The Heir by Kiera Cass | Rating: ★★★★☆

"I think you're mistaking comfort for joy."

The Selection trilogy is one of my favorite novel series in the young adult genre solely based upon how sweet and fluffy it is. There's something so easy about this series to escape into that it reminds me how fun reading is. It’s a simple read that doesn’t slack on entertainment. While it isn’t the best, most creative novel series in a life changing way; there’s [still] something utterly light, intriguing and action packed about this world that Kiera Cass has given us.

The Selection series is certainly reminiscent to the reality shows of our modern times, except with a futuristic and royal twist filled with a rich history of its own. It is no secret that the series has a massive following and with that comes a batch of those who dislike it for one reason or another.

Often compared to The Hunger Games and The Bachelor; the original series focused on the life of a young woman named America Singer as she struggles to fit into this world of romance and luxury; leaving behind a boy from home as she joins the competition to become the next queen of this fictional land. She never expected to fall in love, but she did -- and the decision of who she is, who she wants to be and who she cannot live without is ever so present throughout the series' original run.


Love, danger, intrigue, beauty, riches and dangers were featured prominently within the series before it ended on a note of happily ever after.

In a surprise move by Kiera and Harper Teen, The Heir was announced as a continuation of the series and follows the adventures of our beloved King and Queen, Maxon and America’s eldest child – Princess Eadlyn, who in an attempt to distract her country is about to make history by being the first of her gender to hold a Selection.

Eadlyn is not quite as warm and gentle as her mother or father, but certainly holds qualities that parallel both parents and although she can become frustrating from time to time she serves as a fresh voice. She has an air of "I'm better than you" to her and is exceptionally sarcastic, cocky and doesn't seem to understand that some of the things she says can be taken horribly. It doesn't make her a terrible person, it doesn't make her any less interesting and I can't help but to think the fandom would thoroughly appreciate her personality if she were a male.

And let's face it: they would.

She is her own person and that’s what, in the end, makes her likeable to me – the more things progress in her love life and life in general, the more determined she becomes and the more she grows. I particularly liked her interactions with her father and her twin brother the most, as long as the various moments between herself and her mother, and hope to see more of that side to her in her conclusion; especially after the events of the final chapters in The Heir.

The Heir falls down into a similar feel of the previous installments in the books, showing us familiar faces and blending in an array of new characters good and bad. It’s intriguing and a blast to read because while it has the same feel as The Selection, it is certainly its own story and bound to head down its own path. There are some parts, however, that come across dull or rushed that make the story just a little less likeable than you'd expect. It doesn't take away too much of the special, it factor we've come to know but it is a bit disappointing.

Continuations, sequels and the like can often diminish the entire series that came before it. In this case, The Heir hits many of the right marks and proves to be a worthy addition to it. My biggest complaint is THAT ending, Kiera Cass. If you are reading this – you are on my shit list!

(In the best of all ways. Of course.)

What I loved most about it is how flawed Eadlyn really is. I’ve noticed quite a lot of rumbles when it comes to her character and how readers have taken to her. She’s very flawed, very spoiled, very headstrong and at times very cold; but given how she grew up it’s very realistic. Eadlyn is insufferable in all the ways that make her fascinating, beautiful and real – it serves as the perfect starting point in how she will truly grow into herself.

As for the boys – we certainly all have our favorites, don’t we? I’m rooting for Kile, personally, or Erik. Erik, of course, isn’t in the running but the chemistry is undeniable between him and Eadlyn. But here’s the thing: the boys remaining are all worthy in some way and funnily enough Eadlyn has grown to care for each of them. I’m very, very curious to see how it ends. I'm very curious to see who she may end up with, if she ends up with anyone, and where the other characters wind up.

I'm very curious to see more of Eadlyn's twin brother now that he has run off and eloped with his beloved. I'd definitely dig seeing more of that particular romance, but I'm not sure if I should get my hopes up.

Lastly, I'm very concerned about where things are left. I won't spoil it, of course, but I really hope that [character] will be all right in the end. There's a massive health scare for a much beloved characters towards the end of the book that leaves us on the edge of our seats in fear and curiosity -- we never know quite what to expect with the twists and turns in the fate of our favorite characters. And now, I am in wait for the next book.

Can I have it now or?