We pick up right after the end of The Selection. There are six girls left in the running to marry Prince Maxon, and our main character, America, appears to be favored by the Prince.
Everything should work out just fine, but of course things happen to make the road not so smooth. I liked the additional things we learn about how the United States turned into this strange country with a caste system that is imperative to its survival. I thought some of the challenges the candidates were asked to do (host a foreign dignitary and come up with a philanthropic idea) added something to the political aspect of The Elite.
There are some supposedly dangerous moments, when rebels attack, but these moments didn't really get my heart pounding. I still see this as a fun, lighthearted series and can't really take the threats seriously.
I think America is pretty stupid at times. Every little thing that Maxon says or does makes her change her mind and go back to Aspen. And, by the way, I just don't get Aspen. Nice guy, but I'm definitely team Maxon, and at this point I'd be surprised if Aspen has many fans. I got tired of America's wishy-washy attitude. She wouldn't communicate, and therefore missed so many opportunities to clear things up. I got a bit frustrated with both America and Maxon. His behavior was incongruous at times too.
Not much progress is made. We are down to four candidates at the end of The Elite. We got to learn a little bit more about the girls and the political situation (and the King!) but I felt there was a lot of filler (mostly America loving Maxon, then hating him, then loving him, then hating him...) You get the idea.
The Elite reads quickly! I read the ebook and thought is was about 250 pages, but that's not what the print book says. Like I said at the beginning, I think these books are a lot of fun, and if you enjoyed The Selection, I think you will enjoy The Elite also.
I just have to comment on how I acquired The Elite. Our library system has a new eBook platform! I know that lots of libraries have ebooks for their patrons, but not many school libraries because it is so expensive. But, the state of Illinois has struck a deal, and got a grant, and the price of joining is really reasonable. So, hopefully soon my kids will have access to download ebooks onto their devices. We are in a trial period now, and The Elite was the first ebook I checked out, and it was great! I'm very excited!
Published by HarperTeen, April, 2013
eBook obtained from THE LIBRARY!!!
336 pages (qualifies for my Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge!)
Rating: 3/5
This really is one of those rare books that can be irritating but still great. I'm so excited for The One! <3
ReplyDelete- Kazhy @ My Library in the Making