Book Review - The Elite by Kiera Cass

The Elite by Kiera Cass

The basis of this book:

Amanda Singer has made it to the next level of The Selection process and one step closer to possibly being a princess, she is now part of the top four, The Elite. America is having a difficult time opening up because her heart is still with Aspen, her ex-boyfriend from back home, who also happens to be a guard at the palace. Things at the palace aren't always fun and games as the contestants are starting to turn on one another, the castes are worse than ever with people still suffering, the king starts to show just how much he dislikes America, and the palace is almost always under attack from rebels. America is still her strong, stubborn self which causes her to always be on the edge of being sent home. Will she make it to the end and become Prince Maxon's bride?

My overall take of this book:

I really liked this book. I was cheering for America to make it to the Elite round of the contest and calm down a little bit. At times it seems she was just too stubborn or reacted differently to be the one who stood out. I was hoping that for just once she would slow down and do what she is told. I am all for being true to yourself and being individual but it almost seemed too much. 

The flow of the story went very well. I didn't find myself bored or asking when it would be over. I believed how well the characters interacted with each other and the emotions that flowed between America and Maxon. I wasn't left feeling as if there were questions that wouldn't be answered in the third book.What did bother me a little bit was how much America was hanging on to her relationship with Aspen. Why wouldn't she let that go? Why was she always trying to hang on to that when it wasn't the best thing for either? I wanted her to stop leading him on, bottom line. She leads him on a lot and that can become irritating. 

I gave this book 3.5 starts out of 5. Again, I liked how it flowed, the character development, and how it felt like a somewhat light-hearted story. 

Book Reveiw - Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick

FINALLY. The last book in the Hush, Hush saga.

The overall of this book:

Nora has finally discovered who she is and now has a to fulfill a vow to her dead father, The Black Hand. She is now in command and must lead his army of Nephilim into battle against the fallen angels (and win), but if she fails she and her mother will die. (No pressure, right?) Along the way Nora has rely on Patch a lot for guidance but is torn between wanting to fight for freedom for her people or doing what is right.Nora wants to do what is right but she also wants to be with Patch, how can she do that when he's the enemy?

My overall take of this book:

I couldn't wait for this story to be over. I felt it went on a book longer than it should have. I didn't feel there needed to be four books, it could have all been told in three. I still didn't feel a great connection between Nora and Patch, like a *real* connection/attraction to their relationship. I wasn't pulling for them to be together. I think Patch would have been better somewhere else but the heart wants what the heart wants, right? I didn't feel their relationship was a focus during this story, if really felt like a second, third, or fourth story line. It was more of her time with Vee, her best friend (whom I do not like at all).

I felt there were a lot of gaps in the story, holes big enough to drive a truck through. Some of the "main characters" showed up for a few pages and then disappeared for chapters at a time. Maybe they were just fillers to keep the story moving but the story didn't move very well. Nobody seems to care that Nora is never in school, not even her Mom. I didn't find that believable. At one point Nora had a job and only worked for one night then never again. Uh... huh? Also, in the first book the author made a huge deal about Nora being on iron pills but then never mentions them again through the last three books. C'mon... what good reader wouldn't notice something like that?

Honestly I was bored with this one. I was super excited to read this series because of the covers. *SIGH* Yes, I am one of those people that judges a book but the cover and I fell hard for this one. (Just look at that cover! It screams, "READ ME!") I'm here to tell you - DON'T. Pass on this one. You might be drawn to the battle of Heaven vs. Hell or Angels vs. Evil but you won't finish this feeling satisfied.

I give this book 2 out of 5 stars, and the overall series 2.5 stars. I will not be reading this one again and currently fighting the urge to sell the series to Half Price Books.