ARC Review : A Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass



A Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass
Genre : YA, Fantasy
Publisher : Harper Teen
Publication Date : November 29th, 2022
#1 New York Times bestselling author of The Selection series Kiera Cass is back with her most epic novel yet—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.

B&N
I finished off my month with a YA read - A Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass! I'd be lying if I said that it wasn't the cover that caught my eye at first 😆 but I was intrigued by the blurb too! Protagonists on the opposite sides of the fight for a kingdom? I was like sign me up!⁣
It started off slow with us being introduced to the protagonists in switching dual povs - one is Annika, the princess of Kadier and the other is Lennox, a fighter under Kawan who wishes to reclaim the throne that they say was stolen from their ancestors. So, it is enemies to lovers in the truest sense as someone Annika loves was killed by Lennox and Lennox's dad had also faced the same fate under her parents. I was wondering how this would work because those are some things that you can't forgive/forget 👀 But as they do meet and interact with each other I could see it happening!⁣
Both Annika and Lennox are bound by their duties with some things that they are unwilling to do, but have to. I liked the fact that Annika wasn't a damsel in distress and she knew how to save herself, but not too bad ass in an unbelievable way either. Lennox was equally interesting with thoughts that differed from his actions and the way he slowly bonded with the people around him. There's a good build up with their relationship but after a particular point it felt a bit too fast and there could definitely have been more development (but I guess the book would have become longer than it is now😂). Either way I was rooting for these two to have their happy ending. The writing was definitely my favorite followed by the cast of secondary characters (though some made some questionable decisions). Anyway I don't want to give any spoilers away but I'd definitely recommend this book if you're in the mood for a standalone enemies to lovers/forbidden romance YA story with light world building (felt similar to a medieval kingdom) and if you're a Kiera Cass fan too!⁣

You can also find my review on my bookstagram here


*I was provided with an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

I am a graduate of Radford University with a B.S. in History. I grew up in South Carolina and currently live in the LA area with my family. Said family consists of a Seminary Student Hubby, a Video Game Wizard Son, a Experimental Artist Daughter, a Sun-Loving Dog, and a Family Assistant Turned Friend/Roommate! I'm a #1 New York Times bestseller, woohoo! I'm super into boybands, gluten free cake, and my collection of tiaras. In my free time, I like making my readers cry. Such fun.

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