Book Rant: The Elite

BOOK RATING: 80%

GENRE: YA, Dystopian

I have finally gotten around to reading The Elite by Kiera Cass which is the second book in The Selection trilogy. I think I read the first book in June sometime and if you haven’t started this series there is a non-spoliery summary at the top of that book rant that I will put HERE. If you have already read the first book we are in the top 6 girls “the elite” and Maxon is in love with America but she’s still on the fence because she still has feelings for Aspen who is working in the Palace and America isn’t sure if she wants to be a princess. This is a very quick read, it’s 323 pages and it took me a couple hours and in those two hours this book gave me all the emotions. I’m frustrated, I’m upset, I laughed, I cried and I’m now theorizing like a madwoman. Spoilers beyond this point.

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AMERICA IS BEING A PSYCHO, SELFISH, CRAZY, IRRATIONAL, INDECISIVE BITCH! I AM FED UP WITH HER! She is presented to us as an intelligent person in The Selection and now she is making so many rash decisions in this book. She acted stupider then we know she really is. This happens so much in trilogies! Our awesome main girl suddenly has a total personality shift. She keeps saying that she can’t be a princess but she has all these great ideas for the country and she keeps talking about how things need to change. America, the only way to change these things is to be the princess, the only way to become the princess is the win. To win you have to follow the freaking rules! Firstly stop sneaking around with Aspen. That is so selfish. You saw what happened to Marlee and now you are risking both Aspen and yourself for something that is already dead. Also think about Maxon. Yes he’s dating other girl, because her has too! It’s a requirement of the selection and he really likes you. He takes so many risks for you and you just throw them back in his face. Think about how hurt he would be! Stop leading Aspen on, break up with. Will it be easy? No. He’s your first love but you made your decision when you entered the contest. Secondly, get your shit together and start acting right. Follow the damn rules. Because if you get kicked out what good are you to the country? Now you have gotten the King to hate you, you stupid, selfish, irrational person! Thirdly, start being nice to Maxon! He’s a sweet guy. You have to start trusting him. Why they hell he trust you is the greatest mystery of the universe because you keep betraying his trust. That book thin he said don’t tell anyone and then she flat out tells her father (Does anyone else think her father is with the rebels? I can see it. Because they started looking for books and America told her dad about the books) and the she just announces it to the country! Alert the publishers of the Oxford English Dictionary: No one has now been changed to mean everyone possible. Then Aspen says Maxon’s a fake and America just accepts that like it’s the word of God. Does Aspen know Maxon? No! You know Maxon so be rational! She gets so mad at him for liking Kriss as well. America had just ignored him for a week and the competition hasn’t stopped so what is he supposed to do? It’s his job to talk to other girls so fine, be jealous, that shows you care but don’t take it out on him without even letting him explain. America is building her own obstacles and then bitching about them and I’m getting so sick of it! She needs to step up, grow up and do whatever it takes to win. King says “jump” you say “how high?” if that’s what it takes to make you princess. And that’s what it’s going to take now to put you in a position where you can actually start to work on the problems. If she had laid low it would have been so much easier on herself. She needed to be herself in that she needed to be witty and strong and wild streak but she had to do it on a smaller scale. Trying to “go out with a bang” and breaking the rules and just creating trouble isn’t going to help anyone. When America is not being a self-sabotaging, emotional wreck, her and Maxon are so adorable together. But America keeps messing it up! She’s always asking for time and Maxon gives it to her but when he ask for time, America is really hesitant. This girl has huge double standards for people.

Let’s talk about the Queen because I really love her. She is what America has the potential to be if she gets her act together. She’s really nice and motherly and accepting and just open to change. She seems really intelligent and fair and I just love her. the King on the other hand, needs to have a sword through his heart. he is such a controlling asshole and we discover the he whips Maxon. And he Queen apparently has no idea but she must. She might not know the details but she least suspects. I really hope that this is a secret that America will actually keep opposed to telling the world about it. Again. I just really hate the King. He a tyrant and not open to change. Not the America’s “remove the castes” plan was well thought out, I don’t blame him for shutting her down on that one. It’s a good plan but America at this point, couldn’t execute it well. Also it wasn’t really part of the project. that’s more of a government problem which isn’t her domain yet. If she had done something like feeding the poor, it might have eventually been. Planning. America needs to start thinking more than 30 minutes ahead. But the King needs to die. I was really hoping he’d be killed in one of the rebels attacks but no such luck.

I really liked the whole things with the Italians and the princess saying she wanted America to be Princess and offering to help her an everything. That was one part of the book when America was really doing her job well. I like Kriss but Maxon needs to be with America. If there is a plot twist and she’s not I might just give up on this book. Halloween was also an amazing moment. I loved Maxon teaching her what Halloween was and I loved having her family come and be there. And Maxon asking America’s dad for permission to marry her was so sweet! Then America shots that to hell. Everything before Halloween I really like actually. There were a few things that were ehh but not really. After Halloween America turns insane. I understand that it must have been tough with Marlee and I can’t imagine if that was one of my friends what I would have done, But if she had let Maxon explain she would have known way sooner that they were in the palace, safe and Maxon was looking out for them. And then we would’t have the Kriss problem. America needs to listen to something other then the sound of her own voice.

The next book, The One isn’t out yet (release date: May 2014?) but I really hope it’s not all about the selection. It needs to get resolved in the first third of the book and then have the rest be about them sorting out the country. If the third book is like this one I will be so mad. I’m over the selection part. America needs to chose, become princess and figure out this mess. I want the rebels explained, I want the war explained. We are in this little bubble and I don’t like this bubble anymore. I want more of this world because it’s a good world. This love triangle is so weak it just needs to stop. I really thought that this book would have concluded the selection or at least have had America make her choice. It would have been great to end with Maxon saying “Will you marry me?” and having this bit of a cliff hanger. And then in the third book we could get past this emotional drama (because it’s getting old) and actually start doing things. But no. We only eliminated 2 people. First 100 pages of the next book the selection better be over and done because you cannot stretch this out for a another book. It will get dull. Ooh, I hope #3 is written in dual POVs because I really want to read from Maxon. There is a novella out called “The Prince” that is about him but I haven’t read it.

You might not be able to tell from all this ranting but I did really enjoy this book. Things just frustrated me! I want answers and I want things to happen. Ok bye guys!