“Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon – and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn doesn’t expect her own story to end in romance – she has no interest in repeating the fairy tale. But a princess’s life is never entirely her own – and Eadlyn cannot escape her very own Selection, and one particular entry who may just capture her heart…”
What is the book about?
20 years after America and Maxon's Selection, their daughter, Princess Eadlyn, prepares for her own. She is the eldest with three younger brothers but her parents didn't want her to lose the right to rule the country just because of her gender, so she is next in line for the throne. Eadlyn has never wanted to find love, never believed she needed it or it was possible for her, because no one is as powerful as her and she doesn't need a man in her life to help her. Eadlyn has spent her whole life hearing her parents fairy tale and how they are still very much in love after so many years, but Eadlyn has never been interested in repeating the story or finding her own happily ever after. However, the Selection has a bigger effect on her than she thought it would and she feels her heart begin to change. Her life is never her own and she always has to put a wall around her for the cameras around the palace. Eadlyn cannot escape her Selection, even though she never wanted it in the first place, and she may just find one person who she can stay with for the rest of her life, if only she learns to open up and let her heart lead instead of her head.
What were your initial thoughts on the book?
When I first bought the five book series, I had believed that they were all about the same main people, so initially I thought that The Heir would be more about Maxon and America. Obviously I was disappointed that the story was about their daughter and not about them, but I was also very happy because it meant that their story really was a happily ever after fairy tale and that I didn't have to be worried that there would be any more break ups or anything like that. I was also a bit upset that it was skipping to 20 years later because I would have liked to have read more about Maxon and America, but I know there are some short stories that I am sure will give me a little more information. Once I had discovered what The Heir was truly about and I had read the blurb, I was even more intrigued to watch another beautiful couple fall in love and hopefully stay together forever. The beginning of the book was very interesting and I liked the strange first sentence of the book and how it caught my attention and soon I had felt as if I had known Princess Eadlyn my whole life. I read so fast, taking in every detail and living through Eadlyn's Selection with her, helping her decide if any of the boys would be suitable husbands. I was attached to the story from the very start and I knew it would turn out to be a really great book.
Who was your favourite character and why?
I think that my favourite character would be Princess Eadlyn because of her strength and confidence. She was the first female heir to the throne and, from seeing things through her point of view; I could see how much pressure it was. Even though she was constantly under surveillance and any wrong glace could be used against her, she managed not to crack (at least not in public) and she was able to put on a brave face to make her family happy. She never believed she would need to find love, or that she ever could, but she still agreed to have a Selection and to properly consider her options, even if she hated the idea. The thing I liked best about her was that, no matter how stubborn she might have been, she was able to admit to herself that maybe love was worth it and that maybe it would be nice to have someone that would be there for you no matter what. There was one other character that I liked: Ahren, Eadlyn's twin brother. The thing that made him stand out to me was how different he was from his sister, especially with his opinions about romance, but how they still had such a great bond. He knew what it was like to be in love and he was sure Eadlyn would regret not properly taking part in the Selection, and he was right about it. I really liked reading about the relationship that Eadlyn and Ahren had and I thought it was really sweet that she knew she could always depend on him. They were both really great characters and I can't wait to read more about them in The Crown.
What was your favourite part of the book and why?
There were a lot of really great parts in the book, and I consider a lot of them to be my favourite, but there were two that I thought to be really special. One of them was the secret date in the kitchen. I will not mention the names or anything like that so I do not ruin anything for those who have not read it, but it was a really sweet moment. The boy was one of the sweetest there was and what I liked about it was how innocent it was. It wasn't a planned date or anything so the boy wasn't trying to be impressive but he still was. One of the best things about it was that it was one of the times when the princess thought that the Selection wasn't all bad and that there were some good options and I thought it was one of the moments when Eadlyn realised that her heart was actually in it. The second part of the book that I thought to be one of my favourite was the baseball game. I won't say much about it because it happened nearer the end of the book, but it was a very happy part. The main reason I thought it to be such a great part was because it was one of the times that Eadlyn forgot all the strains and worries hanging over her family and when she almost forgot that she lived, not just for herself, but for the whole country and that her life was not her own. It was nice to see how the royals acted when they forgot they were royalty and I liked seeing them enjoy the good parts in life. Both these parts of the book were really great and I cannot wait to finish the last book in the series and, hopefully, get another fairy tale ending.
What was your overall impression of the book?
Overall The Heir was a really wonderful book and I am very glad that Kiera Cass decided to write another two books to add to The Selection series. I loved everything about the books but there were a few things that made it unique. One thing that I liked about the book was how against love the main character – Eadlyn – was, even though she is participating in a Selection where she must choose a husband. It was funny seeing her dismiss the feeling of falling in love as something different or just ignoring it. She was so sure that she would never find someone to love that it was almost funny to see her actually fall for some of the boys and have some part of her worry about losing them. I don't know for sure who she will end up with, but I am sure that the Selection will not end how she planned and she will have a ring on her finger by the end. The ending – which was another thing that I liked about the book – basically, admits this as the truth and it showed me that she was starting to see the point of romance after all. One last thing that I really loved about the book was getting to see the process of the Selection from the other side. I was very disappointed that I didn't get to see Maxon's point of view but I am very happy I got to understand the stress through Eadlyn's. It was clearly very different for Maxon because one, he is a boy, and two, he was already in love from the very start, but I still got to see a small part of the pressure on him and I got to understand him a little more. The Heir was a really incredible book and I am so excited to read the next book and see the end of Eadlyn's story.
Which book did you like better: 1, 2, 3 or 4?
All the books I have read in The Selection series so far have all been extremely interesting and I have loved them all. The first three were about America and Maxon's Selection and how they fell in love and then this fourth book and the fifth and final book are based on their daughter Eadlyn's Selection. Of course it is very difficult to compare books when they have different main characters and plots, but I think that, for now, The One remains my favourite book so far. There are obviously lots of reasons for my choice but the main one is simply because it ends happily. I have read lots of books that haven't ended happily and have instead ended with the couple separated by death and it was so refreshing to have a literal Disney Princess ending. One other reason why I think The One is my favourite is because I prefer Maxon and America's story to Eadlyn's. I don't exactly know why this is, but I think that it's mainly because I don't yet know who the romantic interest is, I have my suspicions but I am not yet 100% sure and I won't be until Eadlyn admits it. The best thing about Maxon and America was that Maxon claimed his love for her from the very start so I was pretty confident that it would end in the two of them getting married, especially since America was the main character and the one I heard from chapter after chapter. The weird thing about the Selection in The Heir was that the person I was hearing from was the Selector not one of the Selected. It was exciting to have a new point of view but I preferred Maxon and America. One last thing to mention about The One is the following quote that I have committed to memory (which is a bit silly since I have my GCSEs soon and I should be memorising educational things not book quotes): “Break my heart. Break it a thousand times if you like. It was only ever yours to break anyway.” This quote is what Maxon says to America to propose to her and tell her that she is the only one for him and I think it is one of the sweetest things I have ever read, and I only memorise really good quotes so this is a special one. There are quite a few other quotes in the book that I think are really sweet and the whole time I was reading them all I was thinking was how much I want something like that. The beautiful parts make The One stand apart from the others and I am very confident in my choice to have it as my favourite when I look back on them. Obviously I loved all the books and I am sure I am going to love the last book – The Crown – just as much.
Would you recommend this book?
I absolutely recommend you read The Heir because it is a very good book and I am sure that if you enjoy romance and drama books you will like this one very much. I suggest this book particularly for readers over 13 and I also recommend you read the first three books – The Selection, The Elite and The One – before reading this one because it will show you the first story.
Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict)
A magical and entertaining novel that will catch your attention and keep you dreaming from the very second you open it.
Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego
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