The Crown - Kiera Cass

Title: The Crown (Book 5 in The Selection series)
Author: Kiera Cass
Publisher: HarperTeen, 2016 (Hardcover)
Length: 279 pages
Genre: Young Adult; Dystopian Fiction
Started: September 6, 2016
Finished: September 9, 2016

Summary:
From the inside cover:

When Eadlyn became the first princess of Illea 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 sh 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 fairy tale 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.

Review:
And yet another beloved series come to an end, I really enjoyed this one over the past couple of years. The Selection, The Elite, and The One make up the first arc of this series, focusing on America Singer and her journey through the Selection to become Maxon's queen. The Heir takes place twenty years later and focuses on Eadlyn, America and Maxon's eighteen-year-old daughter who is the heir to the throne and a Selection she wasn't supposed to have.

The Crown takes place immediately after the events of The Heir, and concludes Eadlyn's Selection. She narrows down the group of suitors to the Elite and works to improve her reputation among her people to avoid a revolt while she is acting as regent. She's not sure who she can trust and doubts herself constantly at the beginning but really comes into hew own by the end of the novel. Eadlyn is a truly admirable character, she's strong, smart, kind, and would sacrifice herself for her country, but still insecure enough to make her human.

The Elite are more developed in this installment. Ean and Hale's stories were quite clever and unexpected and fit in quite well. I can't mention more details of the others for fear of spoilers, but the relationships in this novel are very well developed and definitely do not disappoint.

Recommendation:
If you are a fan of the Selection series, you've already read this. If not, grab the first book and get ready to be hooked. Eadlyn's arc of the series is certainly different than America's, but still delivers a satisfying story.

Thoughts on the cover:
I like the continuity amongst all the covers in this series, but I think this one doesn't wow me like the others did, it just looks like a bad photoshop job.