Book Stop Corner

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


“America, there’s no question that you’ve had my heart from the beginning. By now you have to know that.”




Kiera Cass, an American author, whose The Selection series has taken the whole YA-lit world by storm, no that's very true, so I, feeling bit left out from all the hype about this book, went ahead and bought out all the four books(literally!) from this exciting dystopian series from Amazon India. Let's face it, it's not that brilliant as it claims to be. Yet still, somehow, the book has imprinted it's charm and glory into my heart. Maybe those impeccably gorgeous gowns and dresses did the trick!


You can read my review of The Selection here




Let's move on to the next book in the series, The Elite.

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.


From thirty five girls in the selection to six girls in the elite where six girls will compete for Prince Maxon's heart. But America is still torn between two men- Maxon and Aspen. On one hand, Aspen is following America like a shadow and looking at him, all those sweet memories shared together floods back into her mind, and on the other hand, there is Maxon, when she is with him, time stops and makes her heart beat faster. Even though Maxon have expressed his love for America, still Maxon's way of charming other girls in front of America and the rumor of a possible affair with one of the six girls, is making it difficult for America to choose the man of her life, before it's too late and somebody else wins the prince's heart.

In one word, I'm crying over my precious and hard-earned money and lucky-enough-to-win-Amazon-gift-cards, I just wasted them like anything. *sob* sob*



I don't get it, why the author have to turn it into something pathetic teenage love triangle instead of mentioning or concocting a story about the attacks on the palace from the external world. I expected so much from this book, especially given the fact that the story is set in a dystopian world. Anyhow, as a reviewer, it's my job to review this book without any bias!

The writing is not that strong right at the begining of the book, but once the drama started happening, the writing style changed from boring to compelling and that really hooked me into the story. The prose is very eloquent like always and the setting (not the dystopian, the palace, the ball gowns, the etiquette and all) is vividly described and captured with the carefully chosen words. Although there were few events, which I wished the author could have laid out much more intricately and strikingly. The pace of this book is steady and this time America made me feel towards her dilemma and I managed to stay put with her decisions till the very end.

The characters are all okay, not that impressionistic and are quite confusing. Like in the first book, America proved to be a strong and brave character, whereas in the second book, she turned into an emotional freak who loved to cry and laugh at odd moments. Then there is Maxon, who I believed to be someone who only aspired for America, but his open flirtation and that too in front of America with other girls, made me bit confused about his demeanor. Then there is Aspen, the most hateful character in the first book, yet here his love proves to be a boon for the readers since he is faithful man who only wants America.

The climax of this book is really nice and I enjoyed the turn of the events (I mean another cliffhanger, which is killing me to pick up the next book in the series) which didn't left me disappointed. There is very little chemistry between Maxon, America and Aspen, whereas there is chemistry between Maxon, America and other girls, and the author have compassionately laid out those romantic scenes right in front of the eyes of the readers.

Overall, this is a sweet and entertaining story with not much dystopia around the storyline, it easily falls into the contemporary romance category or rather say YA realistic fiction category. With a lots of drama and jealousy, this book can be your perfect book best friend for the lazy weekends.

Once again, let's just take a moment to wow at that gorgeous and eye-catching book cover which instantly fills up the hearts of the readers with a warm feeling.

Verdict: If you have read The Selection, then do read this one, and like I said, read this book, before the movie hits the screen! 
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Author Info:
I am a graduate of Radford University with a B.S. in History. I grew up in South Carolina and currently live in Christiansburg, Virginia with my electrical engineer hubby, car-obsessed son, and princess-loving daughter. I'm a #1 New York Times bestseller, woohoo! I'm also a valued customer at my local cupcake shop.

Things I hate:

When people fail to use turn signals, flying, salads.

Things I love:

Office supplies, boy bands, desserts.
Visit her here


Book Purchase Links:

• Amazon US 
• Amazon India