THE CROWN, Insanely Rushed
It’s been more than a month since The Crown was released, so I guess it’s only right to post my final review now.
We first got to know Eadlyn Schreave in The Heir. The first child of America and Maxon, the one and only princess, the heir to the Illéan throne, and the first female ruler of Illéa. Eadlyn Schreave was sassy, proud, obnoxious, and narcissistic, a typical Royal Pain in the Ass who grew up with all the luxuries in life and never—for a second—experienced what it was like to starve. A complete opposite of the life her mother had used to live. America had experienced the worst life in Carolina and witnessed the sufferings of the lower castes. Maybe this was why it’d been easier to sympathize with the 17-year old America Singer. While America could have been very stubborn at times, she’d always sincerely cared for the people—she’d encouraged the people to fight the rebels and proposed to eliminate the castes live on national television—and for that alone, she’d always been so befitting to be queen. She’d been a great sympathizer of the poor people and an advocate of justice and equality.
I must admit I found the first three books in America’s point of view more engaging—even though I didn’t always agree with her—than the last two in Eadlyn’s point of view. Eadlyn never wanted to be queen. She was a princess who was trained day by day to be queen. She loved being the future queen because of the power it bestowed upon her, but she hated it at the same time because of the duties that came with it. America, too, had never wanted to be a princess, much less to be queen, because the title had scared her even though everyone around her had always known better. Not wanting the crown because you don’t want the responsibilities and not wanting the crown because you’re not confident are two very different things.
1. Eadlyn became a different person.
The biggest difference was how Eadlyn suddenly went from the spoiled brat that she was in The Heir—who half-heartedly agreed to do a Selection but had a prior plan to not fall in love, send her suitors home, and call the whole thing off—to the still sassy yet selfless daughter in The Crown—who willingly offered to take the weight of the crown from her father. I knew America’s heart attack served as a catalyst for Eadlyn’s sudden change, but everything happened so fast that most of her decisions didn’t seem very reasonable. (I’ll explain as I go on.) One person couldn’t have possibly, drastically changed overnight!
I wouldn’t deny Eadlyn’s love for her parents, that was one thing I really loved about her. Her Selection started because she loved her dad and wanted to help him divert the public’s attention from post-caste discrimination. While Eadlyn deeply admired her parents’ love story—even comparing it to a fairy tale—she didn’t want to fall in love. “This was why love was a terrible idea; it made you weak. And there was no one in the world as powerful as me” (The Heir, Chapter 27). And I agree. Love could be one’s weakness (e.g. America had been broken after breaking up with her first love, Aspen), but it could also be one’s strength (Maxon and America had gone against King Clarkson and all odds to fight for their love). The latter was an idea that Eadlyn couldn’t grasp at the moment. But of course, that mindset changed after meeting and getting to know some of her suitors, after realizing that it wouldn’t hurt to try to find a little love. “I kept thinking that I couldn’t live my life for other people, that love was nothing but chains. And maybe it was, but so help me, I needed these chains” (The Heir, Chapter 33).
In addition to Eadlyn’s love for her parents, I loved it when she argued with them. Of course, elders would say it’s morally wrong to answer back to our parents, but there are times when we still do. Eadlyn did, and that made her more real. At the end of the day, no matter how many times they argued, as much as she blamed her parents because it was due to her love for them that she was caught up in the whole Selection thing, she always found herself in their embrace. With all that’s been said, one thing that was so out-of-character was how Eadlyn was suddenly ready to be queen. She hated to be queen; she even blamed Ahren for not picking up the pace 18 years ago, because had Ahren done, it’d have been him—and not Eadlyn—as the heir. So how could this lady who never wanted being the heir suddenly asked to be queen? Granted, her intention of making such decision was, again, out of her love for her parents. Back then, America and Maxon had had no choice but to fill in King Clarkson’s and Queen Amberly’s positions right after their marriage; they’d barely enjoyed life as husband and wife. And that was exactly the gift that Eadlyn wanted to give her parents, a time to live their lives as husband and wife while they still could. Also, it was rare for the heir to take the throne while the ruling king was still alive and young. Eadlyn’s intent was indeed an act of selflessness, but the execution was rushed—as everything was in The Crown. She could have finished her Selection and continued working on winning the hearts of her people first, but no, she had to turn into the selfless daughter who abruptly decided to step in a significant role to make her parents happy and proud. Honestly, I even expected Eadlyn to abdicate and pass the crown to Kaden because he was obviously more fit to be a ruler. I’m not saying this because Eadlyn had a lovely set of breasts or anything where her sex was concerned, and I’m definitely not saying that Eadlyn was unfit to be queen; in fact, she was, but she never truly wanted that kind of employment, not to mention, the commitment. Eady loved fashion, and she could have just pursued that. And I believed Eadlyn could still be queen even without a crown made of diamonds on her head, because being queen is not measured by how much gold and silver she owns.
Eadlyn was a strong character—sometimes even stronger than the 17-year old America Singer—but the development of her character went downhill so fast. I wanted her to slowly grow up and be a more lovable character, but clearly it didn’t happen. There’s a clear line between naturally growing up and simply changing. One of the many disappointing things in the final book.
I was—still am—Team Kile. I always wanted Eadlyn to choose Kile because they had this real connection that she didn’t have with the other Selected or even with the non-Selected Erik. I loved their kisses—though, most were probably a product of unbalanced hormones—conversations, and shared moments. They had this passionate and sizzling chemistry that made me swoon so many times. Most importantly, Eadlyn never felt the need to put on a mask whenever she was with Kile; she could be just herself without getting scared of being judged for her imperfections. But a part of me felt that Eadlyn and Kile ending up together would have seemed too predictable or too good to be true, but then, so had been America and Maxon, (As much as I’d loved Aspen, I’d believed that it’d always been Maxon) and so I thought it was possible. From babies-who-had-known-each-other-since-they-were-in-diapers to hate to fondness, I loved the transition of their relationship.
Eadlyn: “Why did Kile—for goodness’ sake, Kile!—keep popping into my mind?” (The Heir, Chapter 27)
Camille: “Isn’t there one person who fills your heart and takes up all your thoughts?” (The Heir, Chapter 31)
With all that, the core element was missing. Love. While it was suggested in so many ways, what I wanted was to hear those three words from themselves, to confirm whether it was love or lust. And soon, they did. They did confess that they liked and loved each other. That’s why it hurt more that they didn’t end up together.
Kile: “I’d do anything you asked me to, Eadlyn.”
Eadlyn: “But I can’t ask.”
Kile: “Why not? Did I do something wrong?”
Eadlyn: “No, you idiot. Apparently… It seems you did something right. I can’t just kiss you like it’s nothing, because it turns out that you’re not nothing.”
(The Crown, Chapter 6)
Kile: “I feel weird saying I’m proud of you, but I am. It’s like this lets me know that I’m not falling for some figment of my imagination, that you’re really as smart and selfless and determined as I’ve started thinking you are.”
Eadlyn: “As opposed to Eadlyn circa this time last year?”
Kile: “Don’t get me wrong, she was a fun girl. Knew how to party, knew how to light up a room. This girl does that and a hundred things more. And I like her. But you already know that.”
Eadlyn: “I like you, too.”
(The Crown, Chapter 17)
Kile: “You don’t love me.”
Eadlyn: “No, it’s that not either. In fact, I might love you a little too much. Maybe not entirely romantically, but I definitely love you.”
Kile: “Then why?”
Eadlyn: “Because of this. Kile, I’ll never be able to tell you how much it means to me that you would take me for life just to save me from one person. Considering what a pain I’ve been, that’s a miracle. But all you have ever wanted was to get away from these walls. All you want to do is build. I think that’s a beautiful thing. So many people in the world want to tear things apart. How wonderful is it that you’d do the opposite?”
Kile: “But I’d give it up. I wouldn’t mind.”
Eadlyn: “I would. I would mind. And eventually, when the scary side of my life dies down, you would, too. You’d die a little from the ache of it. You’d resent me. I can’t live in a world where you don’t like me.”
(The Crown, Chapter 29)
As a consolation, there were some little Keadlyn moments that tugged at my heartstrings. Like in Chapter 18, how Kile bribed Eadlyn’s maid, Eloise, to allow him to enter Eadlyn’s room and wait for her there and how they stayed in her bed and talked about their first first kiss. And in Chapter 21, for the picture-taking on Eadlyn’s coronation, how Kile scooped her up and spun her around. How lovely!
I honestly liked Erik; in fact, he could have been one of my favorite characters in the final book. And I could have accepted Eadlyn’s choice if only it’d been written well. If only there had been buildup and development. But everything was rushed! Eadlyn and Erik suddenly got closer than they had been in The Heir, and Eadlyn, very suddenly, realized that she actually loved him. She’d barely spent time with him, so how on earth did that happen? There had to be more buildup to at least consider the thing between them a relationship. Granted, in The Heir, I’d somehow guessed that she might end up with Erik as a “plot twist,” but the thing was, it was too predictable it didn’t appear to be a “plot twist” at all. And frankly, they had zero chemistry. They didn’t make me feel anything at all. None. Or perhaps America and Maxon’s chemistry and story was just too beautiful, and I expected Eadlyn and her prince consort’s to be near that level of beauty, but it didn’t happen, much to my dismay.
In The Maid, Aspen once said, “When you love someone, you sacrifice,” telling Lucy a story about how America had been ready to go down a caste for him and how he couldn’t have allowed that because he’d always wanted to be the hero. The Crown just proved that Aspen had been right. I was greatly touched by how Kile was willing to give up his dreams for Eadlyn, but I was more touched and glad that Eadlyn didn’t let him. Kile was willing to sacrifice his ambitions for Eadlyn, but Eadlyn sacrificed her desire to marry Kile over Henri because she wanted him to pursue his dreams, to be free from the gilded cage that was the palace, and most of all, to live the life that he truly wanted for himself. It was a privilege that Erik wasn’t given. Eadlyn valued Kile’s dreams and future, so she refused to marry him, but she ended up picking Erik as her husband without even thinking of the life that Erik might have wanted. Sure, Erik loved her. But was he even ready to be a prince consort and fill in Queen America’s shoes? That was a very important thing that wasn’t even mentioned in the story.
Personally, my favorite part in the final book was near the end in which Maxon told his daughter everything she had to know about their family. “Eadlyn, you come from a long line of traitors. You couldn’t let me down” (The Crown, Chapter 33).
I’d always known that Clarkson hadn’t been a perfect husband to Amberly based on his personality alone, but I never thought that he’d gone so far as to cheat on her. It hurt so much to find that horrible thing out especially knowing how much Amberly had loved him and how she’d bravely taken a bullet for him. Literally.
I liked Lady Brice, like I liked Erik, she could have been one of my favorite characters, too, but then again, there had been no enough development. Maxon told history to his daughter literally seven minutes before she announced her final decision on the Report in the last 10 pages of the entire series, there was no time to process every single secret he revealed. I was left with what, why, and how. And I was thinking, if Eadlyn hadn’t fallen in love with Erik, a non-Selected, and therefore wouldn’t have had to seek her dad’s advice on breaking the Selection rules, it was possible that Maxon wouldn’t have told this to Eadlyn at all, and she wouldn’t have known everything she needed to know, particularly the part that Lady Brice was family. And as a Schreave, she deserved to know every Schreave thing. As did Ahren, Kaden, and Osten.
“Break the stupid rule, Eadlyn. Marry the man you love” (The Crown, Chapter 33). I might never have shipped Eadlyn and Erik, but I applauded Maxon for saying that all the same. Ideal king, ideal husband, and most importantly, ideal dad, who cared for his daughter’s happiness more than anything else in the world. He was his daughter’s daddy before he was the queen’s father. Marry the man you love. Now it’s sad to think that Maxon never heard marry the woman you love from his own father.
4. I needed more Ahren Schreave!
Ahren Schreave was the character that made wish I had a twin brother or an older brother. He was someone who loved her sister so much and would protect her at all cost. Kiera Cass made us fall in love with Ahren so much only to take him away for most parts of the final book.
Eadlyn: “I love you, Ahren.”
Ahren: “I love you, Your Majesty.”
(The Crown, Chapter 22)
Me: *cries in the corner*
5. I needed more May Singer!
Why was May not physically present in the entire book? Where was the crazy aunt the whole time? Where was Gerad? Where was the Singer family? Why wasn’t anyone of them present on Eadlyn’s coronation day? The Woodworks and the Ledgers were there, how was it possible that the other side of the family was absent? I just couldn’t understand!
6. Marid Illéa was unnecessary!
God, Marid was a nuisance character! He occupied so much time, when that time could have been spent on the development of Eadlyn and Erik’s relationship instead. I’d been wondering what had happened to August and Georgia Illéa. It turned out their son was plotting something. I didn’t see any importance of Marid in the development of the story. I was mad that we got so much of Marid but not a single one of May.
7. Josie was suddenly very kind and very wise.
I’d been used to Josie’s insecurities. But then she suddenly became a mature lady, prim and proper. She got over her one-sided crush on Ahren and had a love line with Kaden at the very last minute and eventually got married to the second prince, making her dream of becoming a princess come true. Suddenly.
I’d always been a fan of Aspen. I’d been sad for him when he’d lost America, but I’d been glad he and Lucy had found each other. After all the things they had gone through, Aspen and Lucy should have gotten their happy ending, too. They really could have adopted a child, at least. Aspen and America had once dreamed of having a big family, so it must have hurt a little for Aspen to see his first love with four kids and he and Lucy with none. This was really the saddest part.
9. Did Eadlyn even know about America and Aspen?
I’m serious when I ask, did Eadlyn even know that her “back-up parent” General Leger had been her mom’s gorgeous first love? Did she know that the General Leger that she respected so much had used to be the treehouse guy that her mom had secretly and intensely dated for two years? Others would say this isn’t necessary, that everybody had moved on, but I really think Eadlyn should have known about Aspen and America.
Like, seriously. What happened to these ladies?
11. Where were Kriss, Elise, and Natalie?
I know this has been answered in Happily Ever After. But I wished some of Maxon’s Selected, particularly the Elite, Kriss, Elise, and Natalie, showed up and at least paid America a visit when she had a heart attack. (Celested would have!) Weren’t they friends? In The One, Queen Amberly had mentioned how some of the girls (Madeline and Bianca) from King Clarkson’s Selection had become her friends. Didn’t the same thing happen to America, Elise, Kriss, and Celeste near the end of The One? Remember “the perfectionist, the sweetheart, the diva…and me”? Had Celeste been alive and this reunion happened, it would now have been “the perfectionist, the sweetheart, the diva…and the Queen.”
I kept thinking of Celeste. I could imagine her visiting the palace whenever she didn’t have a photoshoot schedule. She’d bond with America and Eadlyn, and she’d doll the princess up. She was a model and loved photography, and Eadlyn loved fashion; they would get along really well. Sometimes they would go shopping and do photoshoots together if that was possible. And don’t forget the fact that they were both sassy. They would have an aunt-niece relationship. (Okay, now I’m not okay because of my own imaginations.)
Neither the epilogue nor the bonus epilogue helped. It still felt so rushed. Overall, I didn’t like The Crown, I didn’t love the duology as much as I’d loved the trilogy, but still, I was very glad and grateful that Kiera Cass created Eadlyn, Ahren, Kaden, Osten, Kile, Erik, Lady Brice, and all the characters that we got to know in the last two books. Except Marid! What a pity that everything was insanely rushed. I love Kiera Cass so much, and I believe she could have done so much better, and the series could have gotten a much, much better finale. But then again, as always, Maxerica saved the day. There were some cute Maxerica tidbits that kept me reading till the very last page.
Maxon: “I can’t remember the last time I had ten undisturbed hours with my wife. She’s got these pretty little laugh lines by her eyes” (Chapter 15).
America: “Finally out of the spotlight and into the background. I’ve missed it there.”
Maxon: “People will still watch, my dear. Just try to keep your chin up tonight, and I’ll be right beside you if you need me.”
America: “So, same as always?”
Maxon: “Same as always.”
(Chapter 16)
Maxon: “Now, do you need some rest?”
America: “I’m fine.”
Maxon: “Are you sure? We could have dinner brought up to our room.”
America: “So help me, if you do that, I will throw it at you.”
(Chapter 16)
America: “Henri’s very sweet. Not the direction I was expecting you to go in, but he’ll certainly make you smile.”
Maxon: “Pfft. What do you know about picking husbands? Last time you tried that, you got stuck with me.”
(Chapter 17)
And finally, my favorite part…
“They slow dance when it rains. I have no idea why, but every time the sky turns gray, you’ll find them together. I remember once Dad barged into the Women’s Room, which is completely improper. You’re supposed to be invited in. But it was raining, and he wasn’t going to wait to sweep her away. And one time he dipped her in the hallway, and she just laughed and laughed. She was still wearing her hair down then, and I’ll never forget how it looked like a waterfall of red. It’s like no matter what happens, they can find themselves again there” (Chapter 25).
