The Heir

Bibliography
Cass, Kiera. The Heir. New York: Harper Teen, 2015. Print.
image from: www.kieracass.com

My Thoughts
I WAS SO EXCITED FOR THIS BOOK! I got to meet Kiera Cass and take pictures with her at TLA this year. The book was released three weeks later, so I didn't get a signed copy of this one (but I did get the first three signed). I loved that she was so friendly and genuinely interested in her fans.

About the book--18 years have passed since The One. King Maxon and Queen America have come to their eldest child "seeking a way to boost morale" in the country (Cass 12). This surprised me, as I thought this book would pick up with America's pregnancy. Nope, their daughter is now ready to face her own Selection, but Princess Eadlyn has her own thoughts about marriage. I kept thinking about in the first book how her mother, now Queen, had her own thoughts, too. I even marked one page when Princess Eadlyn says, "'Do you know how hard it is when you love jeans but you're a princess?'" (Cass 131). Fans of the first book will see the connection.

I was surprised at how Princess Eadlyn's attitude was so...rude/spoiled/condescending. There were times that I didn't like this character or her sarcasm. There were other times I'm glad that Cass depicted her as strong and independent and  someone who doesn't "need to be rescued" (Cass 121). Princess Eadlyn is conflicted. She wants to appease her parents, lead her country, but she also doesn't believe in the fairy tale. "This was why love was a terrible idea: it made you weak. And there was no one in the world as powerful as me" (Cass 276). Like many young adults, she must find her own way.

I kept a list of the men in the Selection to help me keep track of who was who. Cass devoted separate chapters to each of these guys and his "date" with the princess that also helped.

I think there is more to Henri and Erik. I predict that Erik is really the suitor and not the translator (but then I wonder if I've just seen that so many times before, that Cass is throwing that red herring in here).

I also know there is something developing with Kile. I'm not sure if it's a pseudo sibling love or if this might be that "right in front of you but can't see it" love story.

I liked that even though the story jumps to 20 years after the last book, some of those years were discussed, including Lucy and General Leger's story. Sometimes we don't always know why people are the way they are because we don't know their histories. Princess Eadlyn was learning much in these pages.

What I didn't like about the book: I HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER YEAR FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT!