A THOUSAND HEARTBEATS By Kiera Cass

November 22, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A THOUSAND HEARTBEATS By Kiera CassA Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass
Published by HarperTeen on 11/29/22
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 576
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

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.

Short and Sweet Review

Annika is the princess of a nice kingdom where she lives comfortably and doesn’t have much to worry about except for keeping her people, and that involves arranged marriages to people she has no feelings for.

Miles away Lennox lives with the Dahrainian people and they’ve been struggling, but what they really want the the kingdom back. Lennox is tasked with going on a mission to find out more information about the kingdom and ends up taking Annika hostage. After this he finds that he has feelings for her and lets her go but they both know in the end one of them has to die.

This was an interesting book in that it was very predictable and because of the predictability this book could have been at least 100 pages shorter. Annika and Lennox fall for each other even though they basically need to kill each other and I wasn’t really feeling their romance or connection it kind of felt forced. The fact that she feel for him after being kidnapped was a bit like Stockholm syndrome. Anyway Annika only had her brother Escalus and her maid Noemi that were really in her corner the other characters seemed to think less of her even though she was the princess. Lennox on the other hand was more of a leader than the one they actually had in Dahrain but he was also looked down upon. They both had that in common they were looked down upon and people didn’t really believe them until they were put on the spot and could show what they could do. This book was okay it wasn’t the most original thing I think Annika was a bit similar to other female characters we see in Cass’s books. I will say I liked how we got a dual POV and Cass did a good job writing from both POVs. The ending was good again it was predictable. I will say if you like Cass’s other books then you’ll enjoy A Thousand Heartbeats.

Filed Under: Reviews

THE ONE By Kiera Cass

June 9, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE ONE By Kiera CassThe One by Kiera Cass
Series: The Selection #3
Published by HarperTeen on 5/6/14
Genres: Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

America Singer searches for her happily ever after in this swoon-worthy YA dystopian romance, perfect for readers who loved Veronica Roth’s Divergent, Lauren Oliver’s Delirium, or Renée Ahdieh’s The Wrath & the Dawn.

Entering the Selection changed America Singer's life in ways she never could have imagined. Since she arrived at the palace, America has struggled with her feelings for her first love, Aspen—and her growing attraction to Prince Maxon. Now she's made her choice . . . and she's prepared to fight for the future she wants.

Short and Sweet Review

After everything that happened in The Elite, America is now sure that she wants Maxon to be hers but now she has to fight for it and show him that she’s serious.

This book was more political in that it showed more attacks from the southern rebels and we also saw the northern rebels. We also saw Maxon and America negotiate and try to align the northern rebels views with there’s. Maxon is still unsure of America because of how much she’s pushed him away in the past and America does revel that she’s been keeping Aspen around as a safety net. I liked this book because it was more than just a competition at this point and we see America freely express her ideas and even though its not well received by some it just shows what kind of princess she would be. I will say that Maxon’s temper did get the best of him and some of the things he said to America were cruel. I also liked seeing the girls finally bond in the end and let down their walls and just enjoy each others company. This was a good ending to this trilogy I liked following America and seeing her journey she grew as a character, I wish she realized sooner that she wanted Maxon but I guess her indecision was needed for the plot. Otherwise this was a good series and I’m excited to see what The Heir has in store.

Filed Under: Reviews

THE ELITE By Kiera Cass

May 30, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE ELITE By Kiera CassThe Elite by Kiera Cass
Series: The Selection #2
Published by HarperTeen on 4/23/13
Genres: Dystopian, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

Thirty-five girls came to the palace to compete in the Selection, and to win Prince Maxon’s heart. Now six girls remain, and the competition is fiercer than ever—but America Singer is still struggling to decide where her heart truly lies. Is it Prince Maxon—and life as the queen—that she wants? Or is it still Aspen, her first love?

Short and Sweet Review

The Elite picks up right where The Selection left off. There’s six girls left and the competition is fierce. America still isn’t sure if she should pick Aspen or Maxon. Maxon on the other hand is sure about America and would end the selection to make her his one. This book was entertaining but also had it’s moments where America’s indecisiveness got annoying. America would decide that Maxon was the one she wanted to choose but then she would find something wrong with him any little reason to push him away. Honestly if I was Maxon I would be annoyed because America was just playing with his feelings. When America saw that Maxon was interested in Kriss, she got jealous and realized that she needed to fight for him and stop playing with his emotions. I liked how we saw more of the rebels and found out what they wanted. We also got to see the girls learn about important things like philanthropy. I’m interested in seeing how things play out in the final book, because America isn’t a front runner and she’s walking on thin ice. I liked The Elite it was a fast read and made me realize I would never want to be in a competition like this, but it is fun to see how things play out.

Filed Under: Reviews

THE BETRAYED By Kiera Cass

July 6, 2021 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE BETRAYED By Kiera CassThe Betrayed by Kiera Cass
Series: The Betrothed #2
Published by HarperTeen on 6/29/21
Genres: Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 304
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

Can you follow your heart when it’s already broken?

After fleeing Coroa and leaving the memory of her beloved Silas behind, Hollis is unsteadily adjusting to life in Isolte. The Eastoffe family’s affection is a balm on her weary spirit, though Etan, a surly cousin with a deep distaste for Coroans, threatens to upset the uneasy peace she’s found.

While tensions at home ratchet up, disquiet in the kingdom of Isolte is reaching a fever pitch. The Eastoffes may have the power to unseat a tyrannical king—but only with Hollis’s help.

Can a girl who’s lost it all put the fate of her adopted homeland over the secret longings of her heart?

Short and Sweet Review

The Betrayed picks up right where The Betrothed left off. Hollis is still dealing with the loss of Silas and her parents but she’s coping and knows that she still has the love and support of Silas’s mom and sister Scarlet. The family is on their way to Isolte and they know that the King has been up to no good but the Eastoffe family needs Hollis’s help to prove it.

Life in Isolte is not easy for Hollis especially when Silas’s cousin Etan is making it very clear how much he dislikes Hollis while everyone else is trying to make her feel welcome. The family is invited to the castle for the King’s sons wedding and the family knows that this is their chance to try to find proof that the king has been killing his people and unseat him from the throne. Over the course of the visit Hollis and Etan become closer I feel like this relationship was rushed considering the fact that Silas just died and that Etan is his cousin but I guess it was okay because she got the family’s blessing. Anyway in the castle there’s a lot of maneuvering and trying to get people to back the family and find proof against the King, we also see Valentina again. At the final battle we learn one shocking thing about what happened at Hollis and Sila’s wedding night and then were suddenly back on our way to Coroa, you following me? Anyway king Jameson is basically slime and when you live by the sword you die by the sword, or something like that.

Overall we get a basic Disney ending a happily ever after if you will so strange to have your rebound man be your dead husbands cousin but do you girl. It was a quick book to get through, Hollis was often lead more by her heart than her brain and I’m sure if this as written differently she would have faced some consequences but nonetheless it was an okay book.

Filed Under: Reviews

THE BETROTHED By Kiera Cass

April 22, 2020 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE BETROTHED By Kiera CassThe Betrothed by Kiera Cass
Series: The Betrothed #1
Published by HarperTeen on 5/5/20
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 320
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

When King Jameson declares his love for Lady Hollis Brite, Hollis is shocked—and thrilled. After all, she’s grown up at Keresken Castle, vying for the king’s attention alongside other daughters of the nobility. Capturing his heart is a dream come true.

But Hollis soon realizes that falling in love with a king and being crowned queen may not be the happily ever after she thought it would be. And when she meets a commoner with the mysterious power to see right into her heart, she finds that the future she really wants is one that she never thought to imagine.

Short and Sweet

Lady Hollis has won King Jameson’s attention and that is a dream come true. But after learning what it would be like to become a queen and live like royalty Hollis wonders if that’s really the life she wants especially when she meets Silas a commoner who seems to truly understand who she is.

Character

Hollis: Hollis is an okay character she isn’t what anyone in the kingdom expects for a future queen, she does what she thinks is right and she does keep other people in mind.

King Jameson: King Jameson seemed sweet at first but in the end his true colors came out he may of been nice but he still thought that everyone should know their place especially Hollis.

Silas: Silas there really wasn’t a lot of him but he came from another kingdom with his family and that’s how he met Hollis. I guess Silas was a good guy he was very talented when it came to working with metals.

Delia Grace: Delia Grace is apparently supposed to be Hollis’s best friend but she is the absolutely the worst friend anyone could have. I don’t understand why Hollis always went to someone who was basically rooting for her downfall.

Romance

Hollis and King Jameson: There was no chemistry at all and I feel like Hollis only tried to win Jameson over because that’s what her parents wanted and the other girls were trying to win his affection but it felt like she won once she was the one he chose. In the end Hollis realized that the “affection” was one sided and that the relationship wouldn’t work.

Hollis and Silas: There is barely any interaction between these two and then they just decided that they were soul mates and had to be together. I guess that this relationship was better than between Hollis and Jameson, but this was rushed and we didn’t really have a developing relationship.

My Thoughts

~ Hollis follows the beat of her own drum which bothers the other people living in the castle but I guess that’s what attracted King Jameson.

~ Silas and his family come to the castle to seek refuge from the kingdom of Isolte, but there’s mysterious circumstances surrounding why this family would be seeking sanctuary.

~ The king and Queen of Isolte come and visit and honestly if this book was about Queen Valentina instead of Hollis this would be 80% better. Queen Valentina had so much to offer she was closed off because of her life in Isolte and she has dealt with a lot. I would be interested in reading more about her life.

~ I think the characters all felt very flat there wasn’t much personality and I didn’t connect with any of them.

~ I feel like Hollis relied on Delia Grace way too much, she was always going to her and asking her opinion and it was just a lot especially knowing how awful Delia Grace really was.

~ Hollis’s parents weren’t that great either. I honestly had a problem with most of the characters in this book which is unfortunate.

~ This book isn’t too long so it didn’t take long to read but I wish there were more interesting things happening in the book most of it was about Hollis winning King Jameson’s affection and then the visit from the Isoltes and then her running off.

Overall

The ending felt rushed and I was not at all happy with what happened it left me with a feeling of wanting more and it wasn’t a cliffhanger it was just a bad ending. I feel like the only reason I would read the next book is to see what will happen.

Filed Under: Reviews

THE SELECTION By Kiera Cass

October 9, 2019 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE SELECTION By Kiera CassThe Selection by Kiera Cass
Series: The Selection #1
Published by HarperTeen on 4/24/12
Genres: Dystopian, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Format: Paperback
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape a rigid caste system, live in a palace, and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon. But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her, and competing for a crown she doesn’t want. Then America meets Prince Maxon—and realizes that the life she’s always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.


Short and Sweet Review

The Selection is the opportunity of a lifetime but America Singer doesn’t see it that way. For America it means leaving behind her secret boyfriend Aspen, but being in the Selection could help her family a lot. America’s family is a caste five which means they are artist, America is a singer, fives aren’t rich but they don’t have it as bad as a six, seven, or eight. When America gets the letter about the Selection she dreads it and doesn’t even consider going but her mother finally convinces her and so does her boyfriend Aspen. Out of all of the girls who applied America is actually chosen and she and 34 other gives who were selected are off to the palace for the competition. America thought that Prince Maxon would be stuck up and snobbish but once she actually gets to know him she realizes that she was wrong and the two of them become friends. This is my second time reading The Selection and I enjoyed it even more than the first time. I thought that the friendship between America and Maxon was beautiful, they trust each other and they have great conversations. Maxon truly cares about what’s going on outside of the palace so when America gives him insight on what life is like on the outside he takes that into consideration for things that need to change. I love how Maxon already knows that he likes America and how he gives her time to realize her feelings for him too. Although she and Aspen broke up before she left, America still thinks about him from time to time. America is a five and Aspen is a six which means life is a lot harder for him and his family and he felt like if he and America got married he wouldn’t be able to provide for her. There was a love triangle but I preferred the relationship between America and Maxon more. I liked reading about all the girls and how they interacted its kind of like the bachelor but in a book form. America was a good character and though she didn’t want to be in the Selection she still made friends and she was caring and always thought of others before herself. I’m excited to read The Elite! Read The Selection series I think its addicting and so much fun!

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Filed Under: Reviews