. But barely anything for an entire book worth! It seemed it was basically just America crying over whether she should be with Aspen and drop out of the competition or whether she should stay and marry Maxon. "Am I princess material???" was a line used like 8348494 times. Only a couple things actually happened, but nothing that really made it a plot worth. How was this even as long as it was with barely anything going on? And I LOVED America in the first book, but this America seemed SO much different. She was not nearly as strong as she was in the first book, and she cried... this entire time. It wasn't normal for any human being to cry that much.
There was one part of this book though,
Spoiler
when she was locked in the closet with Maxon when the rebels were attackingI still deff want to get the third book when it comes out. Maybe even on the day it comes out, because I'm so invested in this competition. I can't wait to see who wins and what happens with America. But this book was just... blah. It was just a randomly placed book to make it a trilogy, but it wasn't very exciting. I hope that third one ends with a bang!
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I gave The Elite 4 stars because it was such a fun follow-up to The Selection and definitely kept me hooked, but there were a few moments that had me wanting to shake the characters. The drama ramps up in this one, more romance, more tension, more competition, and I loved how the stakes felt higher. It’s still super bingeable and just as easy to fly through as the first book.
America is still figuring out what she wants, and while I loved seeing her grow, there were definitely a few choices that made me want to scream “girl, what are you doing?!” But honestly, that just made the story more addictive. The love triangle is even more intense here, and it had me flipping pages like crazy to see where it was all going to go. It didn’t hit quite as perfectly as book one for me, but it was still such a good time and left me excited to jump straight into the next one.
America is still figuring out what she wants, and while I loved seeing her grow, there were definitely a few choices that made me want to scream “girl, what are you doing?!” But honestly, that just made the story more addictive. The love triangle is even more intense here, and it had me flipping pages like crazy to see where it was all going to go. It didn’t hit quite as perfectly as book one for me, but it was still such a good time and left me excited to jump straight into the next one.
TA KSIĄŻKA JEST PASKUDNA NAPRAWDĘ NEI ROZUMIEM VO JEST TAKIEGO TRUDNEGO W WYBRANIU KSIECIA A NIE PIEPRZONY TRÓJKĄCIK, CZEMU ONA NJBY WIECEJ CZASU POTRZEBUJE JAK ONA NIEKOCHA WSM TO ZADBEGO Z NICH ALE DALEJ STWARZA POZORY, A TE MYSLI REWOLUCYJNE (pozytywizm vibe XD) NA KOŃCU SA TAK BARDZO Z DUPY ZE NIE MOGE
Upon reread (2020) I should probably knock this down from 3 stars to 2 stars, mostly because I found Maxon absolutely insufferable in this one. I was also annoyed that America was constantly made to apologize for things I don't think she needed to apologize for! I did still fly through this book and think it was really fun. I also enjoyed that more politics and history were infused into this book, which made the stakes feel higher and the world feel more grounded.
(I decided to keep it at 3 stars, because I am out of the typical "YA" age in 2020, and I didn't want to knock the book for things that I don't think would've bothered me when I was in the target audience).
(I decided to keep it at 3 stars, because I am out of the typical "YA" age in 2020, and I didn't want to knock the book for things that I don't think would've bothered me when I was in the target audience).
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this book was making me maddddddd america needs to get it together. all problems would have been solved if she locked in .... i hate siding with the man but maxon was valid and deserved better sorry
I don't often want to throw a book across the room. But in this case, that's what makes this book good. And while the book is advertised as a primarily a romance, I would disagree. I think it's primarily about politics. The politics of a country, of a group of women, of a kingdom, and of a girl's heart.
So let's talk about the plot. It moved slowly at first. But things picked right up with some action heavily seasoned with America's failure to commit to a solid choice. She made up her mind, and then she decided she wasn't sure she could trust herself or the parties involved. There is a lot of angst. There is a lot of what is not miscommunication, but a total failure to communicate. The spunky America of the last book gets kind of lost in the contest; she is conflicted about the prize, and that robs her of most of her fire. Her honesty sort of goes by the wayside, and I have to say that I did my fair share of yelling at my iPod.
There are a couple of spots where America steps up and speaks. But the choices here are not so well defined as they were in The Selection. That's because America is less defined while she deals with her own personal demons. It's a pretty accurate picture of what would probably happen, honestly. You take a 17-year old, take her out of her element, put her in a new situation where she has to compete based on her own attributes as measured by others (all subjectively) and you would likely get America. She's lost some of that fire because she's in a different environment with different expectations. She's out of her element and the whole "she's so refreshing" thing has worn off. She's moved to the new school and is now settling in - and the whole place is full of mean girls.
America comes to doubt Maxon's character in a few spots. From the outside (and her perspective), that doubt is warranted. Oddly, I didn't really fault him. I find that I tend to give men in general a break more often these days. Men are who they are and they behave differently than women. This is not to say that they can't be pigs - but women also make mistakes based on their gender. So while Maxon erred, I didn't fault him immediately - and as the story continues, we find that in most cases America shouldn't have faulted him. He does make one big betrayal. But honestly, it would never have happened if America had been honest. I looked at that situation and thought 'well, what did she expect would happen? And wasn't she doing the same thing?'
At one point, America says "I've been so foolish." Well yeah! This was really the culmination of everything. Fortunately, this happened in the second book and not the third. Now there is potential to concentrate on the country's conflict and government in the third book, and our characters can be colored by those events.
I did like the ending. There was resolution and a nice setup for the last book. As for the world building in a dystopia, I wouldn't say it failed miserably. The history of the country and the wars were clear. But all that was a backdrop; if you're expecting Hunger Games here, then you will be disappointed. The plot isn't about a dystopia. It's about a contest and the politics of it.
As to characters, America's angst aside, Maxon is no longer a sappy teenager wanting to impress a girl. I really liked him here; he behaves like a prince would. We get to see some of the cattiness of the girls, particularly Celeste. And we get to know Queen Amberley (love that name!) as well as the pig of a King to whom she is married. Aspen gives America space while still staying in the game, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's found to have something going on the side with some maid in the castle.
Amy Rubinate narrates this book on audio. She is a passable narrator in this story. But I think it is better read in print. Rubinate is not really a voice actor and that gives a flatness to the story. And with such a complicated and maddening trip through the conflicted teenage heart, it would have taken a really talented, experienced voice actor to really make the characters come alive.
The last several pages (or the last hour) of the story are the best. If you can plod through America's artistic temperament, you'll be rewarded. She's smarter and back to her old self by the end. The book may test your patience at times, but the ending is worth it. I'm looking forward to the next book now.
So let's talk about the plot. It moved slowly at first. But things picked right up with some action heavily seasoned with America's failure to commit to a solid choice. She made up her mind, and then she decided she wasn't sure she could trust herself or the parties involved. There is a lot of angst. There is a lot of what is not miscommunication, but a total failure to communicate. The spunky America of the last book gets kind of lost in the contest; she is conflicted about the prize, and that robs her of most of her fire. Her honesty sort of goes by the wayside, and I have to say that I did my fair share of yelling at my iPod.
There are a couple of spots where America steps up and speaks. But the choices here are not so well defined as they were in The Selection. That's because America is less defined while she deals with her own personal demons. It's a pretty accurate picture of what would probably happen, honestly. You take a 17-year old, take her out of her element, put her in a new situation where she has to compete based on her own attributes as measured by others (all subjectively) and you would likely get America. She's lost some of that fire because she's in a different environment with different expectations. She's out of her element and the whole "she's so refreshing" thing has worn off. She's moved to the new school and is now settling in - and the whole place is full of mean girls.
America comes to doubt Maxon's character in a few spots. From the outside (and her perspective), that doubt is warranted. Oddly, I didn't really fault him. I find that I tend to give men in general a break more often these days. Men are who they are and they behave differently than women. This is not to say that they can't be pigs - but women also make mistakes based on their gender. So while Maxon erred, I didn't fault him immediately - and as the story continues, we find that in most cases America shouldn't have faulted him. He does make one big betrayal. But honestly, it would never have happened if America had been honest. I looked at that situation and thought 'well, what did she expect would happen? And wasn't she doing the same thing?'
At one point, America says "I've been so foolish." Well yeah! This was really the culmination of everything. Fortunately, this happened in the second book and not the third. Now there is potential to concentrate on the country's conflict and government in the third book, and our characters can be colored by those events.
I did like the ending. There was resolution and a nice setup for the last book. As for the world building in a dystopia, I wouldn't say it failed miserably. The history of the country and the wars were clear. But all that was a backdrop; if you're expecting Hunger Games here, then you will be disappointed. The plot isn't about a dystopia. It's about a contest and the politics of it.
As to characters, America's angst aside, Maxon is no longer a sappy teenager wanting to impress a girl. I really liked him here; he behaves like a prince would. We get to see some of the cattiness of the girls, particularly Celeste. And we get to know Queen Amberley (love that name!) as well as the pig of a King to whom she is married. Aspen gives America space while still staying in the game, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's found to have something going on the side with some maid in the castle.
Amy Rubinate narrates this book on audio. She is a passable narrator in this story. But I think it is better read in print. Rubinate is not really a voice actor and that gives a flatness to the story. And with such a complicated and maddening trip through the conflicted teenage heart, it would have taken a really talented, experienced voice actor to really make the characters come alive.
The last several pages (or the last hour) of the story are the best. If you can plod through America's artistic temperament, you'll be rewarded. She's smarter and back to her old self by the end. The book may test your patience at times, but the ending is worth it. I'm looking forward to the next book now.