The Heir by Kiera Cass

Narrated by Brittany Pressley

It’s always seemed a little odd to me, this phenomenon of trilogies morphing into series. Kiera Cass wrote The Selection trilogy. By the end of The One, Book 3 in the trilogy, America and Maxon had claimed their HEA. All seemed like it would be well in the fictional kingdom of Illea. So, imagine my surprise when I learned that the trilogy was now a series. Ms. Cass wrote The Heir, the story of America and Maxon’s daughter, Illea’s future queen. It’s sort of like volume two of The Selection, but lacking a little bit of the charm found in the original three books. Plus, audiobook fans may be sad to learn that narrator Amy Rubinate is no longer at the helm. The Heir is narrated by Brittany Pressley, a relative newcomer to the world of romance audio.

Princess Eadlyn is eighteen and already weary of her title of future queen. She often resents her parents for putting this mantle of responsibility upon her young shoulders. She’s envious of her three brothers who live much freer lives. Of course, Eadlyn loves the power and prestige of the monarchy. She’s pampered and spoiled, not above throwing temper tantrums when she thinks they’ll get her what she wants. So, the fact that she doesn’t want to be queen is kind of hard to fully embrace. The author tells us that it’s true, and we are sometimes shown as well, but, at the same time, we see Eadlyn embracing the benefits her title brings her.

Eadlyn’s father Maxon has eradicated Illea’s caste system. Now, everyone is equal in theory, if not in practice. Illea is in a state of unrest, riots are cropping up everywhere, and King Maxon is searching for a way to restore his kingdom to the peaceful place of his imaginings. What about a selection? Illea’s people loved the selection that crowned America Singer Princess of Illea, so wouldn’t they be equally enthralled by Eadlyn’s search for a husband?

Eadlyn is not at all in favor of this idea. She knows how much her parents love each other, but, in her not-so-humble opinion, that was just a fluke. Love is for the weak and the foolish. Of this, Eadlyn is sure. There’s no room in her life for it. Still, she agrees to at least pretend to look for a husband, and the royal palace is soon inhabited by thirty-five of Illea’s eligible young men, each hoping to win Eadlyn’s hand in marriage.

I was a huge fan of the original Selection series. Part of this was undoubtedly due to Amy Rubinate’s skilled narration, but credit must also be given to Ms. Cass for creating truly likable characters in America and Maxon. The Heir is very different. Eadlyn is difficult to like, and Ms. Pressley’s narration, while good enough, does not add anything especially great to this audiobook.

Ms. Pressley has over forty audiobooks to her credit, but only five of them are categorized as romances. Her pacing is quite good, and she does a decent job of creating believable personas for the various characters. However, the task of coming up with so many different-sounding males seemed a little difficult for her. Her speaking voice is high and light, making it difficult to deepen effectively. Some characters were given accents, while others spoke with specific mannerisms that set them apart from the rest. However, there were times when I had no idea who was speaking until the text alerted me.

Ms. Pressley’s interpretation of characters from the previous books is quite different from that of previous narrator Amy Rubinate’s. While one might expect this, it doesn’t keep it from being jarring. I was especially disappointed in her depiction of Eadlyn’s mother America. I’ve always seen America as a fighter. Ms. Pressley made her sound close to robotic, giving me the idea that all the fight had been taken out of this once vibrant woman. The text does not support this at all, making it hard to know what to think of America’s character. This is just one example of the influence a narrator has over his or her listeners.

Ms. Pressley did an amazing job getting inside Eadlyn’s head. I thought she brought her to life perfectly. Every emotion, from anger to fear, was vocalized in a very authentic way. Eadlyn does mature a bit throughout the story, and these glimmers of self-discovery are captured beautifully by Ms. Pressley. Honestly, it is the idea that Eadlyn isn’t all spoiled, rich princess that may convince me to pick up the sequel when it comes out.

Ms. Cass has created quite an interesting cast of characters, and I must admit to being more than a little curious to see who Eadlyn will end up with. The Heir definitely ends on a cliffhanger, and, at this point in time, I’m not sure when the next installment will become available. I’ll grab it when it does, and Ms. Pressley’s narration, along with Eadlyn’s character, may grow on me.

Shannon

Narration:  B-

Book Content:  B

Steam Factor:  You can play it out loud

Violence:  Fighting

Genre:  Futuristic Romance, Young Adult

Publisher:  Harper Audio