(The Selection #4)
Publication Date: May 5, 2015
Hardcover, 368 pages, HarperTeen
Genres: YA, Dystopian
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.
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