Simply Quotes.

I'm still ranting and raving about The Elite.  I loved it.  It drove me nuts.  I have to wait a year.  Now I get to rant with my sister too.  Anywho, I did this design of this quote for the ol' tumblr.  Hope you like it!

Review: The Elite

Author: Kiera Cass
Release Date: April 23, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 323
Source: Bought

Summary: 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 Iléa.

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 Favorite Lines: *Sorry to say, but all of my quotes seems to have to do with Maxon.  Sorry Aspen fans*

“I was afraid I was wrong, that you would change your mind any second. I’ve been looking for a suitable alternative, but the truth is …”—Maxon looked me in the eyes again, unwavering—“there’s only you. Maybe I’m not really looking, maybe they aren’t right for me. It doesn’t matter. I just know I want you. And that terrifies me. I’ve been waiting for you to take back the words, to beg to leave.”

“It wasn’t like I made his world better. It was like I was his world. It wasn’t some explosion; it wasn’t fireworks. It was a fire, burning slowly from the inside out.”

"What else are you bad at? "  He held me close, his brown eyes bright with a secret.  "Recently I've discovered this one thing..."[America saying this]Tell." It turns out I'm absolutely terrible at staying away from you.  It's a very serious problem.  

Why I Loved It:  Well my gosh, that was quite the sequel.  Days later, I am still feeling the emotional aftershocks of that book.  I spent Wednesday groaning and yelling and "ahhing" and smiling and laughing.  SO many feels!!  I feel like Ms. Cass has a death grip on my heart.  I can't believe I have to wait a whole other year for the next one.  

Ok so the book picks up sometime after the last books ended.  American Singer is an Elite, one of the six remaining girls, and she is still torn between Aspen, her first love, and Prince Maxon, the man fighting for her heart and affection.  I have spent days weighing my team.  The Elite made it so much harder to say decisively, but I still believe I am Team Maxon.  He adores America, enough to sacrifice his dignity and endure horrific things for her.  Plus I pretty much adore him, though there were some touch and go moments in the book.  I will warn you, by the end of the book America will have to seriously fight for Maxon's affections too.  

With less characters, Ms. Cass was able to do a lot more extensive character development.  Girls like Elise, Natalie, and Kriss are shown a lot more in depth.  Marlee and Celeste seemed to have been so well developed in the first book.  She didn't really have to do as much work there.  The book also gives more insight into the royal family.  The queen is amazing.  The king?  Not so much.  Ugh.  I can't stand him.

Low Points:  America's indecision.  There is a lot of flopping between one boy to another.  She also is spending the book deciding if she could be a princess.  Both are important and hard decisions, but the going back and forth gave me reader's whiplash. 

High Points:  The book is full of twists and turns that makes the world of the story come alive.  There were tears and smiles and laughs and screams waiting for me in the pages.  Getting closer to the queen was marvelous.  As always, moments with Prince Maxon were amazingly sweet, and there is a particularly spice moment in there too. 

Who Should Read It:  If you like The Selection, you must, MUST read this book.  

Need a Second Opinion?

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Titanic Giveaway Hop

Well there are lots of tragic disasters and epic love stories to choose from.  I decided to do a giveaway for a little of both.  My readers can choose from the following:

Rise by Anna Carey which is the third book released in the Eve series.  It came out on April 2nd.  If you have not read the first book yet, you can always request it or the second book.  

OR

A Pre-Order of The Elite by Kiera Cass.  I thought that the first book was an incredibly epic love story considering the circumstances that America is placed in.  Once again, if you have not read the first book, then you may request that.

As always, my winner may submit a request if there is a book that fits the theme of the hop that they are just dying to have.

I will also be doing my usual $15 Amazon gift card along with the book my winner chooses!

Remember this is an INTERNATIONAl giveaway!  Whoot!

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Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jilly at Breaking The Spine.   It features each blogger's most anticipated books.  This week, my pick is The Elite by Kiera Cass. 

Summary: 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.

The Selection was one of my all time favorite books of 2012.  It was incredible.  If you have not read it, you need to go here.  There are no words to express how anxiously I am awaiting this book.  When I hold it in my hands, it will be an incredible day.  I would probably kill for an ARC.  LOL.  That's not happening, but I have made my peace.  Anywho, let's just decide to admire the cover together though.  The covers for this series are fabulous.  

Is anyone else looking forward to this book?  And did you love The Selection as much as I did?   

Expected Publication:  April 23, 2013 by HarperTeen

Review: The Selection

Author: Kiera Cass
Release Date: April 24, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 327
Series: The Selection #1
Format: ARC
[add on Goodreads]

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.
But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.
Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

My Favorite Line(s):

"I couldn't joke about the person who'd saved me from facing absolute heartbreak at home, who fed my family boxes of sweets, who ran to me worried that I was hurt if I asked for him."

"A month ago, I had looked at the TV and seen a stiff, distant, boring person-someone I couldn't imagine anyone loving.  And while he wasn't anything close to the person I did love, he was worthy of having someone to love in his life."

Why I Loved It:  *Sigh*  Ok I should say that I hate love triangles.  And I hate cliffhangers.  This book had both.  And I love the book.  Seriously.  I'm so ready for the next book, and this book isn't even out yet.  I'm incredibly sad.  I know there was a lot of drama about this book and the tv show.  I don't care.  I'm reviewing solely on the book.  And the book was incredible.

For me, I didn't really think the comparsions to Hunger Games fit.  For me it was more The Bachelor meets dystopian Cinderella.  The society around American Singer is based on a caste system (1-8) with one being the highest.  The Singer family is a five, the level of artists.  They are not dying from starvation, but making a living was still very tough.  Marrying down was not common, and really was not an option from America's mom's side.  That's a problem for America because she had just so happened to fall in love with a boy from six.  The heart is a tricky thing, and for America, the heart will lead her to many places.

I find that it is very important to mention the boy.  I've read a lot of books lately with swoon-worthy boys.  Maxon is one of them.  He was not your typical prince.  He was good, kind, compassionate, and a bit shy.  He also had an incredible sense of humor.  He hadn't had much experience with girls, and the whole dating for the first time in the eyes of the public seemed to lead to some awkward moments.  In reality, everything about him was very endearing.  He won my heart, and I have to say that I am very Team Maxon.  For me, Aspen was too much of a jerk to win my heart and had a very convenient way of putting America in very inconvenient situations that normally include a good heart crushing.

Placed in the castle, America learns about what it means to truly based your opinion on someone based on who they are and not her assumptions.  Each of the contestants brought their own something-something to the story.  I'm really interested to see what exactly Marlee was up to.  I want to see Celeste get what was coming to her.  And I want to know the result of the Selection.  Hopefully, we'll get more of a world in the second book.

Who Should Read It: Lovers of The Bachelor, fairy tales, and dystopian worlds.  Really, people who aren't really into dystopian should check it out.  It's really a very mild version without a whole lot of darkness.  You'd probably really enjoy it.