Aya M. Productions

Elite by Rachel Van Dyken took a while to process. A lot goes on in this story. It can get extremely confusing. Plus it turns out life as Tracey knew it was going to be turned upside down.

Tracey, a small town girl, finds herself in college at Eagle Elite, one of the most prestigious schools, on a scholarship. Little did she know that the school is ran by a group of boys that call themselves the Elect. Nixon, student body president and leader of the Elect, lays down the rules the minute Trace steps on campus. She, however, chooses to defy the rules, hating the idea of being pushed around.

I loved Trace. She was strong and definitely stood up for herself, never giving up. I applaud her efforts, especially with Nixon running all hot and cold (Cue Katy Perry!… Sorry just had to do it. :P). I don’t know if I could have survived all the bullying, Nixon, and life changing family secrets she had to endure. She’s definitely a strong character.

Nixon was definitely the guy I saw Trace with. (There was potential for a love triangle in this story.) It was unbelievably difficult for me to follow what was going on with him though. He made Trace happy and yet he was the source of much of her pain. At the end of it all, you come to realize that Nixon had a purpose for everything he did. The question of course is was his excuse good enough? I guess I thought it was because I absolutely love Nixon. ;)

Regarding Trace’s life changing family secrets, I don’t even know if I fully understood it all at the end of Elite. It’s all very complex, and there’s even mysteries Nixon and Trace’s grandfather are still trying to comprehend, particularly concerning Trace’s parents. Hopefully the second book in the series can shed some light on that.

In the end, I loved Elite by Rachel Van Dyken and would give it 4 stars. I wasn’t turned-off by all the confusion swirling around with this story. If anything, I just got more intrigued as I went.