The Heir by Kiera Cass

The Heir by Kiera Cass
Series: The Selection #4
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: May 7th 2015
Source: Bought

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.

I've been in love with The Selection series since I picked up the first book at the beginning of 2013. It's one of my all time favourite series. I adore the story, the characters and I was devastated after The One because it was the end. But it wasn't! As soon as I heard about The Heir, I was jumping around squealing. ANOTHER Selection book focusing on Maxon and America's daughter, Eadlyn? YES PLEASE. 

So after the events in the first three books, Maxon has finally managed to dissolve the caste system and it seemed like everything was working out alright. But it turns out that there are still people with prejudices about the castes and it isn't as easy for people to get the jobs that they want because of what caste the used to be in. The people are unhappy and are uprising, so Maxon suggests to his daughter Eadlyn that she has a voluntary Selection to get the attention of the people while he tries to work out what he can do to save his country.

As soon as I started reading The Heir, I knew I wasn't going to love it as much as the first three, and my main reason for that was Eadlyn. Eadlyn is an extremely self-absorbed character. She doesn't think before she speaks, she's spoiled, bratty and I just couldn't believe she was going to be Queen one day. But, that being said, Eadlyn does have her redeeming qualities. The main thing I liked about her is her determination to rule on her own. She's a strong, independent woman and she knows she doesn't need a man to be a great leader. She would also do absolutely anything for her family. She cares for them so much that even though she hates the idea of a Selection, she did it to help her father.

Now, the Selection process is completely different this time since it's a Princess looking for a male suitor, and we're also getting it from Eadlyn's POV. So it's completely different this time. I did feel bad for Eadlyn for being pressured into having a Selection, but as the Selection process went on, I started to see a completely different side to Eadlyn. I was so used to her stuck up attitude, but she eventually started letting her walls come down a bit and began to relax. She's actually a pretty funny, sweet and caring character but because she's been so isolated she's never had the chance to have fun.

The suitors are definitely a mixed bunch. There are a few that I had some bad vibes about and the vibes were right. But there are a few stand out guys for me: Kile, Henri and Erik. Kile and Eadlyn are my main ship. At first, Eadlyn hated Kile and I didn't understand why, but as soon as Kile's name was called out for the Selection, Eadlyn made an effort to actually talk to Kile and she realised that she actually liked him. While I'd love the chance for Kile to get out of the palace and do what he loves, I'd still love him to be with Eadlyn. There's no possible reason for hating Henri because he's one of the most adorable characters ever. There's a language barrier between Henri and Eadlyn, but there's definitely a spark of chemistry. Henri is just so sweet and he adores Eadlyn. And then we have Erik. While Erik isn't actually a part of the Selection, it definitely feels like there's a spark between him and Eadlyn. Erik is Henri's translator, but he and Eadlyn completely hit it off and she thinks about what could have happened if Erik entered the Selection. She thinks about him a lot and he's become a very good friend of hers and I'd be extremely happy if something happened between them.

All of the other guys left would be a good match for Eadlyn as well, but Kile, Henri and Erik are my top 3 choices.

Honestly, the best part of the book for me was getting to see more of Maxon and America. Those two are on of my favourite couples because they're so adorable and perfect for each other. They were so different, but they helped each other grow and they're still completely in love years later. It's odd reading about them being older though and having children, but I still adore them and their family. And also getting to see Lucy, Marlee, Aspen and May again was pretty awesome.

But then Kiera Cass had to go and basically rip out my heart at the end. I sobbed, and sobbed some more. I have no idea what's going to happen and it's making me extremely nervous because I can't even think about the situation getting worse. I don't want to think about it because I never want to read a book about that happening. I know this is extremely vague, but I don't want to ruin the ending for anyone. But everyone that's read it will totally get what I'm talking about and why I'm so heartbroken and nervous. I can't believe I'll probably have to wait a whole year to find out what happens!

Overall, The Heir was a great addition to The Selection series and I just NEED THE NEXT BOOK SO BAD. I have to know what's going to happen and I'm looking forward to seeing Eadlyn's character develop more and find out whether she actually falls in love during the Selection!