Have you been out of the Ally Condie loop? We’ve got you covered!

Ally tweeted about her deal for two new books: So far, her new book which she refers to as “the Rio book” is slated to be a standalone.

Ally will be at a charity writing conference this Saturday, April 27. She will be on several panels. For more information visit their website.

Don’t forget Ally will also be at Margaret Stohl’s Icons book tour on May 14th at the King’s English.

Book Title:  The Elite

Author: Kiera Cass

Release Date: April 23, 2013

Publisher: HarperTeen

Source: ALAMW

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.

Despite my feelings on the cover of the Selection, I wasn’t as thrilled with Elite’s cover. I love the inclusion of the tiara, but I’m not particularly fond of the look on the model’s face or, oddly enough, her hair. I like the color tone, and the dress is gorgeous. The color and the stare on the model’s face depict seriousness, which does come across as a big theme in this book. Overall it’s a good cover, but I’m not in love with it.

As for the book itself; I couldn’t put it down and managed to devour it in one afternoon! The series really comes into its own in this sequel and I love all the changes the characters go through.  We still have the love triangle between Aspen and Maxon, but something happens to put the danger of any relationship with Aspen into perspective. The girls are put through challenges, some to test their royal potential, and other more emotional tests. The girls are still in competition, and clearly more than one has actually fallen for the Prince. Tempers flare, emotions run high, tears are shed- and that includes me! One minute I’m hating someone, the next I’m rooting them on. What an intense book with a gamut of themes that really shook me a bit. One of the only things I didn’t quite like is that we see more about the rebel attacks and a bit of what they seem to be after, but I wanted more! Of course, that was to be expected with the middle book in a trilogy, but still left me wishing for more.

With the introduction of some forbidden books in a secret room we get a glimpse at what life was like leading up to the world our characters live in now. We see the Rebel forces becoming more aggressive and might even discover the truth behind what they want.

All in all, the Elite was a great novel that had me thoroughly engrossed and I will be eagerly awaiting the third book in this series, expected to be published in 2014.

To celebrate Ally’s wonderful new book news, we’re giving away a copy of the newly released paperback edition of Crossed!
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fantastic news about it! She will be publishing two new books with Dutton Children’s Books. From the release:

[The book] tells the story of Rio, who has waited her whole life for the opportunity to leave her safe, underwater city of Atlantia for life on the surface. But when her twin sister, Bay, shocks everyone and chooses Above first (only one family member may go), Rio is left with increasingly dangerous questions about the complex political and religious system constructed to govern the fragile divide between land and sea.

For more information about this exciting news check out Media Bistro

Missed the Ally Twitter or Goodreads chat? Never fear! She will be chatting on facebook April 1oth at 7pm EST.

Got any good questions for her?

Just a reminder! Tomorrow the CROSSED paperback goes on sale!

Ally will also be answering questions on Goodreads here!

 –Ally Condie, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the MATCHED trilogy

Summary from Goodreads:

Laura and Alec are trained terrorists.

Jack and Aubrey are high school students.

There was no reason for them to ever meet.

But now, a mysterious virus is spreading throughout America, infecting teenagers with impossible powers. And these four are about to find their lives intertwined in a complex web of deception, loyalty, and catastrophic danger—where one wrong choice could trigger an explosion that ends it all.

Sounds fantastic, right? Bummer that it doesn’t come out until October! But, you can enter to win an ARC on his site HERE!

Did you love the twitter chat with Ally Condie last week? In celebration of Crossed being released in paperback, Ally Condie will be answering questions on Goodreads, next Tuesday March 12th!

See also: #allychat 3.0 Recap

Did you miss the third chat with Ally Condie on twitter today? Ally had so many great questions and gave so many great answers! Have you wondered what literary world she would live in? What’s her favorite book series? Find out here!

@Eshedroff What was your inspiration for Matched,Crossed, and Reached?
Different inspirations for different books. Longer answers in blog posts on my site. Short answer: My husband. ; )

@TheSocietynet If you could live in any literary world, which would you choose and why?
If I could live in any literary world, it would definitely be Harry Potter’s world. Specifically, Hogwarts.

@SelenaGF99 Whats your favorite book or book series?
Fave book series: Anne of Green Gables.