Name: Layla Castle's review of A Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass
Item: A Thousand Heartbeats
Rating: 5
Author: Layla Castle

Kiera Cass

#1 New York Times bestselling author of The Selection series Kiera Cass is back with her most epic novel vet-a sweeping enemies-to-lovers standalone romance. "Love has a sound. It sounds like a thousand heartbeats happening at the same time." Princess Annika has lived a life of comfort-but no amount of luxuries can change the fact that her life isn't her own to control. The king, once her loving father, has gone cold, and Annika will soon be forced into a loveless marriage for political gain. Miles away, small comforts are few and far between for Lennox. He has devoted his life to the Dahrainian army, hoping to one day help them reclaim the throne that was stolen from them. For Lennox, the idea of love is merely a distraction-nothing will stand in the way of fighting for his people. But when love, against all odds, finds them both, they are bound by its call. They can't possibly be together-but the irresistible thrum of a thousand heartbeats won't let them stay apart. Kiera Cass brings her signature sparkling romance to this beautiful story of star-crossed lovers and long-held secrets.

A Thousand Heartbeats

Holly 

"Decorum demands that you, at the very least, tip your head to your princess. Instead, you walk past her as if she were a commoner. If that's how you treat her, how do you act toward those without any rank at all?" 

Lennox's question pierced me. His assessment of Nickolas's character was exactly what I hadn't been able to put into words.

 If Nickolas could so easily disrespect me when I was all but queen, how would he have treated those we were charged with caring for?

 He would never consider their needs. I could see it now as clearly as a sunrise. Nickolas had always been a straight line, pointed like an arrow. And his attention was always aimed toward himself.

I understand now what love can do to you. And I understand what grief can do. Because grief is simply love with no one to receive it. 

“We have so little time with the people we love; we shouldn’t waste it.”

Annika was beautiful in the same way a sunset was: so heartbreakingly sweet your soul could only stand taking in one glimpse a day.

"No, you don't," he said emphatically. “You don't ever have to take a man at his word. Take him at his action. If he abandoned you once, he'll do it again. A man like that is selfish through and through. If you were smart enough to get out of my grasp twice, don't be stupid enough to marry Someone like him.”

It had been fascinating to watch how love chipped the jagged edges from somneone, made them sharper in some ways and softer in others. It left me, for the first time, awed by the prospect. Love was complicated.

Complicated, but so unexpectedly beautiful.

I turned to Kawan. "It takes a skilled soldier maybe twenty seconds to reload a musket. Under war conditions, that slows out of fear. It becomes thirty seconds, a minute. And thirty seconds at the end of my sword or Inigo's, thirty seconds on the receiving end of Blythe's or Griffin's bow... that's enough time to take down a country. Get us to land so we can have that time.”

For the first time in my life, I was the one helping Noemi into a dress. I wasn't about to have her ride out beside me looking like a maid for fear the soldiers might think her expendable. And I couldn't bear to leave her behind. We all knew what it was like to sit and wait for news, how sometimes that was far more painful than knowing the truth. And I wasn't doing that to her. 

I shrugged. "She has a role to play in life, and so dolo role does not define our value, and so I shall treat her - and anyone else I can-with kindness."

“Love doesn't look like anything," he told me in a whisper. Love has a sound. It sounds like a thousand heartbeats happening at the same time. It sounds like the rush of a waterfall or the still of the world at daybreak. You can hear it at night, lulling you to sleep, and, in the middle of your darkest days, it breaks through like a laugh. 

“The thing is, some of us have been taught to listen for it, so when it comes, it's all too easy to hear over the noise. For others, there are too many other sounds drowning it out. For them, it takes longer. But when it finally breaks through, it's a symphony.”

“First of all, if you ever call me `my pet' again, I will shove fork down your throat. Second, I never agreed to put my hair up. You demanded it, and I felt I had to follow, but now more than ever, I want to look like my mother. You will not take that from me. And third, how fascinating that you still think you can tell me to do anything."

You may take my freedom, but you will not be permitted to touch my joy.

“That's so… everyone says Orion." "Exactly. The guard of heaven. Everyone knows Orion." 

“My position is a product of my birth, and not one I could control. And I don't deserve your judgment for it."

 "You know, even in places that are dark, even in the midst of war, sometimes, people find light in each other.”

And there was my new goal. Not flourish. Not enjoy Survive.

In the books, the men always knelt in this moment. They took their lady's hand as if clinging to it for life. I was getting a box shoved into my hands.

Escalus reached down and pulled his own needlework out of the notions basket and settled back on the stone bench beneath my window. We were given unique educations; we liked to share them.

The night sky was the best dressed lady at court, the stars her finest dress and the moon her perfect Crown.

The scent of old books hit me the second I opened the library doors, andI felt the slightest bit of the weich. I'd been carrying ease from my shoulders. I survey  the space, taking everything in, basking in the peace the library brought me. 

There was so much information in this room, so many stories. Toward the front, there were low shelves to walk through, almost like a maze, and open spaces with desks for studying. When the afternoon sun came through these windows, it was spectacular; studying in here allowed me to both read and be warmed by the sun like a cat. Bliss.

Lennox surveyed the hillside, catching his breath. Three more souls to add to the tally he'd long stopped counting. With all the lives lost at the tip of his sword, no one in the Dahrainian Amy could challenge his authority. Annika, on the other hand, had drawn blood only once. And it was purely acidental. All the same, there were few who could challenge her authority, either. 

The marked difference was that those who could, did. 

Courtney Passio

The scent of old books hit me the second I opened the library doors, and I felt the slightest bit of the weight I’d been carrying ease from my shoulders. 

Avani

Literally finished in one sitting. Could not put down

Layla Castle

okay so i actually enjoyed this book way more than I thought i would. absolutely loved the two main characters they had me giggling kicking my feet when they finally got together. also glad her betrothed died never liked him he sucked. I liked her brother but he kinda got on my nerves when he up and left like bro i get your in love but like gonna just abandon your sister like that?? but anyways still was a good simple read. 

Hannah Williams

(spoilers)

okay so i actually enjoyed this book way more than I thought i would. absolutely loved the two main characters they had me giggling kicking my feet when they finally got together. also glad her betrothed died never liked him he sucked. I liked her brother but he kinda got on my nerves when he up and left like bro i get your in love but like gonna just abandon your sister like that?? but anyways still was a good simple read. 

Kendi Dockum

3.5 stars, technically, but Goodreads doesn't do half stars, so I rounded up.

It's an adorable enemies-to-lovers story, also has a sort of star-crossed lover theme thrown in for flair. I liked the characters. The romance between Annika and Lennox escalated a bit too quickly for my taste, and at times, it felt that the world-building fell flat. I liked that it has a sort of fairytale feel to it, but the ending felt rushed and forced. The title-A Thousand Heartbeats-was overused a bit in the book. Otherwise, it was a nice, clean romance that was a quick, fun read with a happy ending to boot.

Yk you've been reading too much dark romance/fiction when you cry over fluff. This was such a nostalgic book for me, considering the selection is what got me into reading in the first place. The whole story had a very similar feel, however as someone who doesn't love split pov, that's where I feel it felt short. 4 page chapters were a highlight for me though, and the 550 pages blew past in a few days. Annika's character was resilient, but not obnoxious. She was an excellent balance of a determined fmc, with a strong love and sense of duty to her country, with a kind heart, and a reasonable head on her shoulders. She had the typical teen longing for love you find in the romance novels she was unknowingly a part of, without making it her whole personality. I liked how she was willing to sacrifice it all for her true love, Kadier. Lennox fell a bit short for me (unlike his hair which puts me off him a little). His storyline was interesting, and there were a few heartfelt moments in his perspective. Realistically, he felt like Aspen Leger being thrown into another world where he actually gets the girl in the end. Don't get me wrong. Overall, the feet-kicking-giggling-on-the-floor-type-level fluff was ultimately what had me and I surprisingly liked this a lot more than I expected. 

ariah 

This is such a good book, it's nothing like her other books but there's so much emotion in this one

Lisette Haasnoot

relied on every stereotype and trope there is from scorned lovers to star crossed ones. Nothing really romantic, honestly a pretty poorly told story. 

Peyton

When I picked up this novel, I was excited for an exciting, enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel, and it ended up disappointing me. 

The premise and the characters were delightful, but the plot was executed poorly in my opinion. This book is fast-paced to its detriment. By page 300 it felt rushed and thrown together. I was disappointed that the most exciting parts of the plot could be boiled down to less than 200 pages (especially since this book is nearly 600 pages long). 

I think this novel would have done much much better as a slow burn romance series instead of a rushed and poorly executed stand alone novel. 

This is a good book for someone who wants an easy read, and isn't looking for something super plot heavy. As I said it's fast-paced and its very easy to follow. 

The ending saved this book. The beginning was fine, the middle was a mess (execution-wise not story-wise), and the ending made it more enjoyable. 

I would also like to mention that I don't personally think this book fits into the enemies-to-lovers genre all that well. I'm unsure if the intention of the author was for it to be an enemies-to-lovers trope, but that's how it was marketed to me. 

While the characters are lovely (with the exception of a few im bitter about) the thought of Lennox and Annika being enemies makes no sense to me based on the execution of the book. There were people far more evil than Lennox in the book and even if Annika and Lennox were enemies truly, it was established very very early in the plot that they had fallen for each other, which sort of took away from the enemies thing for me.

Sam 

Didn't live up to it's potential. 

When I picked up this novel, I was excited for an exciting, enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel, and it ended up disappointing me. 

The premise and the characters were delightful, but the plot was executed poorly in my opinion. This book is fast-paced to its detriment. By page 300 it felt rushed and thrown together. I was disappointed that the most exciting parts of the plot could be boiled down to less than 200 pages (especially since this book is nearly 600 pages long). 

I think this novel would have done much much better as a slow burn romance series instead of a rushed and poorly executed stand alone novel. 

However... 

This is a good book for someone who wants an easy read, and isn't looking for something super plot heavy. As I said it's fast-paced and its very easy to follow. 

The ending saved this book. The beginning was fine, the middle was a mess (execution-wise not story-wise), and the ending made it more enjoyable. 

I would also like to mention that I don't personally think this book fits into the enemies-to-lovers genre all that well. I'm unsure if the intention of the author was for it to be an enemies-to-lovers trope, but that's how it was marketed to me. 

While the characters are lovely (with the exception of a few im bitter about) the thought of Lennox and Annika being enemies makes no sense to me based on the execution of the book. There were people far more evil than Lennox in the book and even if Annika and Lennox were enemies truly, it was established very very early in the plot that they had fallen for each other, which sort of took away from the enemies thing for me.



WOW. I’m not going to lie, it didn’t have me in the first half. I didn’t know how Annika could get past Lennox killing her mother but Kiera convinced me. There were so so so many great moments in this book. I couldn’t put the book down, not even to highlight things. I wish it wasn’t a stand alone. 

Maddy T

Extraordinary. What a unique and sensational plotline. Honestly had such high hopes for this book and it absolutley exceeded it. Such an amazing book with gorgeous characters who I've come to absolutely adore. This book includes those scenes or moments where you just absolutley squeal, and I feel like the book begins to kick off when the two MCs first meet, and from then on the book is just consantly packed with gorgeous moments that fill me from head to toe with joy.

surtified™

I cried. I laughed. I swooned. I fell in love.

THIS BOOK. I can’t contain the amount of joy this book brought me, especially at a time where I’ve was feeling very low. This fairytale-esque, enemies to lovers book that was yes, cheesy at times, terrifying at other times, and very much a ya romance found its way into my heart and quite possibly my top ten for the year.

The two opposing lands, my gosh. One was so fairytale light and cozy while the other was muddy (what I pictured) and so very challenging. Somehow, two people who are so unalike, came out of every trial so regal and lovely, I literally cried. If I ever posses an ounce of Annika’s kindness and forgiveness, phew.

Anyway, my reviews very rarely make sense but if you need a sweeping world full of action, romance, tears, laughs and more, pick up A Thousand Heartbeats. This is coming from someone who’s never read The Selection series but definitely plans to one day.

Also.. Thistle had such a small part, but I’ll forever love her.

I cried. I laughed. I swooned. I fell in love.

THIS BOOK. I can’t contain the amount of joy this book brought me, especially at a time where I’ve was feeling very low. This fairytale-esque, enemies to lovers book that was yes, cheesy at times, terrifying at other times, and very much a ya romance found its way into my heart and quite possibly my top ten for the year.

The two opposing lands, my gosh. One was so fairytale light and cozy while the other was muddy (what I pictured) and so very challenging. Somehow, two people who are so unalike, came out of every trial so regal and lovely, I literally cried. If I ever posses an ounce of Annika’s kindness and forgiveness, phew.

Anyway, my reviews very rarely make sense but if you need a sweeping world full of action, romance, tears, laughs and more, pick up A Thousand Heartbeats. This is coming from someone who’s never read The Selection series but definitely plans to one day.

Also.. Thistle had such a small part, but I’ll forever love her.

Read if you like:

YA Romantasy

Enemies to lovers

Star-crossed romance

Brother & Sister love

Tons of action

Forgiveness

Heart racing moments

Fierce & Brave MC

Like-able characters

Found family

Dual POV

Avani &
A Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass

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Avani &A Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass

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Avani &
A Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass