Kiera Cass’s ‘The Heir’ Introduces A New Twist On Cinderella [REVIEW]

Will Princess Eadlyn marry to keep peace in the kingdom? Find out what happens in Kiera Cass’s THE HEIR. (Photo by Robynlou Kavanagh, Flickr)

In Kiera Cass’s latest addition to the Selection series, The Heir, Princess Eadlyn must save the monarchy from facing an uprising by the people. To do this, her parents encourage her to choose a husband from the Selection.

Harper Teen

But the princess doesn’t want anyone telling her what to do, not even her parents, and thus Eadlyn begins bucking the system, acting out with various antics in an effort to hopefully dissuade her parents from pushing her into an arranged marriage.

Although I didn’t fall in love with Princess Eadlyn in The Heir, Cass does do an apt job of getting readers to understand the royal’s perspective on the world. In fact, from the very first page of this novel, Eadlyn is rather forthcoming in telling us, “there was one thing I managed to do in seven minutes that most would say is quite impressive: I became queen.” Yes, she really is that self obsessed.

In her little microcosm, Princess Eadlyn’s thoughts and feelings trump anyone else’s, and come at the cost and exclusion of others. Perhaps Cass is making a statement about the similar attitude we see so frequently among people today, where kindness is perceived as weakness.

Young adult readers who enjoy gossipy stories about pampered princesses will undoubtedly love this new twist on the classic Cinderella tale. But hopefully readers will glean something else, the underlying lesson that Cass is trying to teach by bringing this issue to light: kindness is still a virtue and in the end, it may be the only virtue we have left to rely upon.

Kiera Cass
(Photo by Dustin Cohen)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kiera Cass is the number one New York Times bestselling author of the Selection series. She is a graduate of Radford University and currently lives in Christiansburg, Virginia with her family.

Kiera has kissed approximately fourteen boys in her life. None of them were princes. You can learn more about Kiera’s books, YouTube videos, and love of cake at www.kieracass.com, like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

THE HEIR
By Kiera Cass
368 pgs. Harper Teen. $18.99