Hardcover, 323 pages
Release Date: April 23, 2013Published by: HarpeTeenThe Selection, #2Source: Gifted from Houston Book RaveFor fans of: Dystopian, Romance, YA, Sparkly CoversThe 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.
*MY THOUGHTS*
“‘It was impossible. I had to choose Aspen or Maxon. But how was I supposed to decide between two good possibilities?“
pg. 30
America is still an idiot. She still wants both men but then again doesn’t want them at the same time. This is the biggest love triangle I’ve ever read and I can’t lie I’m surprised I’m doing it willingly. Yall all know how I feel about them. America has all these issues with Maxon and Aspen, but at the same time she doesn’t want to feel them so she pushes them away. Basically it’s just a bunch of back and forth. Then there’s Aspen. Aspen has now fully seen the effect that Prince Maxon has on America and I feel like he’s jealous. And now his jealousy has caused him to act like an idiot. All these things are happening in the palace and they think it’s ok to rendezvous like nothing happened. Let’s be real and think of Marlee. Not everything would turn out so great. Then there’s Prince Maxon. He’s still amazing. And in this book we find out way more about him. We see that he’s not as high and mighty as he tries to be, but more fragile. If he doesn’t win you over, I’m not sure what will.
“‘Don’t let the ball gowns fool you“
pg. 34
As for the plot, it sucked. It was basically the exact same thing from The Selection, but we’re given a little more insight. There’s still girls fighting for Maxon’s heart, Celeste is still a bitch, America still has no idea what’s she’s doing at the palace, and the rebels are still breaking in. The difference now though is that we know what it is they’re after. I hoping that even if the last book is more of the same thing, there is enough of a climax for me not to care about it.
“‘Honestly, I’m tired of everyone else talking abut a decision that I’m supposed to make.“
pg. 233
But the part that I really did like was the writing style and the setting. Although the characters made my head hurt, the chapters were short and easy to read. And the setting had me pulled all the way into the palace. At one point in time I got annoyed at America and looked around and found myself still in my apartment. I was lost for a second until I realized that I had transported myself all the way to Illea into the palace. As if I was a maid watching on from right inside the palace walls.
“‘Maxon Schreave, you are nothing but a child who has his hands on a toy that he doesn’t want but can’t stand for someone else to have.“
pg. 260
As you can see I’m not a huge fan of anything besides the glitz and glamour. But in truth, there’s something else that’s keeping me here. I NEED to know who she picks. So much so that I waited until now to read this. I didn’t want to be pondering and worrying about who she picked for more than a year. Let’s hope she makes the right decision.
