"The Heir" by Kiera Cass

4 of 5 stars.

The Basics: The Heir picks up 20 years after The One. King Maxon and Queen America now have four children, the oldest (by a few minutes) being Eadlyn. The rules have changed so that the first-born female heir may become queen and not have to be married off to another country's male heir. So, Princess Eadlyn has the world on her shoulders. She is preparing to become Queen and also becomes entangled in the first ever female-run Selection. The only issue is that Eadlyn does not want to participate and only does so to appease her parents as they seek to find a resolution to the unrest in their country since the abolishing of the caste system.
Eadlyn has a few things working against her though. She is rather distant emotionally, she has not been able to connect with her patrons therefor creating a further rift in the country, and she sees marriage as a distant entity choosing to focus only on her job. She'll learn that she can have love and still be a monarch once tragedy strikes at the end of the novel.

My Thoughts: I have enjoyed the Selection series so far. America is a character I could certainly relate to, but the shift in perspective was only right since America's story ended happily ever after. Now, Eadlyn. I'm not sure what to make of her. I want to like her because she is a feminist, but to a fault. She doesn't realize that her position as next in line to inherit the throne has her on a power trip. She is a bit snobby, self-centered and can't seem too look outside of her position as a princess.
I like that her twin brother, Ahren, is the exact opposite. He is everything that Eadlyn is not. He is a needed character to balance Eadlyn's sour personality.
Before the Selection begins Eadlyn is already thinking of ways to distance herself from these men and make them dislike her so much that they would want to leave.
Either way, as the Selection continues it is obvious that some of the men in the story will become important in the development of the next book, by the way the book ended there will certainly be another book.
Erik and Henri. I'm pushing for Erick here. I know he is a minor part of the Selection but it is obvious that Eadlyn feels something for him but is scared to seek it out because he doesn't fit into the process (of actually picking a Selected). He seems genuine though and I like that about him. Henri also seems to have a spot in Eadlyn's heart but it seems they will end up just being friends.
Kile is also another important aspect in this Selection. Though he is the child of Marlee and has grown up with Eadlyn, I think he has a fair shot at softening her heart. I was rooting for him at first but there is something about Erik that makes me want him to come out as the victor.
I won't even talk about the end of the book, you have to read it to see how crazy it is. I will say this though, doesn't the relationship between Ahren and Eadlyn seem a bit incestuous?  Also, something about Camille isn't right.
I am certainly looking forward to the next book in this series!

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