Review: The Heir by Kiera Cass

The Heir

Kiera Cass

(The Selection #4)

Publication Date: May 5, 2015

Hardcover, 368 pages, HarperTeen

Genres: YA, Dystopian

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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

This review will probably contain some SPOILERS, just because it’s about the fourth book in a long series. So don’t read this review if you don’t want to be SPOILED.

I had some mixed feelings going into this book. While I don’t like some of the characters in The Selection series, I do like some of the plotline, so I was excited to pick this up and see where America and Maxon went, but I was also hesitant because of the way Kiera Cass writes. And unfortunately, my hesitation won out in the end.

The idea of a princess being in line for the crown is cool. But Eadlyn is supposed to be dedicated to her work, with no time for romance. Yet, she doesn’t actually every seem to do a lot of work, she just does a lot of paperwork. And I feel like that’s not all a ruler should do. Even her father, the king, was doing paperwork. I mean, doesn’t he have advisors to do that work for him? And shouldn’t he be visiting with his people? And actually finding solutions to his country’s problems instead of forcing his daughter to marry? Basically, once again, Cass set up a world, but didn’t really put a lot of thought into how characters, events, etcetera, would actually pan out.

The characters of the book, while they were entertaining at times, didn’t really fit with what I would expect. This may sound sexist and/or stereotypical, but the 35 guys in the story, and even Eadlyn’s family, didn’t really act like typical guys. Some of these boys were supposed to be working class young men, yet they were acting like the higher-caste girls from America’s time in the Selection. I know traits shouldn’t be seen as either masculine or feminine, but Cass needed to go about developing her characters in a realistic manner. Plus, I feel like a lot of young men, and even a lot of young women, don’t giggle as incessantly as her characters did. (FYI, I hate the word giggle and the act it stands for. Giggling should only be done by those who are younger than eight.)

I also felt like I didn’t really get to know Eadlyn. I got to know America really well in her books, I may not have liked her, but I knew her. Eadlyn’s character development was just lacking something.

Despite all of my grumblings, I did find the idea of this new Selection very entertaining. I also enjoyed seeing America’s new family and I will definitely be reading the next book to see what happens.

All in all, The Heir is a book that I encourage you to wait to read. Wait until the next (and last) book comes out so you don’t have to remain frustrated with the small, frustrating parts of the book.

*Note: I purchased this book myself.