The Crown by Kiera Cass
YA Romance. 278 Pages. 4 Stars
Synopsis:
When Eadlyn became the first princess of Illéa to hold her own Selection, she didn’t think she would fall in love with any of her thirty-five suitors. She spent the first few weeks of the competition counting down the days until she could send them all home. But as events at the palace force Eadlyn even further into the spotlight, she realizes that she might not be content remaining alone.
Eadlyn still isn’t sure she’ll find the fairytale ending her parents did twenty years ago. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and soon Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more impossible—and more important—than she ever imagined.
My Review:
Reading this conclusion to the series makes me wonder about rereading the original trilogy. Now that I’m older, I wonder if I’d still like them as much as I did when I was younger.
I liked this one. I did. I just wouldn’t call it a stellar book or one of my favorites. (First, and almost entirely unimportant, I love the cover of The Heir. It’s gorgeous. This one? It’s pretty. It’s really pretty, actually. I like it. But not as well as the previous.) This was a satisfying conclusion to the duology that follows America’s daughter. I’ll say that.
By the end of rereading The Heir, I was hooked into the story and invested in finishing. I had a new appreciation for Eadlyn and my top four contenders for her heart. I was mildly curious about the political undertones and wondering exactly where Cass was going with it. By the middle of this book, I knew exactly who I was rooting for, but I doubted whether or not my candidate would be the final pick–which made the reading fun. Cass managed to maintain some of the tension and suspicion instead of throwing predictable moves my way.
I really loved seeing how Eadlyn’s character shifted and changed over these two books. That was really a lot of fun. I loved seeing her make lifelong friends like her mother did in her selection. And I loved seeing Eadlyn learn to open up, while still struggling to fight the deep-rooted insecurities and fears she had started with. Eadlyn’s character felt realistic to me. And her heart was sweet. I also loved Hale and Henri and Erik and Kile. I sort of felt like we didn’t get to see quite so much of the selection side of things in this one. The book centered a lot on Eadlyn’s changing and learning to serve others and on the monarchy and how it shifted and changed after the cliffie from the previous book.
That said, one of my biggest griefs with the book is the sudden political end. I mean, we never really dug into the politics over the span of either book. There were a few instances where it was brought up and front and center. (The town hall meeting was really cool, but also really short.) And where Eadlyn’s shift felt smooth and natural, the political one did not. In fact, a few of the wrap ups felt really rushed and abrupt to me. I was disappointed in the direction Hale’s character went, but Henri was golden until the very end and I adored him for it. I love Kile and I am SO happy for the end his character came to, but his mother’s made it all feel that same abrupt, harsh ending. The politics were amped up–seeing Eadlyn with all the councillors was a blast, but again, pretty short. What she did for her maid was super sweet, but also…very, very short and we’re left to just assume it works out? Not quite satisfactory. Marid’s line, while I totally saw coming, I enjoyed. Though, again, his end was over before we ever really reached the juicy bits so to speak.
Truthfully, I think Marid instigated the absolute thrilling last few chapters. I mean, talk about intense!! For a hot minute I was sweating and my heart was pounding trying to follow Eadlyn to the end! And I honestly didn’t know how it would turn out for a moment, though I really, really hoped it would turn out the way it did. Oh, and the weird tidbit with Maxon? That was…endearing, but…like it missed the mark a little? I don’t know. Honestly, so much of this feels like it had such potential for…for…depth, but it just felt half-baked in some areas. And the abrupt political ending just…confused me more than satisfied me. I would have liked a smoother transition and some more solid foundation for the way some of these things ended. Just more depth and concrete development, I think.
But, that said, it was a fun, fluffy read. I wouldn’t not recommend the book. I just wouldn’t think of it first per say. It’s worth finishing the series if you liked the original trilogy.
Content (This paragraph contains one small spoiler, though I don’t name names): The book has some references to violence, like past revolts and one scene with someone disclosing his abusive past, but nothing graphic. There is some romance, but nothing more than kissing and considering matters of the heart. There are two of the selection boys who fall in love with each other, but we never see anything from them on screen. There was only one mild curse word used once. And there were mild themes of girl power and LGBT promotion. I’d feel fine giving this to a teen. Maybe 14/15 up?
More:
Book 1 in The Selection series is The Selection (5 Stars)
Book 2 is The Elite (5 Stars)
Book 3 is The One (4 Stars)
Book 4 is The Heir (5 Stars)
Book 5 is The Crown (4 Stars)
I have rated the above on Goodreads. You can follow the links for more information. If I go back and reread the original trilogy, then I’ll add reviews to those, since I read them pre-Goodreads days–which also means my rating of them may change when I reread it XD.
The first three must be read in order and the last two must be read in order. I would also very highly recommend reading the original trilogy before the subsequent duology, personally, though it isn’t strictly necessary.
On GraceBought
If you missed it, check out my thoughts on the previous book in the series.