Synopsis: This novel is a
Bachelor-style dystopian set in the future in a society known as Illea.
Citizens of Illea are separated into castes which determine their overall
quality of life, with the upper castes, such as the royal family known as 'Ones'
enjoying the most privileges.
This novel was preceded with 'The Selection'
which enlightened us to the ultimate contest for Prince Maxon's heart. In the
first instalment, 35 girls were chosen at 'random' from all of the castes to
take part in the national competition which is held at the palace in a bid to
win a marriage with Prince Maxon and in turn become a Princess.
'The Elite' is the second instalment during
which only 6 girls remain, and the protagonist of the series, America Singer, is
amongst these elite. Her heart is torn between her first love, Aspen, who has
followed her to the palace to win her back, and Prince Maxon whose kindness and
personality has made America feel completely different about the Selection
process. Amongst the love triangles and expensive parties, the society is in
turmoil, with rebels attacking the palace on a regular basis, some threatening
to kill if necessary to end the contest. America wants things to change but
doesn't feel strong enough yet to bring about those changes herself, will we
see her gain a new perspective in this novel, will she be Illea's new princess?
SPOILERS
Review: Two stars
are harsh I admit. If someone asked me to rate the novel say 100 pages in, I
probably would have given it a 3 or maybe even 4 star rating because when
reading the novel, I couldn't put it down; it was definitely a page turner. I
finished the book last night and had to sleep on it to help me gather my
thoughts and on reflection, 2 stars is probably more accurate.
I am a sucker for a good romance novel which is what
attracted me to this trilogy (I think it's a trilogy) but the love triangle in
this however was verging on ridiculous at some points. In one Chapter, the
protagonist Lady America would be promising her life away to Aspen and then
she'd run off to Maxon and tell him basically the same thing. All America
wanted is time and I felt she spent a lot of this novel stringing both boys
along waiting for someone to make the decision for her. I was relieved when
Maxon finally grew a backbone and gave her an ultimatum because I couldn't have
dealt with the constant back and forth between these two for much longer. In
the end, it looked like America's bold presentation was her way of showing
she'd chosen a life of comfort with Aspen over her whirlwind romance with Maxon
however she then declared she needed space from Aspen to mend her broken heart.
Apparently after the constant monologues and meetings with Aspen, it had only
just hit her that she had changed and was no longer right for him, personally I
think she forgave him way too quickly to begin with anyway. America then said
goodbye to her maids in a parting which admittedly made me cry and then on her
way out, after a 5 minute conversation with Maxon decided that, actually maybe
she did want to be a Princess. Fair enough it took losing Maxon to realise how
much she wanted him but ultimately, the end of 'The Elite' was pretty much the
same as the end of the first instalment, Maxon still hadn't chosen a winner and
readers were once again left tearing their hair out as we have to wait until
MAY 2014 to find out who becomes Princess ARGHHHH.
I don't mean to slate the book as much as this but the
Marlee plot twist was slightly predicatble. I was fully aware that she was having
an affair with a guard before it was revealed however what did suprise me was
the spontaneous caning expedition. In my opinion, this was the first time we
truely saw how corrupt the whole Selection process was and how corrupt the
royal family are for allowing such treatment to take place. Any faith I lost in
Maxon as a character however was restored when he invited America to the
Princess' suite and Marlee was waiting for her. The characterisation of Maxon
was done considerably better than some of the other characters; Kiera Cass took
us on a journey with him, through his first kiss and through his heartbreak at
having to wait for his one true love. I was actually surprisingly glad when
Cass spiced up the competition with Kriss' character, up to this point; I
thought America would undoubtedly win so there was little in terms of suspense
for the final decision. Kriss could very well steal Maxon's heart away from
America and this will certainly be an interesting addition to the love triangle
in the next instalment.
There was little action in this book, the rebel attacks were
generally in occurrence in the backdrop whilst America was hiding out in the
safe rooms. The only time I felt truly hopeful for an alternative setting and
possible action was when America ran into the forest away from the Northern
rebels, this however came to nothing and she was tucked up in bed back at the
palace in a matter of pages.
It might seem like I didn't enjoy this book but I wouldn't
have given it any stars at all if that were the case. I think the concept of
this trilogy is an interesting twist on traditional romance novels and a clever
spin on the Bachelor TV series. Most girls including myself have dreamt of
becoming a Princess someday and this novel brings back all those feelings, the glamorous
lifestyle and handsome Prince is certainly appealing and is a great escape from
the stresses of exams and work. In the next book I just hope we see some of the
story unfold in a setting other than the Palace, as much as I long to live in
such quarters, it would be nice to get a taste for perhaps where the rebels
live or even where the lowest castes such as Eights are forced to stay. I also
hope that Kriss doesn't replace Aspen in terms of the love triangle; I am
praying Maxon makes his decision early on so that I don't feel tempted to take
a quick peek at the last page just to find out who becomes Princess.
So there you go, I'd definitely recommend this trilogy and I
promise not all reviews will be so negative, but I do promise to be honest.
P.S. I know they say don't judge a book by its cover but isn't this just the most beautiful cover you have ever seen?!
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