The Selection Series: The Heir | Book Review

Series: The Selection, Book 4
Author: Kiera Cass
Publisher: Harper Collins
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Fairy-tale, Romance, YA
Release Date: 5th May 2015
Format: Paperback
Number of Pages: 356
Target Audience: YA 12-18+
Contains: Heavy Romance, Some violence
Authors Website: http://www.kieracass.com
Where to Buy: Amazon

"35 Suitors. 1 princess. A new selection has begun."

Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. (There is more but I don't want to give the story away if you haven't yet read the books...)

Eadlyn doesn't expect her own story to end in romance - she has no interest in repeating the fairy tale. But a princess's life is never entirely her own - and Eadlyn cannot escape her very own selection, and one particular entry who may just capture her heart...

'The Selection' series is one that had slowly faded away into the back of my mind, after all the third book titled 'The One' was the last...right? Wrong! Keira Cass surprised us all with a fourth book in the series titled 'The Heir', and its as beautiful and sparkly as its predecessors. I feel extremely guilty for forgetting about them, but so glad the new release has triggered my memory into action.

The book follows the story of princess Eadlyn (the daughter of a certain someone), who is next in line for the throne, and her journey to find a suitable husband to help her in ruling the kingdom of Illea. But Eadlyn is nothing like her mother, and she is hardly thrilled at the idea of a forced marriage. For Eadlyn the Selection process becomes a journey of deep self-discovery, and as she grows closer to the gentlemen that have been thrusted at her feet, she can no longer deny her heart - Suddenly the future she had envisioned for herself, isn't so clear.

The story of the Selection is a beautiful one. I know, its seriously bad...how could I forget? Combining reality TV with the glitzy world of prince and princesses, makes these books devour worthy. Thinking back, I remember finishing each one in a matter of hours, they were just that good. I think the main thing that appealed to me when reading these books, is that they are so simplistic, in the sense that once you strip back all the piano playing vegetarian vampires, and hunky tanned werewolves with abs the size of balloons, you are left with good old fashioned romance, surrounding two normal human people, and in an age where paranormal dominates fiction, its a refreshing concept. Its about beautiful people meeting for the first time, and feeling that instantaneous attraction. I actually watched the new cinderella movie the other day with the lovely Lily James playing the lead role, and it just took the story to a whole other level for me. Despite the fact I've watched and read the same story a dozen times already, that magical kind of love never gets old, and its what Keira Cass has managed to achieve so well in these books. Another thing I loved about 'The Selection' was the constant tension between the women, and just how badly they all wanted to snap up the prince's hand in marriage it made it interesting and exciting to read, though this storyline is a little different. The heart-melting romance did make me buckle at the knees, my favourite scene's involving Henry, who is a sweet and gentle Swendish foreigner who cannot speak English, and so finds it quite difficult to communicate his feelings to the princess. Every ounce of me hopes that he wins the competition, simply because he deserves to. Many people have complained about Eadlyn's character, and her whiny attitude towards life. And yes I totally agree that she is whiny, and selfish at times, and can only see outcomes that benefit her, but all of these attributes makes for a more enthralling and complex character, who is sure to blossom into someone strong, and spectacular. Its stories that effortlessly show the growth of their leads, and can fully engage readers with outlandish personalities, that eventually become the strongest pieces of fiction. I do also think that Eadlyn showed some promising signs of a true queen, with the constant worrying about her people, her creative flair, and the huge amount of love she holds for her family, particularly her twin brother Ahren. To be fair to her character, I wouldn't be happy either, if I were in her shoes. I also thoroughly enjoyed taking a trip down memory lane, and re-visiting some of the old characters I'd grown to love, getting to see the lives they have built for themselves, how they have shaped, and matured as older people. I wish there could have been more in the book, even though it wouldn't have benefited the plot in anyway.

There are only a couple of things I disliked about this novel. The first being Eadlyn's position being the reverse to her mothers. I felt like the male characters in the novel were much more laid back about the whole process, which dampened the tension between them all, just a little. The plot definitely lacked the same amount of conflict the first three novels had. Although, the story always keeps you guessing in a subtle kind of way, especially since Eadlyn's character is so unpredictable. I felt the plot moved a little slowly at certain points in the story, but despite that, it never stopped my flow of reading.

I am so pleased that Kiera decided to continue the series, and has given me the opportunity to re-visit her fantastic fictional world, and experience the glittering ball gowns and sickly sweet romance all over again. It's made me realise just how much I've missed The Selection books, and the tremendous amount of love I still hold for them. This is a lovely addition to the series, and I am super excited for the next book, which should be out sometime next year. An announcement has also been made that Warner Brothers have purchased the film rights for the selection, and I cannot express how happy that makes me, Its going to be a fascinating film to watch, and I have much hope for it, despite the failed pilot episodes for the TV series. Without a doubt this book was made for the big screen. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a nice change from the paranormal romances so often found in young adult books, and loves heartfelt fairytale romances that make you weak at the knees. I'm in the process of trying to persuade my two younger sisters, who don't often read, to give this series a chance, as its well matched for a younger audience, but also highly satisfying for adult audiences as well.

I'm going to give this book a 4 out of 5 teacups, for the simple fact it wasn't as good as the former three books, but still an amusing, and delightful read, full of some entertaining moments that keep the reader engaged in the story.

A Court of Thorns and Roses: Book Review

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR),

Book One

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's

Genre: Fairy-Tale, Fiction, High Fantasy, Romance, Folk-lore, YA/NA.

Release Date: 5th May 2015

Format: Paperback

Number of Pages: 419

Target Audience: YA/NA 16+

Contains: Sexual Scenes, Violence, Death, Some Swearing.

Authors Website: http://sarahjmaas.com/
Where to buy: Amazon

"She stole a life. Now she must pay with her heart. . .

Feyre is a huntress. She thinks nothing of slaughtering a wolf to capture its prey. But, like all mortals, she fears what lingers mercilessly beyond the forrest. And she will learn that taking the life of a magical creature comes at a high price. . . Imprisoned in an enchanted court in her enemy's kingdom, Feyre is free to roam but forbidden to escape. Her captor's body bears the scars of fighting, and his face is always masked - but his piercing stare draws her ever closer. As Feyre's feelings for Tamlin begin to burn through every warning she's been told about his kind, an ancient, wicked shadow grows."

Now if I said I've only just discovered the amazing work of Sarah j. Maas, who is such an inspiration to young aspiring writers, chances are you probably wouldn't believe me. A few weeks back I devoured her 'Throne of Glass' series, and instantly clicked the pre-order button on amazon for the fourth instalment 'Queen of Shadows' out in September. So when I discovered she had brought out another series, I was positively delighted. Something to pass the time until the next book I thought. And what an amazing read it was. I gobbled it up like roasted turkey on christmas morning, I could not, would not put the book down. 

The book is lightly based around the classic disney fairy-tale of beauty and the beast, and follows the story of Feyre, a nineteen year old huntress, the youngest of her two sisters, who taught herself how to kill to be able to support her family, after her fathers misfortunes have left them penniless. After Feyre kills a wolf in the forest, whom actually turns out to be a magical being, Tamlin a high fae lord comes to claim her life for the life of his dead friend. And so she must spend the rest of her life captive, in a land where humans dare not cross, and not even the treaty forged after a bloody war between humans and faery, will keep her safe from what lurks beyond the dark woods of Tamlin's court. 

There are so many good things about this book, I don't even know where to start. I suppose I should begin with the main character Feyre, who is one of the ballsiest heroine's I've ever read. From the first page a strong admiration for her began to grow, which I believe stems mostly from the injustice of her situation. Her father seems to have given up completely, and couldn't care less about fending for the three children he's supposed to be responsible for. Her two sisters are rottenly spoilt, extremely materialistic, and have no appreciation for their sister essentially saving their arses. Due to this Feyre is left to hunt tirelessly just to put food on the table, despite the fact she has no previous experience or training, and everything she knows she has taught herself. She's also the youngest child, which makes the situation that much worse. Despite all of the hardship she never wines or complains (something I would have done if I were her), she gets the job done. On top of being a huntress, Feyre longs to be a painter, and can appreciate a good work of art, which immediately appealed to my own creative side. She's just an all-round likeable character who you can't help but root for. I also loved Tamlin's character, who is caught up in the main love triangle within the book. He's such a sweet, kind, loving person, who deserves to be cherished, despite the fact you don't see all of his personality immediately. Tamlin's story is a slow burn of information, and you learn a great deal about why he acts the way he does, and why he's kept so many secrets for so long, towards the end of the book. As much as I like Rhysand (the other half of the love triangle), I find the darker, more interesting characters tend to win the majority of readers over, and is portrayed so often in fiction, it would be nice if the good guy could reign triumphant...just for once. Sorry all you Rhysand fans out there. He's a great character don't get me wrong, but highly overrated in my opinion. 

The storyline gripped me from the get go like a good book should. Listening to Feyre talk about the histories of her land and people, as well as Tamlins past experiences, was incredibly compelling. There is not a single detail left uncovered, which makes the world feel insanely real to the reader. I am so jealous of the way in which Sarah writes, she has a knack for captivating her readers in a trance that cannot be escaped, until every last page has been finished. Her beautiful in-depth descriptions, make each scene more believable than the next. Picturing the events in my head was made extremely easy, creating this seamless, flowing piece of fiction, that you could only ever dream of reading. My favourite part of the whole book was obviously the romance (I do love a good bit of sexual tension). I thoroughly enjoyed the sexual tension between Feyre and Tamlin, building up more as they gradually learnt to accept one another and become friends. The romance developed naturally and you feel the instant zap of chemistry they share when they are together. The in-depth love making scenes are what makes this novel border on the new adult scales, but are fun nonetheless. There is not only romance to look forward to however, as there are plenty of jaw-dropping moments, death-defying action and epic fantasy, which will have you bewitched from word one. For theme's this was considerably dark, with death looming over them throughout the entire course of the novel. I felt the whole plot moved smoothly and continuously kept me guessing, I definitely didn't see any of it coming, and when it did, it smacked me right in the chopper. 

The only thing I didn't like about this book unfortunately was its ending. And obviously I can't tell you what that ending was, that would ruin the story! But I felt certain characters developed a little too suddenly, and not always for the better either. My advice to you would be to go and read it now if you want to gain a better understanding of what I'm saying. 

To sum up, this book was a real treat. The fantastic world building and the likeable, relatable characters are what makes this story so special. There's no denying Sarah J. Maas has pure talent, and a clever way with words, its what makes her stand out amongst the sea of other authors in her genre, its what gets young fans flocking for more time and time again. I am so glad I discovered Sarah's work, I would have been missing out on a tremendous scale if I hadn't. I'm super excited for 'Queen of Shadows' and any future projects she has planned. Without a doubt, Maas is one of my favourite authors ever, coming a close second to the lovely Richelle Mead. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys works of high fantasy, and loves to get stuck in a mind-blowing fictional universe. No doubt if your a fan of the 'Throne of Glass' series, you'll adore 'ACOTAR' just as much.  

I'm giving this book a rating of 4 teacups, solely for the fact I wasn't a huge fan of the ending, and I don't think its clung to me as much as Throne of Glass has. But it was still a super satisfying read with its own amazing storyline, there are plenty more positives than negatives.

Did you enjoy my first ever review on 'BritishBookGirl'? I would love to hear what story's you've read, maybe there's something in particular you'd like me to review? Just leave a comment down below and I will respond as soon as I can. Don't forget to spread the word if you liked it, and thank you for reading x

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