Book: The Crown by Kiera Cass

Published May 2016 by HarperTeen|279 pages

Where I Got It: I borrowed the hardcover from the library

Series: The Selection #5

Genre: YA Dystopia

When Eadlyn became the first princess of Illéa to hold her own Selection, she didn’t think she would fall in love with any of her thirty-five suitors. She spent the first few weeks of the competition counting down the days until she could send them all home. But as events at the palace force Eadlyn even further into the spotlight, she realizes that she might not be content remaining alone.

Eadlyn still isn’t sure she’ll find the fairytale ending her parents did twenty years ago. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and soon Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more impossible—and more important—than she ever imagined.

Going into The Crown, I wasn’t sure what to think.  I loved the 1st and 3rd books in the series, and liked the 2nd and 4th books.  I loved America’s story, but I wasn’t a big fan of Eadlyn’s story, and thought she came across as distant, selfish and whiny in The Heir.

As it would turn out, I loved The Crown, and thought it was such a great ending to the series.  Maybe, with this series, I only love the odd-numbered books?

I really felt for Eadlyn in this book, and she had a lot of tough choices.  As much as I felt for her, though, I also thought she didn’t really understand what was going on in Illea.  She didn’t seem to care about her people until the end of the book, and I wish we saw more of that in the book, because she seemed more interested in her image, and what they thought of her, instead of what was best for them and actually listening to them about what they need.  She did take a step in the right direction, and as much as she talked about how the Selection changed her, something about it didn’t ring true to me.  I think it’s because it felt so sudden, and it didn’t match up with the Eadlyn we saw in the previous book, and for quite a bit of this one.

Still, as spoiled and distant as Eadlyn seemed, I also get why she was that way.  It can’t have been easy being the daughter of America and Maxon, and knowing that people, for whatever reason, didn’t like her (or at least, seemed to dislike her).  I think a lot was put on her shoulders, and there was a lot that people maybe expected from her, and with everything that happened in the series so far, I think I understand her a little bit better.  I do wish we saw little changes in her, because the Eadlyn we see at the end of the book…I wanted more of that Eadlyn to come through.  I am glad we saw that, though, and it will have to be enough.

And I did find myself getting teary-eyed at the end of the book…not the way I wanted to spend my lunch break, but oh well, there’s nothing I could have done about that.  I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t cry when reading.  I think a re-read of the series is in order, though, because I had some trouble remembering who some people were.  And the Illea that we see at the end of the book is different than the Illea we see at the beginning of the series.  I kind of want to see that Illea- the one that Eadlyn proposes at the end of the book.  I don’t know if we ever will, but I am curious about it.

5 stars.  I just loved this book!  It’s been a while since I’ve loved a book the way I loved The Crown, and the sort of book The Crown is…it’s been few and far between this year.  Hopefully, I’ll find a few more like it this year.