If you haven't read the Selection series at all, I highly recommend you not to read on because this is the second book in the series. You will be exposed to spoilers since there have been many developments and changes since the first book and already know how certain things have turned out since book one. If you are interested in reading the first book, I recommend reading the review on the first book The Selection by Kiera Cass HERE.
Still running in the competition, America is having a battle with herself. She's confronted with a long lost lover as well as with her growing feelings for the prince. She's all over the place and is losing her territory during the Selection. Because of her many doubts if she'll be able to become a princess, she's turning her back on herself and other people that are quiet important for her. Above that, the treat of the rebels is still lingering while all America wants is some peace of mind and a clear view on what she really wants.
This book wasn't as good as the first one, I'm just going to say it. It took me quiet a few pages before I started to enjoy the book and that really bothers me a bit. Especially because the part where I started to enjoy the book, was really good! Maybe it was the slower build up in the beginning or not that excitement of being chosen to be in the Selection, I honestly have no words for why I was less into that part. And then of course came that reading slump to irritate me so it did take me a while to finish the book.
During the part I was eagerly excited about again, I did see huge changes in America. She wasn't as determined anymore as in The Selection and she started to neglect during the competition. As said in the synopsis, America is confronted with someone she loved a lot in the past and this brings out many of her insecurities and also brings many doubts to what position she's in and who to love now.
These doubts will affect the surroundings and I wasn't eager on how many of the people around her reacted on this. It's a very new thing to see in America, these doubts if she'll be good enough to be the princess but also her doubts in her love interests. If that isn't enough, she'll be put under a lot of pressure in the competition she's doubting was ever a good idea.
This all will lead to this character to become very fierce in her reactions, do things that'll end up wrong and her being very insecure and doubting about herself which again will lead to frustrations. I don't know if I liked this side of America as much as I loved her determination to stay herself during this competition. Especially because she got angry at the prince for things she did too and that were things that unnerved me with this character. I do appreciate the fact that we see this side of her because we all have a moment where we'll doubt and get insecure or struggle with the situation and need to solve it. And that's something the author visualized amazingly during the read.
As for Maxon, the prince, I absolutely did not enjoy him. As I said, the feelings America is having will affect her surroundings and it sure did affect Maxon. Also, he became very impatient, had a lot of frustrations and did things that'll boost the feels the reader is already feeling. I just wished he would show more concern towards America, but the author chose to show us his other side that's always under pressure. I did like to see this side because he's a prince and that way we get to see what he has to go through but I did want to see his compassion a bit more during this book.
Marlee, oh one of my favorite characters! She's in for a bumpy ride this time around. As I said in the review of The Selection, she has this mysterious vibe hanging around her near the ending of the book that suggest she's keeping secrets. You can be sure that The Elite will cover this again and make you question even more, only to find out what's happening to this amazing character. Marlee's personality is still very kind and caring which I still appreciated a lot in her. It isn't until certain events start to happen that I truly understood this character and began to love her even more. I hope to see her in the next book!
This time around I want to cover the maids of America too because they left such a great impression! I did already like the maids because they were always there for America and always supported her and made sure that she was all nice and clean. It isn't until this book though that we see how much they really, really care about America and how great their bond actually is. I absolutely loved to see them because they brought so much joy and light to the book and to America when she needed it. Yet we did also find out that each of them is having a hard time dealing with their position as a lower cast and I'm eager to find out how others will respond to this.
This said, let's move on to the plot! The plot again, holds a lot in store for us! As I have mentioned before the treat of the rebels is still lingering and I was still very eager about this. It's about time we would found out their motives or feel even more thrill when they arrive at the castle and everyone needs to hide. Again The Elite will make sure you feel the thrill of hiding yourself and we'll also have a bright person trying to figure out why they're always attacking and what they're looking for.
This was also a great asset to the plot because as a reader you get new information and you automatically start to form theories together with the character. You'll try to find their motives and might bump onto a very big possibility of this "why". Still, we don't know anything for sure and I hope that the last book will cover this part.
Also this time the rebels will be more fierce and this will make sure some girls come under a treat, this causes a lot of feels developing with the reader such as a bit of fear, tension and a bit of stress because you don't know how they'll get out of the situation and if they'll make it out alive and well.
The plot in this book will also take turns to the whole doubting of America about her current love situation. Someone from her past is back, someone she loved fiercely all the while she's also having growing emotions towards the prince in this competition. This will make sure we're in for a ride filled with bumps. We'll see a lot of emotions caused by this event and it will affect everyone that has to do with this. We'll see the pressure it brings, we'll see the frustrations it brings and the heartbreak each time she even thinks about these things. For short, the feels around this part of the plot will be everywhere and the reader sure is all over the place. You'll experience so much during these events and grow frustrated, heartbroken, you'll smile again and then get angry. This was absolutely great! Especially because the characters are caving under their pressure and this will affect things even more.
Another thing that is beginning to form is the idea of the world and how it's all looking now. We'll get a closer look on how things became as they were, we'll zoom in on the casts and we'll also get more information about the king. America will enfold some of the history of the country and this was something I enjoy a lot because it explains so much and explains how things became as they were. Not being a fan of the casts, the reader will be brought a possibility of getting them away but not everyone agrees with this. This said, America will be in store for very harsh feelings from some persons but also for very supportive people and support coming from people we didn't expect.
It's also because we get this closer look on it all, we'll finally start to unravel the king and who he actually is. We've never seen his personality or his reactions but during this book you'll find out a lot. Is he really the composed person he shows us to be? Is he different from what we always thoughts? You'll sure find out!
Lastly, the competition. It's of course still important in this book and it will be different from the first book. This time around the remaining girls will be given assignment that has to show Maxon who is capable of being a princess. These assignments bring us, the reader, a whole new exciting part and I was very eager to read this parts because I just loved to see how the girls acted and how they would get this act together.
I can conclude that I didn't enjoy this book as much as I did The Selection. The characters each show us a different side of them and grow very frustrated and insecure in this book. At some point, they really annoyed me because they were really running in circles without trying to solve anything. Yet the plot does make up a lot for their behavior and it will all change once you're in that flow. The plot will also make sure you're covered for the feels and the ending will leave you breathless and excited for the next book. Although I didn't like the beginning and sometimes the character's behavior, I still enjoyed the book because of its strong plot and therefore still give it a 4 out of 5."35 girls came to the palace only 6 remain."
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