The Elite (The Selection, #2)

by Kiera Cass

[ladygrey]

Really fast read which was nice.

I really couldn't stand America, though. Her emotions are so fickle and irrational. Two pages after Maxon says he wants to choose her she's wondering if he's going to send her home. She doesn't listen to him at all or have an actual conversation when she needs to. He's totally right when he says that she's rash and blames everyone, especially him, for everything she thinks is wrong with the world. She spent the first book being really honest and doesn't talk to him about anything in this one.. Her internal monologue with not nearly enough dialog also is a whole lot of telling. I almost stopped reading it but I was 261 pages in (seriously, fast read) and I was curious how it would end.

I did like the ending, finally. And of course I'm going to read the third one because I've already gotten this far.

But I find myself wishing Kiera Cass had taken notes from the pilot of The Selection. She's set up this wider world with Northern rebels and Southern rebels and what they all want. But she spends the whole book inside the palace with a very small cast. The biggest conflicts arecat fights between the girls or America's wavering anger/jealousy/love for Maxon when there's obviously so much else going on. It could involve a lot more intrigue and tie in political conflict and suspense more than it does. The pilot was flawed but it expanded the world well and offered more interesting conflict.

Having read the third book, I'd maybe up this to 2.5 stars because there's one or two moments that weren't so bad.

"I should have proposed that night in your room."
"I should have let you."