eBook Review: The Elite (The Selection #2) by Kiera Cass

Title: The Elite
Author: Kiera Cass
Publisher: Harper Teen
Edition: I/eBook English Version
Published: April 2013
Page: 336
ISBN: 978-0-062-05996-3
Genre: Young-Adult, Romance, Fiction

Synopsis: The Selection began with thirty-five girls. Now with the group narrowed down to the six Elite, the competition to win Prince Maxon's heart is fiercer than ever-and America is still struggling to decide where her heart truly lies. Is it with Maxon, who could make her life a fairy tale? Or with her first love, Aspen?
America is desperate for more time. But the rest of the Elite know exactly what they want-and America's chance to choose is about to slip away.

***

After a tough first phase of The Selection, America Singer was still considered as a "princess candidate". Even though most people and some of royal family members, especially the King, were not showing interest in her, she was still "the apple" of Maxon's eyes. He liked her, but also liked other participants, whom he had narrowed down into six and called them The Elite.

The Elite now got their own room with servants. The royal family at the moment treated them like part of the royal themselves. Unlike the first time she entered the palace, she now felt more desperate than before. She knew that everything was tougher than before, regardless the competition. Aspen was there as well as Maxon, at the palace, as a guard. It made everything seemed to get harder for America.

On one hand, she wanted to get Maxon's attention more than other participants, especially Celeste. On the other hand, she desperately wanted to get back to Aspen. This situation led her to become uncontrolled. Besides, the situation inside the palace was getting hotter. Some rebels appeared and made such deathly attack to the palace. It happened many times and caused Maxon to send some girls back to their hometown.

Despite that attack, the King seemed to get more annoyed to America. She behaved out of manner, particularly after her best friend-participant was caught doing embarrassing thing with a guard, then received shameful punishment in front of King's people. It simply made America the biggest target of elimination. And he did! The King did persuade Maxon to send her home. America was half happy half sad about the decision. However, she knew that she no longer wanted to stay at a palace which King was very arrogant and merciless.

Different from her father, Maxon seemed to be very hard to let her go. He liked her and wanted her to stay. But America did not want to compete anymore. She had seen so much about the Royal Family and Maxon, and did not want to get back. Would Maxon really sent her home? What if he offered an exchange? How about Aspen?

~o~

The Elite is the second sequel The Selection series written by Kiera Cass. This book is very nice and the story is obvious. I just like it from the first sequel. It involves romance, fashion, and struggle in one pack.

The main characters involved in the whole story are America Singer, Prince Maxon, Aspen Leger, and the six Elite. Like the first book, America Singer is described as a young-talented but a-bit-rebellious girl who comes from low caste. She has just broken up from her first love, Aspen Leger. She is part of The Selection and becomes Prince Maxon's favorite.

The story in this book took place in new America after World War IV where America became Kingdom-based Country.

The conflicts faced by America Singer, as the main focus of story, are mostly about how to stand The Selection. despite the situation whether she liked Maxon from her deepest heart or she just found him interesting companion after breaking up from Aspen and about how she managed herself to stay with someone she was loving the most. What she need was restoring her faith, either on Maxon or on Aspen. Let her heart decide.

The plot runs forward. It makes the story glide smoothly and easy to understand. The author is very clever at making the plot a bit adventurous and attracting readers' curiosity on what would happen next.

As a matter of fact, I am in love with this book as well as The Selection series written by Kiera Cass. Reading this book makes me happy. I really love how she describes each scene within the story. It is very much into details. Moreover, some scene inside the story makes me quite exasperated, in a good way. Like, I want the story like that but it turns into like this.

I think I must recommend this book to those who love reading semi-fairy-tale romance which also involves a tough and taking-lots-of-energy-and-emotion competition within.

My rating: 4 out of 5 crowns

~Happy Reading~

xoxo