This review was originally written and posted in June of 2014.

This book opens with another attack.

Of course, it’s still just bricks being thrown through a window, so “attack” might be giving it a little too much credit.  I mean, everyone starts screaming their best pearl-clutching screams and running away, but seriously, all you have to do is…not stand directly in front of a window.

Or stop leaving your windows uncovered, since you’re basically just inviting the rebels in at this point.

Whether they came with guns or stones, anyone showing the smallest level of aggression within sight of the palace would die. There was no more patience left for these attacks.

Why did you have any to begin with?

“I hate running in these shoes,” Kriss muttered

Then take them off.

“How do we get downstairs from here?” Elise asked.

[…]

Silvia didn’t answer. We followed her through a maze of hallways, looking for a path to the basement, watching as guard after guard ran in the opposite direction.

Wait, so, there’s ‘secret door’ entrances all over the place that lead to safe rooms, and we got to see them last book as being right around the corner from America’s room, but you didn’t put one even near the room where your women spend the most amount of time?

You just want them to die, don’t you?

We’re only a page in, but I can see a lot of this is going to be recycled bullshit.  There’s little I can say to it besides everything I’ve already said, maybe with a side-helping of “I can’t believe you didn’t learn from your mistakes.”  It’s one thing to write characters doing stupid stuff, but to then write the consequences of that (thus showing that you know it’s stupid) and have them never change?  That’s just lazy.

Then America has a random retrospective moment in the hallway to remind us that her romance with Aspen is still a subplot, because when you’re running around in a panic is the perfect time for that shit.

A guard stops them on the way and says that the fight was over as soon as it began, so it’s safe to come out.

“Has the king deemed it safe? If not, you’re putting these girls in a very dangerous position.”

 “The head of the guard cleared it. I’m sure His Majesty—”

 “You don’t speak for the king. Come on, ladies, keep moving.”

 “Are you serious?” I asked. “We’re going down there for nothing.”

Ah, no.  Sylvia did, in fact, give the proper response to a random, un-vetted stranger saying that it’s safe to come out now.  I mean, I question the idea that the king is ultimate authority instead of the head of security, but still, this random guard isn’t either of those people.

Thank god at least one person in this mess is still trying to follow proper safety procedures.  Sylvia, you can join Paylor and Johanna in the realm of alternate universe spinoff books.

America, being the bratty little dipshit she is, whines until they’re ‘officially’ released and tries to get us to dislike Sylvia along with her.  I refuse.

Then America gets a letter from May saying that their other sister had her baby, and she includes a ‘glossy’ picture.  Because magazines are somehow too expensive for poor people, but they can still afford personal cameras and ordering high-gloss finish photos.

All the while, Aspen orbited me, a secret I had to keep. And the cameras came and went, stealing pieces of our lives to entertain the people.

Speaking of which, I don’t actually remember any cameras from the last book.  I mean, there was press at the big party, and at the news and such, but those sorts of things get press regardless.  There wasn’t anything specifically because of the Selection.

Then America talks about how she’s so sick of being ‘backed into a corner’ by this whole ordeal, during which absolutely no one has tried to make her do anything, and therefore she’s going to attempt to ‘end it’ by aggressively going after Maxon.

Her idea of ‘aggressively going after’ involves fucking him.

I’m not even kidding.

She wears a strapless, backless, thigh-high-slit-having dress to dinner, and for once I agree with the other character’s comments.  Not because she can’t enjoy being sexy, but because…it’s just dinner.  Who the hell gets that dressed up for dinner?  Even if it is with royalty, it’s not a state function.  Something nice and professionally casual would do.  Why does this book insist that everything must be 24/7 ballgowns.

Also not enjoying the idea that someone has to wear a dress so tight they can’t even move correctly in it in order to be attractive, but America’s so bland that it’s hard to really get on that.  I mean…I honestly have no idea what kind of dresses she likes, because she’s just allowed herself to be dressed this whole time and has never expressed a preference.  Maybe this is the sort of clothing that honestly does make her feel confident and attractive.  I have no way of knowing.

Oh, but that’s not what makes me say that her plan involves fucking.  Because after she gets Maxon’s attention and clandestinely invites him to her room

I’d told my maids I wanted to get Maxon’s attention. I’d left out my hope that, with any luck, this dress would be on the floor pretty soon.

And here I start to get ragey.

Because, while we don’t actually know what America’s views on sex are, we do know what her views on breaking the law in order to have sex are.  She’s generally against it.  In fact, she’s shocked and appalled by it.  What gets me isn’t even the implication that in order to get a man one has to put out, but rather the utter and complete lack of an emotional response from America.

See, I have no doubts about what’s going to happen next.  There will be no sex, so I can’t get mad over “you have to have sex to get a boy” when that’ll just get disproven.  This whole thing is such transparent baiting that I can’t get mad over any bullshit messages in it.  What I’m mad about is the utter gutting of what little personality this character has in the name of authorial manipulation.  America has not one single thought about any of this, she’s just doing a complete 180 on her views on premarital sex at the drop of a whim, and we don’t get to see any agonizing over the decision or any nerves or even anything more positive like “well, I’ve always been curious and only the law held me back, but actually that doesn’t apply here, whew I’m rather relieved.”  Nope, we get nothing.

Even in chapter two, which is half the length of chapter one, all that happens is that she gets a bit embarrassed.  Maxon comes to visit and she lays it on thick, but he can (of course) tell what she’s after and just acts amused, then leaves.  All of America’s thoughts on the matter?  That it was embarrassing and ‘too much like Celeste.’

She was perfectly willing to break her standards on sex and we don’t get to find out why.  Nary a single word on the subject in the least!  And when we don’t get to see what goes into a decision like that, it makes it seem like using sex for manipulation is just so very natural and normal and just a thing that happens, not a response to pressure or a thing has serious consequences.

God, it is too early in the book for me to be this pissed off.