the heir – Zakiya N. Jamal

Man Crush Monday: Eikko (Erik)

Posted on August 24, 2015August 23, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

I don’t care what anyone says, if Erik doesn’t end up with Eadlyn in the next Selection book I’m going to be the most upset. I don’t think I’ll forgive Kiera Cass. I really don’t think I could.

Erik is fantastic. He speaks both English and Finnish and he just gets Eadlyn better than anyone. He’s cute and kind of shy and always knows the perfect thing to say. Did I mention he’s cute?

Unfortunately we didn’t get to see a lot of him in The Heir because technically he’s not a part of Eadlyn’s selection but I saw enough of him to fall head over heels. Honestly, he made the book for me and I hope to see plenty more of him in the next one.

If you have no idea who Erik is please do yourself a favor and read The Selection series. I’m pretty sure I talk about this series at least once a week so if I haven’t convinced you to read it yet I don’t know what will.

If you have read the books vote in my poll for who you think Eadlyn should end up with (*cough* Erik *cough*). Also if you have a book hottie you think should be next week’s Man Crush Monday let me know in the comments below.

I remembered the feeling of my first date with Hale, how I felt when I was sure he’d peeled everything back and had seen the real me. This time, I felt like I was on the other side of that, looking past duty and worry and rank, seeing the true heart of a person.

And [Erik] was so beautiful. – The Heir

POLL: Which One of Kiera Cass’ Novels Has The Best Cover?

Posted on August 21, 2015August 20, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

The cover of Kiera Cass’ newest (actually rereleased) novel, The Siren, was revealed yesterday and it’s just as gorgeous if not more so than all The Selection series covers. Actually is it more gorgeous? Vote in the poll to cast your vote for the best cover. If I had to choose I’d go with The Heir but that’s just my personal opinion. What’s yours?

Results of last week’s poll:

Which book character did Shailene Woodley play best?

With 50 percent of the vote the winner is Hazel in The Fault in Our Stars. I don’t know though. I really liked her as Aimme in The Spectacular Now. But you guys chose the winner so I won’t argue. Stay tuned next week to find out the results of this week’s poll.

Who Will Win Eadlyn’s Heart?

Posted on May 6, 2015April 7, 2016 by Zakiya N. Jamal in More

Alright so now that a good lot of you have read The Heir, I think it’s time we talked about what’s most important: who will win the Selection? It seems the general consensus is between Erik and Kile but of course there’s still other options. To see just where everywhere stands on the issue let’s vote on it. Who do you think will win Eadlyn’s heart in the next book? Feel free to say why your choice is the right choice in the comments below.

Book Review: The Heir

Posted on May 5, 2015May 9, 2017 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Book Reviews

*This book is part of my POPSUGAR 2015 Reading Challenge*

Synopsis from Amazon:

Kiera Cass’s #1 New York Times bestselling Selection series has enchanted readers from the very first page. In this fourth romantic novel, follow Illéa’s royal family into a whole new Selection—and find out what happens after happily ever after.

Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won Prince Maxon’s heart. Now the time has come for Princess Eadlyn to hold a Selection of her own. Eadlyn doesn’t expect her Selection to be anything like her parents’ fairy-tale love story…but as the competition begins, she may discover that finding her own happily ever after isn’t as impossible as she’s always thought.

A new generation of swoonworthy characters and captivating romance awaits in the fourth book of the Selection series!

I got this book at 12:40 AM this morning, started reading at noon and finished at 8 PM. Yeah, it was that good. I won’t spoil anything in this review because I know sane people haven’t finished it yet (but I know A LOT of you have). Let’s begin.

This novel begins 20 years after The One ended, and it’s now time for Princess Eadlyn, the daughter of Maxon and America, to have her own Selection. Except she doesn’t want it. After Maxon worked so hard to disband the castes in Illéa, the people are rioting and rebelling and Maxon is struggling to understand why. Therefore as a distraction they’re bringing back the Selection but with a twist.

Because Eadlyn’s not really in support of the idea she has some conditions, mainly if she doesn’t find love in three months she doesn’t have to choose anyone to marry but instead can go on her own way and be the independent Queen she wants to be.

And so the Selection begins and Eadlyn is introduced to 35 guys from throughout Illéa, including one much closer to home than she’d prefer, and finds herself actually considering these men as potential suitors. Maybe.

However, the Selection has it’s ups and downs and Eadlyn’s not sure if she’s really helping or hurting her country. Even so, she’s determined to stick with the Selection for the three months she promised whether it works for her or not. She wants to help her father, King Maxon, in anyway she can and this is the only way she knows how.

Although I wasn’t a fan of Eadlyn (she’s pretty bratty, to be honest) I was a fan of a lot of the other characters. Maxon and America are still my OTP. Their love for each other knows no bounds and it means the world to me. Their son, and Eadlyn’s twin brother, Ahern is so cute and his love for the French princess, Camilla, also knows no bounds. I ship it!

Kile, the son of America’s friend Marlee, is fantastic and I love that he tells Eadlyn exactly what he’s thinking and doesn’t care that she’s going to be the next queen. He doesn’t have time for her nonsense and I appreciate that.

Lastly, and this may be a little bit of a spoiler so if you don’t want to know I’d say stop here.

I LOVE ERIK (Eikkio)!!! Erik is the translator for one of the selected and although technically he can’t win the Selection himself I want Eadlyn to pick him. He’s super sweet, nice, and supportive to Eadlyn. I think he would make a perfect match for her and I ship it like FedEx. On the other hand, I wouldn’t be mad if she ended up with Kile. But I think she should be with Erik. He’s seems like the better match for her and I think she would see that if she let herself fall for him.

Of course that’s easier said than done because it’s complicated but still, I want Erik to win (and if you agree you can vote for him here).

Overall, I love this book. The ending … it was a good cliffhanger. I can’t say I was happy about it because it left me in tears but such a good cliffhanger, writing wise. I need to know what happens next and ASAP. If I have to wait a year for this next book I think I’ll lose it. Honestly. How Kiera Cass could do this to all of us is mind blowing.

If you haven’t read the Selection series yet please do so ASAP. It’s definitely worth a read.

Favorite Line:

‘Sometimes the very thing you’ve been hoping for will walk through the door, determined to fend you off. And still, somehow, you will find that you are enough.’

Stars: 5 out of 5. Honestly, Eadlyn definitely annoyed me throughout the book but she did grow on me. Plus, I loved the other characters so much it made up for Eadlyn’s bad behavior.

Borrow or Buy: Are you kidding? Buy this. Buy it right now if you haven’t already. You need this on your bookshelf. Trust me.

Man Crush Monday: Maxon Schreave

Posted on April 27, 2015May 21, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

If you couldn’t tell I’m really in a Selection mood this week. That’s mainly because the next book in the series, The Heir, comes out next week and I’m super excited. I won’t spoil the series for you but a brief synopsis of the series is it takes place in a Dystopian world where there are eight castes, one being the upper caste and eight being the lowest. The prince chooses his wife by going through the selection, a competition where 35 girls go to the castle to try and win the prince’s heart.

This week’s Man-Crush Monday is no other than the Prince himself, Prince Maxon. Maxon is cute, kind of dorky, and adorable in his lack of experience. He’s willing to put himself in harm’s way to protect others and really cares about his country and how he can make it better for all his castes. He also treats every girl in the selection with kindness and respect, and goes out of his way to make each one of them feel like they’re special.

If you read the Selection series, you’ll be hard pressed not to fall in love with Prince Maxon Schreave. Even Ms. America Singer finds it rather difficult to resist his charm. If you needed any reasons to read these books it would be Prince Maxon. He’s one of a kind.

Woman Crush Wednesday: America Singer

Posted on April 22, 2015May 21, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

First, if you’ve never heard of America Singer that’s because you haven’t read The Selection series yet and that’s a shame. Please get with the times.

Moving on, America is gorgeous with her long red hair and ice cold blue eyes. Besides that though, she’s smart, funny, brave, and stands up for what she believes in. She loves hard and won’t let anyone stand in her way when she makes up her mind about something (which can sometimes be a bad thing).

In The Selection series, America is entered into the selection, a competition of 35 girls to win Prince Maxon’s heart and become queen. It takes place in a dystopian world where the U.S. (now called Illéa) is ruled by a royal family, by the way. I won’t say what happens in case you haven’t read the books (which, again, you really should) but what makes America stand out is she never went into the selection to become Queen. She didn’t even really want to be there in the first place.

However, once she figures out what she really wants she’s not afraid to go after it whole heartedly. The way she stands up for her friends, her maids, her caste (yes there’s a caste system; please read these books), and the castes below her is extraordinary, thereby making her beautiful both inside and out.