A Review of The Heir by Kiera Cass

I purposely didn’t read anything that would give away the storyline to The Heir by Kiera Cass. So when I tiptoed downstairs to my fully charged iPad, being ever so cautious of every sound I made. A simple squeak of the stair or creak of the cupboard would awake my sleeping brood. I downloaded the ebook and began to read Kiera Cass’s newest book, The Heir
.

I fell in love with the series all over again. Because the author shocked me.

We find that the main voice of the story has also changed. We are now hearing the thoughts of King Maxon and Queen America’s eldest child, and only daughter, and the ‘heir’.

Our fated lovers from the first three books are blessed with four children. There are the twins Eadyln and Ahren (Eadlyn being the eldest by the 7 minutes, and the main voice), Kaden and Osten.

Since Eadlyn is the eldest, she is the heir to the throne and head of an absolute monarchy. Eager to be the Queen some day, she works hard to learn all the responsibilities that go along with the title. What she failed to learn is how to be empathetic towards her people, unlike another future Queen, whom we meet in this book. This is clearly evident in how she speaks to people around the palace. Eadlyn has lived a spoiled life and as she ages it is apparent how she acts in front of people is not indicative of her coming role.

With the caste system abolished for some time now, the subjects of the country are causing a stir about people still holding on to the former prejudices of the castes.

With the stakes of these upheavals leading to death, the King needs a distraction to buy him some time to think. There was only one thing that distracted the people from their woes, another Selection. With Eadlyn firmly against the process and having a husband, the King must strike a bargain to make this happen. Three months, if there is no suitable candidate, then the Selection is called off.

But Eadlyn wont give up that easy. She is going to have the men running for the hills. I like the story line for the fact that it did deliver on the promises of the last book. The last book ended with America and Maxon getting married, their plan to eliminate the castes, and that there would be children in their future.

Also, some of the former characters that were extremely likable, are back in new roles.

Lucy, no longer the bumbling maid, is married to Aspen, and lives in the palace. Aspen is now the General of the guards. Marlee and Carter are living in the palace with the royal family with their children.

I found it refreshing to see the characters age and the next generation be the main focus. Most series take place so close in time that any leap forward in time is just an epilogue at the end of the book. We also get to see that America and Maxon did marry and have their happy ever after, however, they had challenges of their own. Their dreams of a caste free world are still not perfected, and then there is the raising of their children, particularly Eadlyn, that is causing them some strife.

It’s also been announced that The Selection (the first book in the series) is going to be a movie. Not only that, HarperTeen has signed Kiera Cass on to write two more books to the series, one being the final book to The Heir and one of a series of short stories set around this time frame. With the story taking a shift with The Heir, it will be interesting to further develop the story started by Eadlyn or to jump again in time. No release date for either the book (2016, is the year no specific date yet, or title) or movie but I will update on my Twitter as soon as it’s announced.

I will wait to read about the lovely ball gowns and the stolen kisses. Not to spoil it but I did enjoy how the book ended. What remains to be seen is what is next in store for the royal family and their devoted friends.

If you have any recommendations about similar books to read or review, please comment below.