Controversial opinion but Eadlyn >>> America.

Eadlyn has so much character growth throughout her two books. She will drive you crazy at the beginning with her attitude, but then you start seeing slow changes in her and it is all worth it. ( )

Set years after The Selection, The Heir focuses on America and Maxon's daughter, Princess Eadlyn, who is next in line for the throne. She was born just minutes before her twin brother, Ahren, so she will inherit the crown, not him. Aspen is still working in the palace. Marlee is still there. America and Maxon are still madly in love. But all is not well in Illéa. The caste system has been abolished, but some are not adjusting well - life post-caste is not all they dreamed it would be. There is unrest. Protesting. Eadlyn, who seems more "all business" than the romantic type, works side by side with her father, running things and preparing for her reign. When Maxon realizes he needs a "pause button" to give him time to figure out what to do about all the unrest, he and America ask Eadlyn to have the first ever Selection for a female heir in hopes it will capture Illéa's attention long enough for Maxon to figure out what to do. Eadlyn doesn't especially wish to comply, but after insisting on a few concessions from her parents, she finally agrees. Only things don't go all that smoothly.

It seems Eadlyn doesn't really know how to "do" romance. She also doesn't seem to have a very good grasp on how to win the public over. She comes to learn that she isn't all that well liked by some of the people in Illéa. She originally planned on hosting the Selection long enough to give her father time to sort things out and not become attached to any of the "selected." But the longer the guys are there, the harder it seems for her to keep her feelings out of the equation. Several of the 35 young men participating in the Selection stand out, but I don't want to give anything away, so I won't go into detail.

I will say this: Josie, Marlee's daughter, got on my nerves. The fact that she's allowed to get away with the things she gets away with made absolutely no sense to me. Where are the adults here? Why has nobody checked her - not her own parents and not even the King or Queen?! That just didn't seem realistic to me. To be honest, though, I don't even know how much I really like Eadlyn. She's often arrogant, spoiled, naïve about so many things, and doesn't think of others very often outside of how they affect her or what they can do for her. Of course, she's been raised in a palace as the golden child - the heir to the throne - and has always been catered to, so maybe her growing up is going to be a major part of her story. Don't get me wrong - I'm totally reading the next one! I'm hoping Eadlyn's character will mature during her experience in the Selection and I am looking forward to seeing how everything turns out! ( )

Link to Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x718WnliBgU ( )

An interesting companion book to the original series. It was an enjoyable and entertaining read, but I felt it lacked the depth of character that the original series had. I'd still recommend giving it a read! ( )

This was a very quick read for me, as were the other books in this series.

I had really enjoyed reading from America's perspective. Honestly, in the beginning I thought Eadlyn was a whiny brat and I was not excited to continue. She has an obsession with her power and I find it annoying to hear about so often. I really did not like the main character. But not too long into the Selection, I had changed my mind. I think she is developing quite well. The girl she is in the end is similar to, but nowhere near the first one.

I also really enjoyed getting to know the guys. A few of the twists have been predictable, but I was pleasantly shocked a few times while I was reading. I found that I was audibly gasping and laughing, something I only do when reading a very good book.

There are a couple guys I am predicting to make it to the end and I can not wait to see if I was right. ( )