Review: The Heir (The Selection #4)

Reviewer: Kristen
Author: Kiera Cass
Pages: 342
Format: Paperback
My Rating: 6 out of 10

** SPOILER ALERT: This is the fourth in the series, and definitely will contain spoilers if you haven't read the first three**

Summary (Thank you dearly, Goodreads): Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon—and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she'd put off marriage for as long as possible.

But a princess's life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can't escape her very own Selection—no matter how fervently she protests.

Eadlyn doesn't expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn's heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her . . . and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn't as impossible as she's always thought.
My Thoughts: I had read The One right when it came out, and I was so excited to see where the series was going to end and if the characters were going to get a satisfying ending. Apparently I didn't have to worry about it though, because shortly after (if I'm remembering correctly) the rest of the series was announced. And while I thought The One was almost unnecessary and that the series could have easily been a duology instead of a trilogy, this one definitely crossed into unnecessary and "I thought this story was over why am I still reading it" category. Which isn't to say it didn't entertain me, because it did. It was just not at all necessary to the story of America and Maxon. I think it would have been better as a spin-off and not a "continuation" (though, I use that term lightly). 

I hated Eadlyn. I thought she was completely awful to most of the people around her. I could not reconcile the America we got to know in the first three novels with the America that is presented in this book. (I don't think she'd ever force Eadlyn to go through with her own Selection, even if it would relieve stress off her father. Ugh.) The new characters that were introduced all felt like they were the male versions of the female characters in the first selection. I saw the plot twist coming from a mile away, even though that plot twist is the only reason I will finish the series. I was just disappointed, I guess. It felt like the same story, with the same political issues that Maxon was supposed to fix. 

That review seriously made it sound like I hated it. I didn't. It was entertaining enough, and the story was interesting enough for me to finish in one sitting. The writing was great again, I don't know how Kiera Cass does it, but she is a wonderful story teller. I'll finish off the series, I just don't know who I'm rooting for at this point. 

I have some serious cover lust, though.

Final Thoughts: While it was entertaining, it definitely didn't feel like it was necessary. If you liked the rest of the series, though, I would definitely suggest continuing on! 

Reviewer: Kelsey
Rating: 5 out of 10

My Thoughts: Mwahaha, I'm hijacking Kristen's post.
Anyway, I didn't really like this book. I hated Eadlyn. She was a whiney baby and a generally horrible person that was spoiled and didn't care about anyone but herself. I wanted to punch her in the face. I didn't find that she had any redeemable features. She was the stereotypical rich kid and I absolutely hated it.

I also was mad at her parents. This novel is practically the exact same as the rest of the series. The same problems are happening and the parents are making the same mistakes that they hated. That shouldn't have happened. They should not have made the choices they did. 

I also didn't like that the foreshadowing shoved us in one direction and the author chose the exact opposite. It was obviously done that way on purpose. There was no subtly at all. It was stupid.

The novel wasn't as bad as I made it sound. It wasn't too much of a time commitment. It did, however, make me exceedingly angry so that was a problem. If you really, really, really loved this series you might enjoy this novel.

Review: The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy)

Reviewer: Kristen
Author: Marie Rutkoski
Pages: 355
Format: Paperback
My Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Summary (How could I live without you, Goodreads): Winning what you want may cost you everything you love... 

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. 

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. 

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined. 

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

My Thoughts: I'm going to be honest with you, bookish friends. This book was more like a 4.5 for me until the last chapter. And then, the last chapter happened. And it's like Marie Rutkoski knew exactly how to pull me in and want to continue this series. It's like she knew that I have a serious thing for angst-filled marriage follies and that I love a good love triangle, so long as it is done correctly. So, had the last chapter not happened, I probably wouldn't be finishing this trilogy. But it did, so here we are.

I tried picking this book up a long time ago (December 2014, according to goodreads) but I just wasn't feeling it at that time. I read the first chapter, wasn't interested, put it down and didn't think about it again. Fast forward to August, and I was cleaning off my shelves and rearranging my books and saw this one again. And that beautiful cover pulled me in. So, I stopped cleaning, started reading and finished half the book in one go. Apparently my mind had made up how bad I thought the first chapter was because I couldn't stop. But, once I did stop, I didn't start again for about a week. So while I liked it, I didn't love it, and I don't know how else to describe it other than by saying just that. My biggest issue was that the characters fell a little flat for me. While Kestrel was clearly intelligent, some of her motives confused me. It's like the author wanted the reader to connect with her, but in doing so left something out about her. I just didn't love her as much as I wanted to and that was disappointing. Arin was another character I didn't understand - maybe it was the whole slave/owner dynamic that was uncomfortable but it felt a little insta-lovey to me, even though it wasn't really. I just didn't swoon for Arin like other people did. So, while they were going through the awful things they were going through, I just didn't really care. Things happened all at once and a little too easily - some things were just too much of a coincidence for me to really get behind it. But other than that, i plowed through, and though it doesn't seem like it, genuinely enjoyed most of it. And I know that I've said this enough, but the last chapter offered enough promise for me to continue on; I like the potential that I see building.

Final Thoughts: While I enjoyed this, I didn't love it either. I thought it was a little too predictably young-adultish (not that there is a problem with that!!) for my taste, but the ending really did seal the deal for me.