Review: The Heir by Kiera Cass

The Heir by Kiera Cass

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Genres: Young Adult; Romance; Dystopian

Pages: 342

Goodreads Description:

Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won Prince Maxon’s heart. Now the time has come for Princess Eadlyn to hold a Selection of her own. Eadlyn doesn’t expect her Selection to be anything like her parents’ fairy-tale love story. But as the competition begins, she may discover that finding her own happily ever after isn’t as impossible as she always thought.

My review:

I promised that my full review would be less...nonsensical...than I previously wrote on Goodreads. So, here goes.

I liked this book. More than the Selection, maybe.

In case you've been in the dark about this whole "Selection" thing, let me fill you in a bit. The Selection was created to help the future king find his queen. 35 girls are chosen from throughout Ilea to come live at the palace and compete for the prince's affections. By the end of the competition, one of the girls should have a ring on her finger. I don't know if you've seen The Bachelor or The Bachelorette(I haven't) but The Selection has been likened to those shows.

This is my copy of The Selection! My friend gave it to me as a gift
with the admonition that I had better love it! Lol! I did!

But there is one difference between the competition in The Heir and the previous Selections. This time, it is the future queen looking for someone to rule beside her. Enter Eadlyn: Crown princess and royal pain in the neck. I kid you not.

Eadlyn is Maxon's and America's daughter, and one of the reasons I was so wary to read this book. I have heard endless complaints from different reviews, stating how Eadlyn was a spoiled brat; she wasn't fair to anyone; basically, she's unbearable. And after reading, I agree...to some extent.

Eadlyn was selfish at times. And oblivious. And unfair. And yet, I kind of loved her. She made the perfect anti-hero, in my opinion. A flawed and unlikely heroine, but ultimately someone to root for, who goes through tons of development by the end of the story. And, you gotta admit, she had a lot of pressure placed upon her. Being crown princess, for one--tough job ahead of her, I'd say--and having to choose a husband she didn't want in the first place. So yeah, I didn't always like the ways she dealt with matters, but it did seem to me(for the most part) that she dealt with them realistically.

But back to the Selection. I only have one huge complaint about this book--I didn't like the premise. I didn't like how this novel was built upon Maxon's and America's decision to make Eadlyn have her own Selection. I thought they would be completely against the process! I mean, seriously? Subjecting 35 boys to such a silly, demeaning game? It seemed unfathomable to me, because America had been through that. Sure, she got the guy, but that does not make the competition the more respectable. That was, for the most part, why I docked a star from my rating. Still, even though I had reservations in the beginning because of this, I like how Cass executed the rest of the story.

The plot was mostly romance-centered and more emphasis was put on the characters, especially Eadlyn, of course. I really enjoyed seeing her growth as a character. I loved her determination, her insistence that she didn't need a man. But what's more, I enjoyed watching her come to the realization that she could be strong female leader and that having a man rule by her side would not diminish her value.

And okay, I admit, I am super anxious to see who she chooses. (I'm pulling for Erik!). Personally, I didn't buy Eadlyn's and Kile's relationship. What they experienced wasn't love--it was lust. Yeah, I wasn't a fan.

In short, Eadlyn's story was a sweet one, about finding herself and finding her true love. It left me a tad frustrated, but kept me completely engaged.

(Side note(highlight to see spoilers): If it doesn't work out with Erik, I'm holding out hope that Henri is going to pull a "Kris" and it turns out he can speak English and has a better understanding of all the politics than he lets on. But that he still really does love Eadlyn, because, come on. They're adorable. Stupid language barriers. And yeah, yeah. I know it's a long shot.)

If you enjoyed America's story at all, then I highly recommend reading The Heir!

Content: Mild innuendo. But overall a sweet, clean read.

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