This week the chosen book lies some where in the middle of the above statement. Why? Well this book is a sequel. A sequel to a book, I very much enjoyed, you can read the review I wrote of book one here. Sadly the sequel did not live up to my expectations and so it is with regret that I have to include it in this series.
The Elite
by
Kiera Cass
Tagline: 35 GIRLS CAME TO THE PALACE. ONLY 6 REMAIN.
Like most people who enjoyed the first book I recognised it had it's faults, the world building wasn't great, it didn't really work as a dystopian (more on this later) and yes it was cheesy, but it was the cheesiness that made it enjoyable in it's Bachelor-esque game show plot for the Princes heart. Yet even in this the sequel The Elite some how failed.
Shall we first look at the plot? I think we should, brought to you by Good Reads:
"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 heat 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 narrows 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."
Okay honestly the minute I read that blurb I was disappointed. I could just tell that there was no end in sight for the dreaded love triangle as I had hoped. I mean it played such a minor role in book one (really only appearing at the end) that I had hoped it wouldn't be a focal point of the sequel. Boy was I wrong. Never have I read a love triangle so disastrously bad and drawn out that I couldn't finish the book. Until now. Literally America needs a good hard slap across the face because she's an indecisive annoying bitch. Someone needs to wake this girl up from what ever dream she's living in because she needs to know that no one is perfect. I honestly lost count of how many times she went backwards and forwards between Aspen and Maxon. It went something along the lines of Maxon doing something needlessly cruel sending poor America running into Aspen's eagerly waiting arms (dude needs to back off you ask me) then for a reason that isn't really explained she conveniently has seconds thoughts about Aspen meaning she runs back to Maxon.
I feel sorry Maxon, it's clear he's in love with American but she's treating him like a freaking yo-yo I'm not surprised he started showing an interest in the other girls he deserves someone who will just love him back, but know America doesn't like that! She's allowed to pull and push two guys (okay so Maxon doesn't know this is actually happening) but he can't? Double standards America, quit your incessant whining and just pick one of them for crying out loud! Ah yet I am told she does not pick one! So you're telling me that this book's plot wound down to over 300 pages worth of an unimaginably boring and infuriating love triangle. No Thank you! I'm glad I didn't waste my time finishing it, this is a text book example of an Author using the Love Triangle plot device to fill out a book to get it up to the requisite page count because she can't come up with anything else. I know you're probably sick to death of hearing me talk about Love Triangles by now but clearly I'm not going to stop until the authors realise what a cheap cop out it is to use one so flippantly.
Right enough of that because if I carry on it's only going to piss me off, let's look at some other aspects of the book.
The aforementioned dystopia aspect that doesn't really work. The main reason I was drawn to this series in the first place was because it was depicted as a Dystopian Fairy- tale, as someone who absolutely loves both of those genres (Hello Hunger Games and Divergent fan girl over here not to mention the grip Disney still holds over my heart at the age of 19!)
If you ask me the Dystopian genre is very thin in this book, it's pretty much just a futuristic land that isn't entirely different from ours really isn't all that bad, you just get some incompetent rebels showing up every now and then what's so different about that world than the one we live in today? I don't see an evil dictatorship that needs overthrowing (like The Hunger Games). You could argue the Caste system is what makes it different but I would ask is it really all that different from the class systems we already have. I mean it's not often you see someone who grows up as part of a working class family become a billionaire is it. I don't think there is that much of a difference.
Perhaps if Miss Cass had developed the rebels more perhaps created a leading character that we could cut to every now and then so we could learn what exactly they were rebelling against, or even if she went into more detail about their attacks and the violence that ensued, it would make these books more interesting but no all we get is "Oh the rebels are attacking quick let's run and hide until it's over" and then nothing. We get to see a little of the aftermath but are never really told what went on during.
And from what I did read of the Elite it's pretty much more of the same in that respect. which is really disappointing, I feel that there is so much that Kiera Cass could have done to develop this story more in the sequel that I'm disappointed that really the story doesn't move forward at all. The rebels are still rebelling, America still can't choose. It's same old same old.
I was sceptical at first as to how Ms Cass was going to make this series into a trilogy there didn't seem to be a whole lot of story/ plot to begin with. I sadly found out that I was right to be sceptical because honestly this was just a filler book.
The bottom line is that this book is not a dystopian so if you are planning to read this book because of that walk away because you will be severely disappointed! It's barely even a fairy - tale! Fairy tales are about true love, that one person who walks into your life that you'd do anything for and can't live with out. This isn't a fairy tale it's about a girl who comes from a poor family who has the chance to win the Princes heart but she doesn't really know if she loves him she might just be in love with someone back home, I'm begging someone to please explain to me how this works as a dystopian fairytale, I'd love to hear that! This book is nothing more than a glorified love triangle that from now on I'm going to give a wide berth. I will not be finishing the sequel and will not be reading the last in the series.
That's all for today I hope you enjoyed this post and I shall see you all on Wednesday!
Don't forget to comment below and tell me your opinion on this book! I would love to hear from you!
Don't forget to subscribe to my blog so you don't miss a single post!
X
No comments:
Post a Comment
thanks for stopping by, do you have anything to add, share your views here :D