The Heir (The Selection) Hardcover – May 5, 2015

The Heir is more of a companion than a continuation of the Selection series.
I must admit, Eadlyn is a frustrating, annoying, and bratty protagonist who I often found myself wishing I could slap, but by the end of the novel, I realized that somewhere along they way she had matured and developed into a tolerable main character who I could root for.
Now, after reading about 35 women chase after 1 man, I was extremely excited to see it play out the other way around. Kiera Cass did not disappoint. I cannot decide which of the several main male characters that I want to be with Eadlyn. I absolutely loved Kile, Henri, Fox, and Hale. And Erik as well but I don't know if he counts as being in the running for her hand.
My absolute favorite part of this novel was, of course, Maxon and America. They were still just as adorable as they were in the first three books. Maxon is still completely devoted to America while America adores Maxon with all of her being. I loved the references to their selection and the shenanigans that occurred.
I desperately need the sequel, especially after that god awful cliff hanger. Seriously, give me more now.
The Heir was a solid 4/5, which is surprising considering it had so much to live up to due to it following the amazing first three Selection books.

I enjoyed reading The Heir. I LOVED the first 3 books of the Selection Series with America and was so excited to follow in the life of her daughter. Now here is the thing... I ORIGINALLY would give this book a 3. BUT, now that I have read book 5 (The Crown), I give it a 4. Here are my Pro's and Con's with this book, and the reason why there is a difference with before and after the 5th book.

Pro:
* Seeing a selection for the 3rd time but from a WHOLE new perspective. We saw Clarkson's selection through The Queen novella, we saw Maxon's selection with the original 3 books, and now we get to see Eadlyn's selection, the first with a female heading it.
* The characters brought in as supports. They had such a wide variety of characters that I felt that it was nice seeing the change in how the gentlemen handled themselves as members of the Selection.
* I loved seeing the family interactions with the Royal Family. Seeing how happy they were with the 4 children, just made me happy knowing that Maxon was able to move past his horrible childhood with Clarkson and become the strong father he was meant to be.
* Ahern and Camille... Did anyone else laugh with this relationship after reading Maxon's novella with Daphne?!? hahaha
* I liked the Jack storyline... just because it was realistic. It showed that in a book it is not always perfect, there is a Jack A** who tries to hurt someone. It brought a bit of realism... I almost wish he had gone a bit further and tried to kiss her etc just to make the whole idea of no means no a little stronger... I think it would have added more to her as a character as well ( I feel really wrong wishing something had 'happened' more to her, NOT RAPE, just something a little stronger than grabbing her arm).

Con's
*It was so so hard to like Eadlyn... she just seems like a spoiled brat that always gets her way... massages, bathes, drinks, etc.
*I disliked Eadlyn's attitude regarding the Selection process... she was so negative to it and was outwardly hostile to these people! The gentlemen were nothing to her to start. She just infuriated me with her attitude.
*America was not as strong of a character... she seemed very meek in this book, not the vibrant red-head from the original 3 stories!
*That ending....... oh no no no.... Don't you DARE do that to me
*Josie just seems really annoying, I just couldn't get behind her as a character and wanted to just say 'grow up'.
* Really big con was just Eadlyn's character... so 1-dimensional and stuck up. Huge attitude of being better than the rest because she was the princess by 7 minutes.

OK, and now the reason why I shift from 3 to 4 stars after reading book 5.... The character development in Eadlyn. While this book was showing her as so stuck up and a snobbish attitude, it did set the stage for her to change and develop more as a character in book 5 (The Crown). I wish some of that started more in The Heir (we see it literally in the LAST sentence of the book) but in all honesty, I can see why Miss Cass had Eadlyn remain impersonal to start the book.

Overall, I would probably give this book a 7 out of 10 on the scale. I enjoyed it, not my favorite in the series, but definitely not my least favorite :)

No, seriously. I know it's tempting to want to get "the conclusion" to the story, but you're just in for a disappointment. You do get some additional information about existing characters from the first three books, but the focus of this is entirely on Eadlyn and that is truly unfortunate. She starts out as a truly bratty girl, and while she does turn around on that point, her entire evolution - indeed, the entire series - seems rushed and awkward. She makes a far greater change from the beginning of book one to the end of book two than America did over three books, and it's entirely unbelievable. She essentially grows a new personality and a new set of morals in the space of 8 weeks, and I just don't buy it. Eadlyn is such a shallow character, with no depth, and I find that time spent with her is uncomfortable from start to finish.

The rest of the story feels the same way - shallow and rushed. Perhaps Kiera Cass would have done better to extend Eadlyn's tale over three books as well, so it didn't seem so completely jarring. The end feels completely out of the blue and has the ring of "deus ex machina" about it, and made me wish I hadn't wasted my time. I don't really believe in any of the other characters either; even America and Maxon seem to be carbon copies of the strong, well-developed characters they were only one book ago. The little tidbits about them and the rest of the original gang are not worth the flattening they undergo in this book and the subsequent one, and I'd rather they live in their original form in my mind.

I'm still a huge fan of the first three books, but it seems to me that it might be better to simply pretend that the story ends there.