Book Review: The Crown

The Crown (The Selection #5)
by  Kiera Cass
Date Read:  6/27/16
Rating: ★ ★ ★

It has been a while since I finished “The Crown”.  I had to sit on it for a few days to get my feelings together about it…and then I forgot about it!

I really wanted to enjoy this book…and there were some parts that I did enjoy: I like the characters and the growth of Eadlyn and I like the world they live in and the change that has happened since the original story.

But overall I was disappointed with the book.  I was really rooting for Kile in this series. I know it’s a little cliché with him having lived in the palace with her all those years, but he was really the guy I liked best. And I liked their relationship with each other and how it grew once they got to know each other.  I liked some of the other characters as well, but I just wanted her to be with Kile. There weren’t really any that I hated by this book, which was nice.

I was constantly suspicious throughout the book: I was suspicious at Ahren’s disappearance and his lack of communication to his twin sister. I was suspicious about Marid’s mysterious appearance even though their parents hated each other. I was suspicious that something was going to happen at the interview and the coronation. Most of these do not come to fruition. Cass created the same type of thing in her first series too. The world and character building is great, and she makes you expect something big, but her execution is usually sub-par.  Same goes for this book. The conflict was really disappointing.

I thought it was hard to believe that Eadlyn would take the throne so young and that her parents would easily step aside. While all the reasons are sweet, it just didn’t feel very believable. It was just the only way Cass could get to the end point she wanted.

And speaking of that – she really just steps in and says, “This is what we’re doing” and the whole country has to go along with it? Without any sort of checks and balances from her cabinet members?  She could write a whole new series on what happens after that surprising (but not so surprising) announcement at the end of the book. There will be revolts and riots and things will not go smoothly – because she didn’t plan it out with anyone ahead of time!  So annoying!!!

I didn’t feel like the romance we developed well at all. While I did like the guy, all I saw was friendship, and then all of a sudden they were madly in love and she was willing to go against rules and everything to be with him. It felt forced and not believable. I loved Maxon and America’s story – it was slow and believable and adorable. But Eadlyn’s was not.

I’m pretty disappointed with this book and the ending of the series. I was initially excited to see a new generation in the Selection series, but I now almost rather that Cass has just left it at 3 books – America’s ending was good.

I did appreciate that it was only 278 pages. Most final books are stupid 700+ pages nowadays, so it was refreshing to have a short book. But at the same time, that came with a cost to the romance and storytelling.

Finally the main reason this will get 3 stars instead of 2 is that we get a good look at characters from the original book and how they’ve changed and grown throughout the years also. Most of America’s friends and family show up at some point during this book, and there are some tough topics addresses – like one couple unable to have kids. I thought that was what Cass did best in this second half of the series. I wasn’t really attached to many of the new characters or story, but I am still glad I read it so I could see the characters I did like all grown up!