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emilyburdick's Reviews (389)
IT FEELS SO GOOD TO FINISH A BOOK I FEEL LIKE ITS BEEN SO LONG!!!!! Also this series (thus far) would make a great TV show if done right. But also I'm thoroughly attached to the cast from the movies (which I adore).
Anyways, this took longer than it should have but it was more of a keep in my purse and read when I'm waiting somewhere kind of book considering I'm mid-way through another.
Like the first book, this one was adorable. Mia just feels relatable (besides, ya know, the whole princess thing), but she's confused and awkward and going through normal teenage stuff! Now I am in my upper teens but I never read the series when I was younger and I'm thoroughly enjoying it even now.
Now, I am addicted to the Princess Diaries movies, so much so that I watch them regularly, but I don't find myself comparing them to the books which is a nice change of pace for myself in regard to book/movie adaptations. The books are just slower in time passing and much more detailed in Mia's normal life versus the main focus of the movies which was princess lessons and then marriage. Either way, I love both, but I wouldn't be mad if it was made into a TV show (although it's been a long time so that's probably very far fetched) but they really could do a lot with a television series. *nudge nudge* I could advocate for this for days.
Not sure when I'll be getting around to the third novel, but this series isn't anything I want to speed through like a lot of series I've read; it's just a nice, casual series I'll enjoy as I please.
Anyways, this took longer than it should have but it was more of a keep in my purse and read when I'm waiting somewhere kind of book considering I'm mid-way through another.
Like the first book, this one was adorable. Mia just feels relatable (besides, ya know, the whole princess thing), but she's confused and awkward and going through normal teenage stuff! Now I am in my upper teens but I never read the series when I was younger and I'm thoroughly enjoying it even now.
Now, I am addicted to the Princess Diaries movies, so much so that I watch them regularly, but I don't find myself comparing them to the books which is a nice change of pace for myself in regard to book/movie adaptations. The books are just slower in time passing and much more detailed in Mia's normal life versus the main focus of the movies which was princess lessons and then marriage. Either way, I love both, but I wouldn't be mad if it was made into a TV show (although it's been a long time so that's probably very far fetched) but they really could do a lot with a television series. *nudge nudge* I could advocate for this for days.
Not sure when I'll be getting around to the third novel, but this series isn't anything I want to speed through like a lot of series I've read; it's just a nice, casual series I'll enjoy as I please.
This book was up and down and back up for me the whole time I spent reading it. Admittedly I did go through a huge stint of having no time to read because of school, but also, I got to a point in the story where I just became bored. I'm glad I picked it back up after reading something else though! This book is a story I've never read or even heard of before and I always enjoy things like that (I mean really who doesn't?). I had to remind myself of the trauma the main character had experienced when I found myself frustrated at her, but aside from that the story was pretty well executed. I was afraid it would end in a really cliche manner but I enjoyed the ending. Maisie truly epitomizes acceptance at the end of it all and comes to terms not only with her accident but with all the sub-issues that came with it regarding her relationships and her own mindset.
I'm thankful to have found this book through Twitter and having won it, honestly I doubt I would have picked it up if I hadn't because it's not the type of novel I normally read. I truly enjoyed Alyssa's writing style though and I definitely plan to read other novels by her in the future!
I'm thankful to have found this book through Twitter and having won it, honestly I doubt I would have picked it up if I hadn't because it's not the type of novel I normally read. I truly enjoyed Alyssa's writing style though and I definitely plan to read other novels by her in the future!
I actually think this is my second favorite book in the series! I felt that yes, Eadlyn had some tragic character flaws but I truly think she is developing. She thinks that her characteristics will benefit her as a queen but then she faces a lot of things that are eye opening for her and she realizes how wrong she is. A lot of negative reviews complain that Eadlyn is a brat and that she's selfish and yes she is those things but I think they failed to see her realizing that in herself! She has a lot of internal and external conflict about those parts of her in the second half of the book so I don't feel that that is a valid reason to dismiss the book as a whole. She's not a perfect princess and I love that.
Also I love so many of the selection boys (but I am rooting for one of them, I won't name names)!!! They all have a way of showing Eadlyn something new about herself and opening her eyes to the world around her and that plays incredibly into her development.
Lastly, after that ending I just have one question: Does Kiera Cass want me dead?!
I have The Crown sitting on my nightstand as I type this but i think I'm too nervous for what's to come to start just yet...
Also I love so many of the selection boys (but I am rooting for one of them, I won't name names)!!! They all have a way of showing Eadlyn something new about herself and opening her eyes to the world around her and that plays incredibly into her development.
Lastly, after that ending I just have one question: Does Kiera Cass want me dead?!
I have The Crown sitting on my nightstand as I type this but i think I'm too nervous for what's to come to start just yet...
*This review doesn't contain names aside from Eadlyn's but if you've read The Heir and not The Crown it will be VERY easy to figure out what boys I'm talking about which is cause for spoilers*
OKAY. Overall, as in, in the general sense with no specifications taken into consideration, I wasn't desperately dissatisfied with this book and it's ending. I predicted to myself that Eadlyn would end up with the person she chose when I read The Heir. In my mind it was up against him and one other (I'm sure anybody can guess who). And yeah I loved the twist of her breaking the rule of the selection and trusting her heart and not setting herself up for a potential lifetime of regret, however, her love felt incredibly rushed.
It wasn't hard to see in The Heir that there was an unusual amount of interaction with this outside male that wasn't part of the actual selection so that's a tip off that something mind occur with him. But they didn't even address their feelings until at least halfway through The Crown (though I think it was actually more like 2/3 the way but). I felt an incredible lack of developing chemistry between them and it all just felt rushed for the sake of making it a twist at the end.
In regard to the other guy I guessed and hoped it would be (and so did probably 80% of other readers), there was OBVIOUS chemistry there. For the two of them that whole relationship started out as disdainful and they slowly grew to realize that there was so much more to each of them that they had bypassed throughout their time knowing each other. I know as well as everybody else that this choice would have been so predictable, but sometimes predictable isn't a bad thing and in this case I don't think It would have been.
I feel that if the twist would have been more developed it would have been okay but it felt so rushed as did a lot of things with the end of The Crown which disappointed me as I am an avid fan of the original trilogy.
On a more positive note, Eadlyn really grew up in this book as I hoped she would and she became a wonderful character. I know a lot of people really hated her but she was such a different character that I've never read and for that I applaud Kiera Cass. She avoided creating a perfect princess and I love that. If Eadlyn had shown up prim and proper and perfectly lovable, where would the struggle have been? The boys in the selection all taught her something about herself and she was able to take those lessons and apply them to herself to become a much better person at the end. Also, it was refreshing to see a female character who initially wasn't up for the idea of getting married and falling in love. Eadlyn's priority was being queen (though she was focused a lot on herself) but she genuinely was trying her hardest to learn her role before she was thrust into the whirlwind of trying to find a husband all to appease her country. In the end she understood what love really was and that was a wonderful development for her. It is important for young girls to have ideals that don't involve falling in love and I again applaud Kiera for making her character show that.
So after all these notes I won't say I didn't enjoy this little spin off series because I truly did. Even if it was just because it allowed me to hold on to Illéa a little longer and see a different side of the selection process I had a lovely time being part of this world.
OKAY. Overall, as in, in the general sense with no specifications taken into consideration, I wasn't desperately dissatisfied with this book and it's ending. I predicted to myself that Eadlyn would end up with the person she chose when I read The Heir. In my mind it was up against him and one other (I'm sure anybody can guess who). And yeah I loved the twist of her breaking the rule of the selection and trusting her heart and not setting herself up for a potential lifetime of regret, however, her love felt incredibly rushed.
It wasn't hard to see in The Heir that there was an unusual amount of interaction with this outside male that wasn't part of the actual selection so that's a tip off that something mind occur with him. But they didn't even address their feelings until at least halfway through The Crown (though I think it was actually more like 2/3 the way but). I felt an incredible lack of developing chemistry between them and it all just felt rushed for the sake of making it a twist at the end.
In regard to the other guy I guessed and hoped it would be (and so did probably 80% of other readers), there was OBVIOUS chemistry there. For the two of them that whole relationship started out as disdainful and they slowly grew to realize that there was so much more to each of them that they had bypassed throughout their time knowing each other. I know as well as everybody else that this choice would have been so predictable, but sometimes predictable isn't a bad thing and in this case I don't think It would have been.
I feel that if the twist would have been more developed it would have been okay but it felt so rushed as did a lot of things with the end of The Crown which disappointed me as I am an avid fan of the original trilogy.
On a more positive note, Eadlyn really grew up in this book as I hoped she would and she became a wonderful character. I know a lot of people really hated her but she was such a different character that I've never read and for that I applaud Kiera Cass. She avoided creating a perfect princess and I love that. If Eadlyn had shown up prim and proper and perfectly lovable, where would the struggle have been? The boys in the selection all taught her something about herself and she was able to take those lessons and apply them to herself to become a much better person at the end. Also, it was refreshing to see a female character who initially wasn't up for the idea of getting married and falling in love. Eadlyn's priority was being queen (though she was focused a lot on herself) but she genuinely was trying her hardest to learn her role before she was thrust into the whirlwind of trying to find a husband all to appease her country. In the end she understood what love really was and that was a wonderful development for her. It is important for young girls to have ideals that don't involve falling in love and I again applaud Kiera for making her character show that.
So after all these notes I won't say I didn't enjoy this little spin off series because I truly did. Even if it was just because it allowed me to hold on to Illéa a little longer and see a different side of the selection process I had a lovely time being part of this world.
