Review : The Heir by Kiera Cass

Title : The Heir
Author : Kiera Cass
Genre : YA dystopia
Release Date : May 5th, 2015
Publisher : HarperTeen

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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.

The Selection series is a hit or miss for me. I love The Selection (I even re-read it again right after I finished it), but I dislike The Elite. I have a mixed feeling for The One. That's why, I didn't expect much when I picked up this book. Fortunately, this book isn't as bad as The Elite, but I didn't love it as much as I love The Selection.

Twenty years ago, America won the Selection and lived happily ever after with Maxon. And now, it's time for their daughters to have the very first female-led Selection. Let me tell you, I fuckin hate Eadlyn. She's such a bitch, and she really mean to the contestants. She thought highly of herself, and she thought no one else is as important as she is. Then why did you still read the book?, you'd probably wonder. That's because it's only at first. She gradually change to be a better person (I'm not saying that she's a good person in the end, just better), just like she started to open up to the contestants. And the more she changes, the more I could relate to her. I could understand her pressure of being the very first queen of Illea, and I could understand why she didn't believe in finding a soulmate, and therefore, hate the idea of the Selection.

Speaking of soulmate, let's talk about the romance. The romance is actually the thing that hooked me up, since there's like plenty of possible love interest. When I read the first 3 books, I already know that America will end up with Maxon, but in this, I literally have no idea. I even thought that Eadlyn will end up with no one, but I think it won't happen. So, after finishing this book, I have 2 guys who I think will end up with Eadlyn. One of them is Eadlyn's enemy-turn-bestfriend, and one of them is not even a participant in the Selection. I'm not mentioning any name since it could ruin the surprise and the feels, but if you have read this book, you must know who I mean.

The side characters were great, especially Maxon and America. If I had my doubt in the first 3 books, well, now I'm certain that I ship them. They are just so adorable together. Also, Eadlyn's brother--Ahren, Kaden, and Osten--isn't as bad as Eadlyn, though Ahren did something stupid and inconsiderate in the end that made me dislike him slightly.

Overall, this book is not as bad as I'd thought before. One thing I also dislike (beside Eadlyn at the beginning), is how this book ends. It ends with a really weak cliffhanger, and I don't think it's necessary, although I still recommend this book.