I would first like to say that I always have conflicting emotions about this series, because despite it's flaws the covers are beautiful . 
 As much as I really wanted to dislike this book due to a few flaws in this series (lack of world building, simple characters, semi-predictable plot), I ended up liking this book a lot more than I thought I would. It starts by introducing Eadlyn and the current state of the recently dissolved caste system in Illea. Eadlyn's personality surprised me a lot. I expected her to be a lot more like her parents in the way that they always considered their people and the state of Illea before making decisions, but Eadlyn is quite selfish and unable to correctly guess how her actions will affect other people. She's rude and mean to most of the suitors and consistently believes that she is better than everyone else. However, by the end of the book, she is considerably more understanding and more qualified to take her place as queen of Illea. Despite her initial apathetic disposition, she begins to understand her influence and how important her future decisions are; that being royalty is more than what it initially appeared to be to her. 
 As for her options in The Selection, Kile is the obvious pick. I have a feeling Erik will find his way into the options, but it's yet to be determined. I went into this book thinking that her Selection would be resolved by the end, so being left with the cliff hanger of who she will choose and the future of Illea is a little surprising for me. I will be waiting for book 5!