The Heir | Book Review

Title: The Heir
Author: Kiera Cass

Series: The Selection #5

Publisher/Year: HarperTeen, 2015

Genre: Young Adults, Dystopian, Romance

Pages: 368

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.98/5

My Rating: 4/5

Twenty years after The One, it's time for Eadlyn, America's daughter, to have her own selection. She enters the Selection with hesitation but when she meets the men competing for her hand, her feelings change.







I went in ready to hate this book. After reading The One, I was so disappointed in the series so I was surprised to find myself enjoying The Heir. It certainly wasn't the best book I've ever read but it was enjoyable nonetheless. 

Eadlyn is a spoiled, snobby brat. Her attitude irritated me. Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to be a strong, independent female without being a bitch. Every time someone confronted Eadlyn, she would say something along the lines of "I'm going to be queen, the most powerful person in the world, so I can be a bitch if I want to". Umm no. Being queen doesn't make you special and it doesn't mean you can't respect others. Not everything is about you. Eadlyn does have a character arc and grows later, just not as much as I would have liked. America had no character development and was incredibly frustrating, where as Eadlyn is bitchy but at least grows a little.

Most of the characters I really enjoyed. I liked a lot of the boys, and once Eadlyn started going on dates I got more into the book. I also really liked the relationship between Eadlyn and her brother Ahren. However, Maxon and America, as 30-something-something-year-olds, didn't seem like themselves. Obviously people change as they get older but Maxon and America acted nothing like they did in the previous books.

For once, Cass didn't completely fail at mixing politics and romance. One of my main problems with the previous books was that it had a lot of potential to explore the world the characters were in and to delve deeper into the politics rather than focusing so much on the romance aspect. In The Heir, while I would have liked a little more, Cass does go further into the workings of the world. Eadlyn, as heir to the throne, has to deal with a lot of politics and we get to see a little bit of that.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with this book. It wasn't without it's faults but it was an interesting read and I look forward to the next book.

The Blood of Olympus | Book Review

Title: The Blood of Olympus
Author: Rick Riordan

Series: The Heroes of Olympus #5

Publisher/Year: Disney-Hyperion, 2014

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Middle-Grade

Pages: 528 (Hardcover)

Average Goodreads Rating: 4.42/5

My Rating: 4.25/5

This is the fifth and final book of The Heroes of Olympus. 









Don't get me wrong, I loved the book, but it was a disappointment. I expected so much more from a series that I loved so much. Maybe I just went in with my expectations too high, but I felt it could have been better.

My first complaint was that there was barely any Percabeth. I love Percy and Annabeth so much, I wanted more of them. They stood at the sidelines in this book and I wish they had a bigger role. Yes, they had their series where they saved the world, but I wanted to see them save the world again. I didn't think that the last time I got to read from their point of view would be The House of Hades and I needed to be prepared for that. Without a point of view from Percy and Annabeth, the book lacked the necessary closure. I couldn't say a proper goodbye to two characters who I have been with for 10 books.

The main problem I had was that the book was rushed. Everything happened too fast, from the battles (which you should definitely read with intense battle music in the background) to the ending. The climax ended too easily. I was expecting more the characters to face more of a challenge when fighting Gaea. The actual ending, after Gaea is defeated (is that a spoiler? I mean it's to be expected), could have used 50 more pages to wrap things up better. I still have quite a few questions that I would like the answers to. The very last chapter of the book definitely should have been more than --- and ------ flying off into the sunset.

Now while I did think the book could have been better, there were some parts I did like. I really enjoyed reading from Nico (who is bae), Leo (also bae), and Reyna's point of view. It was great getting to learn more about Nico and Reyna. I laughed and smiled a lot as I read the book. The characters' sarcasm and sense of humor is perfect. I also just cried nonstop as I read the last 50 pages which is always good.

The Blood of Olympus could have been a better conclusion, however, The Heroes of Olympus as well as the Percy Jackson series will always have a special place in my heart. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go cry until The Sword of Summer comes out.

This One Summer | Book Review

Title: This One Summer
Author: Jillian Tamaki & Mariko Tamaki

Series: Standalone

Publisher: First Second

Genre: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel

Pages: 320 (Paperback)

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.62/5

My Rating: 4/5

From Goodreads: Rose and her parents have been going to Awago Beach since she was a little girl. It's her summer getaway, her refuge. Her friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had, completing her summer family. But this summer is different. Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting, and Rose and Windy have gotten tangled up in a tragedy-in-the-making in the small town of Awago Beach. It's a summer of secrets and heartache, and it's a good things Rose and Windy have each other. 

A lot of people didn't really like this novel so I was pleasantly surprised.

The art was gorgeous. It was very detailed and pretty and really drew the reader in. Many people felt that there wasn't much plot but that's what I liked about the book. It's more character and emotion-driven rather than plot-driven. The subtlety of the book created a lot of feeling. There were a lot of panels that only had drawings and no text which allowed the reader to feel what the character was feeling rather than being told what she felt. It's a very quiet book and the action is observed instead of told.

This was a very sweet and quick coming-of-age story and I definitely recommend it.