The Heir by Kiera Cass

Summary (from Goodreads):

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 has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she'd put off marriage for as long as possible.

But a princess's life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can't escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests.

Eadlyn doesn't expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn's heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought.

Review:

So, these books are like coffee for me. They are comfort food and I need them. I rely on them to get through my day. And while they are not always the best for me, I just can’t ever stop reading them. I am addicted to Kiera Cass novels for life.

So, I know Eadlyn isn’t the most popular among reviewers at the moment. However, I loved her. I liked her more than America. Where America was indecisive, Eadlyn is strong and opinionated. Yes, she is selfish and a bit snobby. However, I thought this was realistic considering she’s a princess, brought up to the be the future queen. She hasn’t seen the world her mother lived in. And she doesn’t exactly feel lots of empathy for those outside, surviving in a post-caste system world. Then again, she was brought up in a castle.  She’s ignorant of a lot of things, yet also highly intelligent in other areas, leaps and bounds smarter than her mother was at her age.

I loved Eadlyn and her logic. I loved that she had no qualms about an enormous elimination (some of her arguments were so logical they even reminded me of Bones). I also loved her willingness to learn more though. She knows there are things she doesn’t know. She wants to know them. She listens to a guy explain his side of the story before hastily eliminating him after a fight. She loves fashion and drawing. She’s also a hardcore introvert who has issues letting people get to know her.

I also love the selection process. It’s fun to meet all the boys, and pick a favorite. I think I have an idea for who she will end up with, but I’m actually not 100% sure. And I love this. I love not being certain. There’s interesting romantic moments, there’s fights, there’s baseball games, there’s family moments, and then there’s also the background noise of a country in distress. And this background is actually a little more prevalent, I feel, in this book, than it was in the previous ones. Granted, America wasn’t being brought up as queen and didn’t face politics every day like Eadlyn does.

There were a couple things that did not sit well with me though. One was the confusing overall message. I love that Eadlyn was the heir. She even comments on how her parents worked to make it so. She was born before her twin brother and her parents thought that was more important than the fact that she was a girl. I loved this. It sounded like America and Max all the way. However, the conflicting message then becomes that she needs a man. I get the reasons for this new selection. I really do. But, I kind of wish it was just about the “distraction,” and none of the other comments about needing a husband happened. Does she need a husband? Queen Elizabeth didn’t. I don’t think a woman should ever be forced into a marriage against her will. And after the first series, I really would have thought Eadlyn’s parents felt the same way.

Also, I am not a big fan of her twin brother. Though, she considers him her second half. I never thought he gave the best advice to her. There’s one time where he even instructs her to punch someone in the face…And then he did something at the end that really pissed me off. Why did she compliment him and say how wonderful he was all the time, if all I saw was him kind of being a jerk for the whole book? Did all the nice stuff happen long ago? Or does she really consider his bad advice, egotistical behavior, and rudeness to be wonderful? If so, the rest of the selection will certainly be interesting.

So, I loved the main character. I loved seeing the selection again. I loved the family dynamics. I loved seeing old friends appear. I loved the drama. I just could not stop reading this book. It’s as addictive as coffee. I was not a big fan of the overall mixed messages about whether a woman can be the heir (with or without a husband). And I don’t really see why her brother was her other half. Still though, this is coffee. And it get’s an 8/10.