It's taken me four years to finish reading The Elite, so I'm not going to wait a second longer before reviewing it or it's just never going to happen.
This was a very quick read because it's a short book, but it's been hard to rate it because I just don't have any intense feelings towards it. I was a little exasperated by the introduction of a second love triangle - as if the first one wasn't angsty enough - but I'd been expecting it because the whole series is based off of girls competing to become a man's wife, so if there wasn't a love triangle including Prince Maxon the tension would be vastly reduced.
However, all of the interesting aspects of the story are brushed under the carpet (or, rather, shoved into the safe room). Every time rebels invade the palace the royal family and the Elite are all whisked off to safety, leaving nameless guards we couldn't care less about dropping like flies.
The history of Illea, the futuristic version of America that Kiera Cass has crafted, is expanded upon in this second installment, and I found myself craving a book written from the point of view of that rebel who curtsied to America. Rather than constantly reading about rebels attempting to bring about the end of the Selection from a girl right in the middle of the competition, it would be far more interesting to be watching the Selection play out through the eyes of someone desperate to bring about its end.
I'm going to finish this series, if only because I've been thinking about reading them for so long that it feels stupid not to finish at least the original trilogy. I don't think I'm going to end up liking them much more than I currently do, but I'm holding out hope that Cass may surprise me.

I could not continue this as America really got on my nerves after 45% of the way through. This was one potential love triangle that was not done well.

Every time I picked up this book, something would happen and I would stop reading it halfway through. I thought that I was over this series, that I wasted my money on my copy of The One.

Then I gave it a second go ( more of a 3rd go). I started from the beginning and I fell into the rabbit hole. I binge read The Elite, and I absolutely loved it.

Sometimes it gets a bit annoying, but most times it is very addicting and entertaining.

I can't wait to read The One!!

4.5/5 stars

I went into this book not really remembering huge amounts about book one other than the presence of a love triangle, which I really hoped wasn't going to become a huge part of book two. I wanted to know more about the rebels, about the world, and about the character development. Sadly, if ever a book represented 'filler material', this would be it. The book ends pretty much as it starts, with very little plot or character development and even less information about the rebels which have pretty much been side-lined as a minor annoyance.

Instead, America spends the entire book wondering who she should choose. Aspen or Maxon? She flits back and forth, begging each for more time, both of which are (slightly pathetically) glad to give it to her and it made my eyes roll on a number of occasions. She doesn't even feel all that guilty about the fact that she is playing them both like fools, the only real emotional reaction we get is when she's jealous that someone else is talking to them. I remember liking some of America's personality in book one, but I pretty much lose that entirely here because she just whines about the injustice of it all repeatedly. Random sub-plots are thrown in to keep some semblance of a plot moving but to be totally honest there is nothing here that you couldn't just skip and (I imagine) move straight onto book three.

So what's to like? Well, I still kind of want to know what happens in the end so that must count for something, right? You see some of the rebels in this one and I REALLY want to know what they are up to more than anything. It's already massively clear what is actually going to happen to America and Maxon in book three (I'll be VERY surprised if it doesn't) so I'm not nearly as fussed about that, especially as Maxon's constant use of the words 'darling' and 'dear' make him sound more like a creepy, middle-aged pervert from time to time. The problem with these books is that I never feel like America is in any true danger despite her constant rule-breaking because Cass seems too scared to do anything too terrible to her MC and takes it all out on other characters instead. Maybe book three will prove me wrong.

I would say that this is my favourite book out of the original trilogy. We get to know more about the ins and outs of The Selection itself, more about the royal family and more about the history of the country. I also really liked the fact that we see America's friendships with the other girls in The Selection, now The Elite grow. I think this was the aspect that I liked best about this book. The action in this book also ramps up a notch because there is more suggestion of another war and threat from the rebels. America also becomes a stronger contender in this race because she shows what a powerful female she can be and I think she has really found her groove by the time we get to this book.

I am not going to be reviewing this book, but thank you for the approval.

Was a 'did-not-finish' after a few chapters. I just could not get into the story and the series as a whole.