The Elite (The Selection, #2)

by Kiera Cass

Amy Rubinate (Narrator)

The Selection gets fierce as rivals stake their claim on the Prince.
Six girls, one life-changing prize...

America Singer will leave her pre-destined life for a world of glamour and luxury, if she wins...

But surviving The Selection is tough. Rivals are battling to become Prince Maxon's bride as the threat of rebel violence just beyond the palace walls escalates into war.

Only six girls are left and sworn friendships are tested to breaking point. America's feelings for Maxon grow stronger, but she suspects darker mysteries in his royal past. With ex-lover Aspen waiting for her in the shadows, where do her loyalties truly lie?

• ISBN10: 0062253840
• ISBN13: 9780062253842
• Publish Date: 23 April 2013
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Imprint: HarperTeen
• Edition: Unabridged edition
• Format: Audiobook (MP3)
• Duration: 7 hours and 42 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[Nessa Luna]

Read this review and others on my blog October Tune!

When I finished The Selection, I found the kind of open ending a bit annoying, so I immediately started The Elite. I was hoping this book would focus more on the rebel attacks, and on Maxon trying to eliminate more people and that we'd finally find out who was going to be the One at the end of this book, unfortunately I was yet again a bit disappointed.

This book was just as exciting as the last one, meaning that it wasn't really that exciting at all. There were two (or actually three) more rebel attacks in this book, but like with The Selection, we spend it in shelters. There was only one scene where we found out more about the rebels, when America fled into the (apparently massive) forest inside the castle walls. Seriously, this forest must have been huge, because she actually got lost. She ran so far into it that she couldn't find her way back to the castle anymore. For that entire scene, I just kept asking myself how big the forest must have been. Anyway, she encounters two of the rebels who are carrying a lot of stolen goods from the castle... Books. They stole books. That does not sound that exciting at all?! I imagined them stealing jewels, money, and all kinds of other valuables; but books? (Okay, books can be valuable but still).

Then the other exciting part was a whipping. Because on of the Selection girls was a bit naughty. I will not tell you which character it was, of course, but let's just say I was really surprised! This was also the scene where I started to like America a bit more, because of her reaction to this whipping. But I think the book revolved too much around the love triangle, which is something I hate. I was hoping for more frequent (or at least, more violent) rebel attacks and we got only one more than the previous one (and those first two attacks were by the same group of rebels, so it kind still was only one rebel attack).

The rest of the book was a bit, well, disappointing. It was a lot of America crying (seriously this girl cries A LOT) and going back and forth between Maxon and Aspen. Because then one moment she'd be like 'Maxon is perfect for me', and then Aspen would appear and say something and she'd be like 'Aspen is even more perfect'. Even after the whipping scene she fools around with Aspen, like - did you learn NOTHING from that? I bet next time the King/Maxon won't be that friendly and you could be killed! But what does America do? She meets Aspen in hidden places all over the castle. Stupid stupid stupid. And she just kept doing stupid stuff throughout the book and I was kind of surprised that she wasn't kicked out (yes I already know how the last book is going to end, but still). In fact, I don't think any of the girls was eliminated in this book, or did I just miss something? (okay, the girl who was whipped was send away obviously but other than her).

Even better, when she sees Maxon hanging around and going on dates with the other girls of the Selection, she gets mad! Because Maxon confessed his love to her, and that means he can't do stuff with the other girls. Yeah, you're still in the Selection girl, he hasn't chosen you yet. And besides, with you being so stupid to him, he'll have to go through his other options right? This girl is really... UGH!

There were some nice parts about this story though. I still liked Marlee and Maxon (apart from some minor parts, but yeah every character has flaws). And the fact that this book was just very simply written and very easy to read; I finished it really quickly and I felt like I just flew right through. Unfortunately, that didn't really make up for the rest of the book, but it also wasn't so bad I wanted to give it two stars. I will read The One, and I might try out the two available novella's, but this won't be one of my favourite book series.

If you enjoy The Bachelor, you should definitely check out The Selection series; if you're not too big on love triangles, you should avoid this series. Avoid it big time.

My opinion on this book in one gif: 


(me talking to America every time she thinks about being with Aspen).

[celinenyx]

We are introduced to America and the strict caste society she lives in in The Selection. She joins the contest in becoming Prince Maxon's wife, and makes it to the last six contestants. But now Aspen, her childhood flame, is a soldier in the palace, her love life is suddenly a lot more complicated.

Where The Selection was light-hearted fun, The Elite is a bit heavier reading. At the start of the first book Maxon and America are friends, until they grow into something more by the end of it. Now America is a huge mess, and the entirity of The Elite is marked by her confusion. One moment all she wants in life is to be a queen with Maxon - the other she wants to marry Aspen and go back to how things were, only now they might be a bit better with both their elevated statuses.

Many people don't enjoy The Elite because America tends to forget the other half of the love triangle constantly. When she's with Aspen, she forgets she has feelings for Maxon. When kissing Maxon, Aspen is the last thing on her mind. I feel quite ambivalent about this. Of course she wouldn't think of the other, because if she did, she would soon go crazy and pick neither of them. And since we are nearing The One in which she will have to make a choice...

Kiera Cass writes in an incredibly readable way, and fills her books with nice secondary characters you would love to be friends with, and enemies you love to hate. A few minor inconsistencies aside, The Elite continues in the same vain as The Selection. I find these books very addictive light reading, and I'm enjoying binge reading them. Bring it on, The One!

[Katie King]

**1 star**

There are two different types of enjoyable books: the actually good ones and the so-bad-its-enjoyable ones.

The Elite was a guilty...something, definitely not pleasure.

I skimmed most of the book, because one major problem totally ruined the whole thing for me: What's the point of the Selection when Maxon promised to pick America? They've already admitted to loving each other, so the book is just Maxon waiting for America to finish sowing her wild oats. In my opinion, this could not have been worse.

Things Wrong With The Elite
*The random political filler
*America's back and forth between Aspen and Maxon
*The whole thing with Marlee
*Party-planning as a test of character
*"OMG Maxon is ignoring me, he hates me!"
*Maxon is allowed to sex-up whomever in the hallway despite "picking" America
*America is constantly preparing to leave
*"Rebel attacks"
*Dystopi-what?
*The "stolen moments" between America and Aspen

Things Right With The Elite
*The King's temper
*Uncovering Gregory Illea's past

That's a pretty bad ratio.

[sarahjay]

I have a feeling I'm going to end up wishing this trilogy was a duology because it is starting to feel a little drawn out, but I'm still really enjoying myself, so who cares.

[angelarenea9]

This review is full of spoilers.
This review is posted on my blog

I didn't like this book as much as I liked the first one and I think that that was mostly due to the Aspen story line. It just did not appeal to me at all. It was predictable from the first chapter of the first book that this kid was going to show up and mess things up, and honestly I'm a little tired of this dramatic secret love triangle story line where the leading lady tries to explain away why she is messing around with two or more men. To be honest, I didn't even find Aspen that likable. So because that was a major story line in this book, it just didn't seem as good.

I loved Marlee and even though I had already guessed what was coming, I was so sad for her when she got caught with Carter. I thought it was a very moving scene when America was fighting to get her, although I'm not sure what she thought she was going to do.

I liked that the political aspect took more of a forefront than the previous book, and thought it was very interesting reading about Gregory Illéa, and the situation in present day Illéa. When her father seemed really interested in the diary, and I found the whole rebels with books scene very suspicious.

I think that in this book Maxon's character started to seem all over the place. I've said that I didn't like America was messing around with Aspen while we were lead to believe how much she cared about Maxon, and I found it equally irritating when Maxon put on a show of complete devotion to America while being secretive about the other girls. I thought that this whole mess was made even worse by the touching revelation in the closet about how Maxon is beat by his father. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was a nice scene, but it just seemed like a plot twist to me.

I could have ignored a lot of those things if it wasn't for the terribly arrogant scene where Maxon humiliates America in front of Kriss, and then leaves with her, just, it seams, to get back at her.

If you liked the first book, I would recommend reading this one, if only to get to the last book in the series.

[Vicki]

Apr 2018 = 4 stars
Jun 2014 = 4.5 stars

[Mercy]

Leí este porque tenía una leve esperanza de que mejorara aunque sea un poco. Ha sido 'casi' una total decepción. Digo, Maxon me siguió gustando, no es un gran personaje, pero es divertido.
América es el personaje más indeciso, más estúpido y más desesperante que he leído. Si no deje de leer una interminable cantidad de veces fue porque tengo eso de tratar siempre de terminar (también quería saber que pasaba) y el libro es corto. Pero es que fue malo, muy malo. Sólo se centra en el triángulo amoroso más estúpido de la historia y la trama de La Selección, que tampoco me gusta. Hay muchos elementos como la guerra (que es una guerra muy estúpida), las castas (que es aun mas estúpido, tomando en cuenta que se gasta tanto dinero en cosas superficiales, bien podrían ayudar a los estratos mas bajos ¿no? Además, una cosa que me ha dado mucha risa, ha sido los ataques de los rebeldes al palacio. O sea, ¿qué tipo de guardia tienen? los rebeldes entraban AL PALACIO hasta dos veces a la semana y destrozaban todo. Cada vez que daban el grito de: '¡Vienen los rebeldes! (algo así era) yo me empezaba a reír de lo ridículo que es todo. MUY ESTÚPIDO. Debo admitir que algunas de las ideas revolucionarias de América han sido buenas, pero no bien meditadas. Muchas de estas situaciones me recordaron a Los juegos del hambre. He ahí que digan que es una mala copia de estos y del programa The bachelor.

Siguiendo con América y su indecisión por Maxon o Aspen, solo de pensarlo me da rabia. Primero, ella no quería nada con Maxon, quería ir a casa y encontrarse con su amor. Luego que si quiere a M pero no puede olvidar a A. ¿Qué Maxon anda con las otras chicas? PUES ME VOY A BESAR A ASPEN. Luego Maxon le decía algo súper romántico: 'Sí, el me quiere, yo le quiero. Me olvido de Aspen'. Y así todo el libro. Se enojaba con uno y se iba con el otro. Luego lloraba porque Maxon no pasaba tiempo con ella. PFFF. Horrible. Estúpido. Ridículo.

En fin, una historia que no aporta nada, superficial hasta niveles indecibles, situaciones ridículas, personajes estúpidos (la mayoría) y trama de fondo mal aprovechada. Una pérdida de tiempo. Y bueno, yo me lo busqué xD
P.D. Yo quisiera que en The One, América se decida de una jodida vez por Aspen. Me explico: Los dos son realmente estúpidos. Maxon quedaría muy bien con Kriss. Supongo que él también es estúpido por fijarse en América. Pero tengo la esperanza de que se pueda salvar.
P.D. Siento haber usado tantas veces 'estúpido'... PERO ES QUE TODO ES TAN ESTÚPIDO. T____T

Hmmmm. I am confused. This whole book confused me. I couldn't tell if America loved Aspen or Maxon, she was constantly waxing poetry about both and switching between the two. I really wanted to like this book, but I came away from that feeling sad and confused. I didn't like America at all, she couldn't make her mind up about what or who she wanted, she made no sense. This book made no sense. This has made me sad.

[violetpeanut]

Ughhh.... I was holding out hope that I would like The Elite more than I liked The Selection, but sadly that was not the case.

One of my main problems with the first book was the lack of world-building and that is about the only part of this book that was improved upon over the first. We learn much more about the history of the country and how the caste system was set up, and about why things are the way they are. Although some of my questions from the first book were answered, I still don't really feel like this world is real. It doesn't seem fully fleshed out to me.

In The Selection, I didn't really feel strongly about any of the characters. In The Elite, my feelings towards America, Maxon and Aspen are much stronger - but not in a positive way. America drove me nuts throughout the book. She was wishy-washy and whiny and selfish and I just did not like her very much. Aspen was manipulative and took advantage of America's insecurities. Maxon, who I liked the best in the first book, completely lost my support with his actions and then his flimsy explanations.

There's a little more action in this book but nothing is really described so I wasn't all that excited. Even the ending was somewhat disappointing to me. That Maxon takes beatings from his father but can then convince him to let America stay just didn't make any sense to me. I was hoping for some better reason for her to be there in the end. In my opinion, America needs to go back home and forget about both guys. Or leave and join up with the more peaceful Northern resistance.

Reading this book was frustrating to me. I'm now invested in the plot so I want to keep reading to see what happens next but these characters have personality flaws that make me dislike them, the world they live in still doesn't seem quite real to me, and I think (as I did with the first book) that the writing is somewhat juvenile. There are some neat ideas here but I'm just not a huge fan of the execution.

I will probably read the final book at some point but it will be a loan from the library rather than spending my money on it. As I said in my review of The Selection, I think tweens and young teens would probably love this book and fans of the first one will definitely love it as well. It just wasn't for me.

[Briana @ Pages Unbound]

Source: ARC from EpicReads

On second thought, I'm not going to write an actual review of this book.

To summarize: I thought it similar to The Selection, but more annoying. Any "review" I wrote would just be a bullet point list of all the unimaginably unintelligent things America, Maxon, and Aspen do. (The sad part is, all the characters are convinced America is smart--total queen material. In reality, we're looking at a girl whose idea of making diplomatic overtures to a foreign princess is to make a comment with the undertones of, "You people are CRAY-ZAY! Great party, ya?")

I'm just invested enough in seeing what happens that I'll probably read the third book, but I can't in good faith recommend this series to anyone. Unless you want to message me and we'll laugh together at how silly all the characters are. (Yes, the rebels are risking their lives storming the castle and stealing books because...they want them for kindling! YOU GUYS HAVE TOTALLY FIGURED OUT THE EVIL SCHEME!)

I don't normally like to be snarky while writing reviews, but this series makes it far too easy by opening itself to all kinds of shots.