The Elite (The Selection #2) by Kiera Cass

I recently won a copy of The Elite by Kiera Cass.  I'm glad that I had it on hand to read as soon as I finished The Selection.  Here is the cover and Goodreads blurb:

The hotly-anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestseller The Selection.

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princess of Illea.

America still isn’t sure where her heart lies. When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over—and time is running out for America to decide.

Just when America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.

In this one, I ended up angry and confused at the end.  Aspen was annoying.  He said he had America's best interests at heart and he worried for her but he kept putting her in dangerous situations.  Maxon... I don't know what his deal is.  I really don't.  While I agree that America tends to get mad and lose it, I don't think it is too much to ask to be someone's one and only.  You love many people who come into your life but in the end, for most of us, there is one love that rises above all the others and stays.  I don't think Maxon gets that.  His inability to kick Celeste to the curb would be a deal breaker for me.  I have had to deal with her kind in my marriage and I have no sympathy for girls like that.  I'd put them all on a one-way cruise to Antarctica if I could.  I don't care much for men who think with their junk or who just don't care to see that they are ruining something huge for a manipulative girl.  But enough about that.  The king was just disgusting.  He was.  I hope he gets what he has coming to him in the third book or I will build a small fire and burn the whole series.  I seriously hate that guy.  All in all, I want to read the third book just to see if the author can end it and not make me want to set fire to the rain because right now, the book has me hopping mad at the injustice of it all.

You can click here to add The Selection Series to your Goodreads.  Kiera Cass can be found on her website and on Twitter.  I give The Elite earns 3 Fairies for a good story that just was not as good as the first one.  I hope that the third book is better.

The Selection (The Selection #1) by Kiera Cass

I have wanted to read The Selection for some time based purely on the super pretty cover.  I also had won a copy of the second book in the series recently so it was perfect timing when I found that our local library had finally purchased a copy of The Selection.  Here is the cover and Goodreads blurb:

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

This book reminded me of the Hunger Games- I kid you not.  Although, if I had had my way, there'd have been more death.  It is no secret that I am not a girly girl.  I do not do my makeup to go grocery shopping.  I wear jeans and a t-shirt most days.  I'd rather be in the creek looking for crayfish with my kids than wandering the mall in heels.  All that said, America is my kind of girl.  She is not about to change herself for anyone- and that is a good thing.  She and I agree on a number of the girls and their inherent awfulness.  Maxon was... interesting.  I wasn't sure what to think about him at the end of this because he seemed very charming and all but something is obviously bad in the kingdom for them to have such troubles.  The main point brought home in this book for me is that you may love someone because they are your first love but your life isn't going to always play out the way that you planned it.  Sometimes you fall in love with the one person that you did not plan to fall in love with.  Falling in love with your best friend is the best of all.

You can click here to add The Selection to your Goodreads.  Kiera Cass can be found on her website and on Twitter.  I give The Selection 4 Fairies for a good story that kept me reading.