Stunning Gowns and Happy Ever Afters // The Crown by Kiera Cass

The Crown by Kiera Cass
Series: The Selection #5
Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books (5th May 2016)

Blurb:
In The Heir, a new era dawned in the world of The Selection. Twenty years have passed since America Singer and Prince Maxon fell in love, and their daughter is the first princess to hold a Selection of her own.

Eadlyn didn’t think she would find a real partner among the Selection’s thirty-five suitors, let alone true love. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and now Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more difficult—and more important—than she ever expected.

I would definitely place The Selection series as one of my firm favourites because of the romance between America Singer and Prince Maxon that made my chilly little heart melt. That was before Kiera Cass decided to change it from a trilogy to a series and wrote The Heir from the perspective of their daughter – a mild spoiler for the first three books – who is the heir to the throne, Princess Eadlyn.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all abroad for series expansions but only when the books are necessary and if the readers are keen to read another story set in a familiar, much beloved universe. I wasn’t entirely thrilled for The Heir because I thought The Selection series got the ending it deserved and all the characters had their happy ever afters in The One. Nevertheless, I was intrigued enough to read The Heir and I ended up not loving it at all because of the royal brat of a protagonist.

Which puts me in a very tight spot for The Crown, which was, thankfully, the last book in the series, because I was torn between feeling indifferent towards another book where the whiny, woe-is-me royal pain in the book has to finally choose her betrothed and the desire to finish a series that I’ve invested in, just to see how things end. Again.

Pfft. So much negativity in the paragraphs above. Time to lighten things up a bit. I didn’t hate The Crown. I thought it was a great end to the series and I didn’t hate Eadlyn at all because for some reason, probably due to what happened at the end of The Heir, she’s turned over a new leaf and she’s really grown from it. She’s no longer the petty, spoilt little child she was. At one point, I look up from reading and thanked God because she wasn’t unbearable, instead, she was more rational, selfless and ultimately, less whiny!

Aside from the major character development in Eadlyn, what I liked about it was the focus on the other characters, specifically the guys in Eadlyn’s Selection. Since there it’s coming to an end, there were fewer guys and more chance to get to know them and I have to say, my favourite is still that ray of sunshine from Swendway! I admit, I rejoiced when Eadlyn found her one true love because we all deserve our chance at happiness but there were some parts of The Crown that were truly heartbreaking.

I can’t begin to tell you what a relief it was for me when I finished reading The Crown because it was the ending the series deserved. As I’ve mentioned, I wasn’t a huge fan of the expansion of the initial trilogy but The Crown totally made up for it. I thoroughly enjoyed The Crown and it was such a treat to read about Eadlyn’s happy ever after. If Kiera Cass didn’t tie things up properly in The One, fret not. In the ending of The Crown, everyone gets their slice of happiness which you will no doubt devour.

I'd like to thank HarperCollins UK for sending me a copy for review.