Review Wednesday: The Heir by Kiera Cass

*DO NOT READ THIS REVIEW UNTIL YOU HAVE READ THE SELECTION. THERE MAY BE SOME SPOILER. If you want to read this series, read my review about The Selection by clicking on the link: Review: The Selection by Kiera Cass

Title: The Heir (The Selection #4)

Author: Kiera Cass
1st Date of Publication: May 5, 2015

ISBN: 9780062349859
# of Pages: 346

Genre: Young Adult Dystopian Society

Age Rating: 13

Buy it on Amazon

Book 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.

Setting: Illea (United States) in the future
Point of View: 1st person- Eadlyn Schreave

Goodreads Rating: 3.90

My Rating: 4.05

Part of the Book that Caught My Attention: Both

View on the Cover: The dress again takes my breath away. Plus, America's daughter is absolutely gorgeous and looks like someone you don't want to mess with.
View on Title: I would have thought the heir to the Illéa would be given to the oldest male heir so this really intrigued me, especially after finding out that Eadlyn is having a selection of her own. 

Pros:

• You get a glimpse of what royalty is like. You also see The Selection when the narrator is the bachelorette and has many suitors.
• Before I talk about the main storyline and Eadlyn, we need to talk about the characters who are around from the trilogy. I really loved how you got to see all the main and supporting characters as well as some homages to others from the original trilogy. You got to see where all of the characters ended up with their roles from America and Maxon to Marlee and Aspen to May and Lucy. All the interactions that Eadlyn has with the characters from the original trilogy seemed very authentic but in a more mature manner. America and Maxon are still adorable and wonderful parents. Marlee is always sweet and lovable. Aspen is redeemable in this book, but I think that's thanks to Lucy. America and Maxon have managed to make peace in their country! Or did they?
• The suitors are a diverse group of mostly nice young men.
• You can definitely tell that Eadlyn is her parents' child. She is stubborn and strong like her mother America, but she is also very devoted and driven like her father Maxon.
• Her brothers (Ahren, Kaden, and Osten) are adorable and it makes me wish I had more brothers that I was close to if I had that many.
• This book gives you a glimpse of what it's like to be on the opposite side of The Selection than you did in the trilogy with a female lead. You get to see how men can be like when they are put in a situation where they are fighting for the hand of the future queen. I enjoyed the developing relationship between Kile and Eadlyn as they realize that the things they are most upset about are pretty much the same thing. You get to see the other suitors and how they are whether that's good or bad.
• The ending was such a heart-wrenching twist, which makes me feel uneasy because I don't know what to do with myself about it. It truly becomes a turning point for me emotionally.

Cons:

• There is very little world-building done in this novel so it is pretty much confined to the palace, unlike the original trilogy.
• The Heir definitely caught me off guard. We all knew America as this stubborn mostly-selfless protagonist who has gone through so much in her childhood. And sure, America had her heart broken prior to The Selection and had a ton of missteps because her heart wasn't completely in it, but she naturally progressed into the beloved character you see in The Heir. Her daughter is a mixed bag. Eadlyn is sometimes hard to handle because she is whiny and can be just as stubborn as her mother as she starts to feel the heavyweight of running Illea as queen soon. She wants to help her parents and her country the best she can, but her fears of getting married are very valid and seem to be a normal response to her privileged upbringing. I feel like her growth is very slow in this novel so I have a feeling her growth will be much quicker in the next/last installment. The real issue I had was that Eadlyn seemed so self-centered, but that partly has to do with the fact that she is somewhat sheltered and has a ton of comfort, which she does not want to give up. Eadlyn's attitude about doing what she doesn't like really bothers me, which shows her entitlement and that angers me.

Critics' Reviews:

“Reality T.V. meets dystopian fairy tale in Kiera Cass’s delightful debut. Charming, captivating, and filled with just the right amount of swoon!” --Kiersten White, Author of Paranormalcy
“Deliciously entertaining.” --Publishers Weekly
"Cass’s immensely readable debut novel is a less drastic Hunger Games, with elaborate fashion and trappings. The fast-paced action will have readers gasping for the upcoming sequel.” --ALA Booklist

Kiera Cass's Website:

http://www.kieracass.com/

 

Other Recommendations:
The Jewel by Amy Ewing
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi