Cover Image: A Thousand Heartbeats

A Thousand Heartbeats

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Member Reviews

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book! I really love Kiers Cass and was super excited to read this book! I really liked this book but there was still some criticisms that I had!

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i'm prefacing this with i am a HUGE fan of the selection trilogy (yes im one of those readers that pretend the heir and the crown don't exist)

enemies to lovers was what sold this for me. or maybe it's more rivals because if they were enemies they would be uh really intent on stabbying each other. still, i love a good rivalenemy to lovers story. it was interesting though to find both main leads more alike than you'd expect since most of the time characters are enemies because they think differently or their personalities clash against one another, but annika and lennox both struggle with the same things, like a dysfunctional family and being ready to sacrifice themselves for the good of their respective countries.

on the other hand, i thought the book was a little too long. i dont think i would've minded if the slow burn SLOWBURNED, but the romance was fast-paced asf. it's one of the stories where it's love at first sight or instant love, but considering they were supposedly enemies at first? uhhhhhh they got over their issues pretty fast if you ask me.

overall, though, i still enjoyed the book, especially since i wasn't bored by it, so.... three stars ~

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I can honestly say I've never read a romance quite like this one! I was more and more impressed with the story the longer I read it. The overall plot interested me, but the way in which the author had me rooting for these two characters and their love story surprised me and seriously impressed me so much. I didn't know the premise of how the characters met and the death that connected them before I started reading, and I think if I had, I would not have believed the romance could be pulled off believably, but it absolutely was. I really enjoyed this one!

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I have missed reading new stuff from Kiera and this one was good! I love her writing and the way she does story-telling. Highly recommend!

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Thank you NetGalley, HarperTeen, and Kiera Cass for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I loved The Selection as a kid, and still really enjoy it, so I decided to pick this one up. The cover is also beautiful. Sadly, though, I couldn’t really get into this one… I plan on picking it up at a later date though. If you like YA fiction and fantasy, be sure to pick it up! It was most likely just an odd reading period for me.

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Beautiful cover. Teens will be drawn into this easy to follow fantasy world. The dual POV worked well and the romantic tension was done very well.

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I was too confused at the beginning of the book. I do enjoy a dual POV but there was a lot of character names thrown at the beginning and not a lot of world building explanation. It led to me being confused the first quarter of the book and lowered my interest.

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It saddens me to say this, but I think I am done with Cass’s books. I was a huge fan of The Selection series, but her other books have not lived up to it. In A Thousand Heartbeats we were given characters that weren’t well developed, a romance that was superficial, and lacking world building. Every twist and turn was obvious, as was the final outcome. There are probably readers out there that would enjoy this book, but I am not one of them.

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In “A Thousand Heartbeats” Kiera Cass creates another adventure-packed romance reminiscent of the “Selection” series. Princess Annika has secretly been training with her brother to fight & fence. Her mother disappeared years ago leaving her father forever changed and her heart broken. Princess Annika is betrothed to someone who makes sense politically but not romantically. Soon she finds herself on a mission that alters her fate.

Lennox, leads a life that is polar opposite of Princess Annika. He is a known ruthless warrior in a neighboring kingdom of outcasts. His stepfather is cruel and unjust while his mother is neglectful (definitely gives off some serious “Hamlet” vibes). Lennox captures Princess Annika and is oddly connected to her. His fate, too, is altered upon their meeting. Soon Princess Annika and Lennox, once rivals, become romantically entangled in a relationship that can’t possibly work.

What I like about Cass’s writing is that she creates strong, kick-butt female protagonists. With that being said, the storyline is predictable, but that is what the reader wants when picking up this of book.

I would recommend this book to students who enjoyed the “Selection” series or “Hunger Games”.

I would to thank Kiera Cass, HarperTeen, and NetGalley for the ARC.

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Thank you Harper Teen for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

I enjoyed this read immensely. I thought Kiera Cass did a wonderful job creating a beautiful yet cruel world that completely enveloped me. I felt like I was there as I was reading. I really enjoyed this fantasy novel and wish there was a sequel to this one. I am a huge fan of Kiera Cass's Selection series and I felt like this was a great new story with similar vibes to the selection series.

This story tells of a Princess Annika who lives a life of comfort. However no matter how comfortable your life is you cannot change the fact that your freedom to make your own choices is taken away. Annika was told who she should marry. Her father needed it to be for political gains. Far away Lennox has very few luxuries. He has devoted his life to the Dahrainian army hoping to reclaim the kingdom that has been taken away from his family a long time ago. Lennox believes love is only a distraction--he will not allow anything to distract him from his goal.

When love and power collides will love prevail or will countries divide the potential for love.
Read if you enjoy:
Young Adult
YA Fantasy
Romance
Enemies to Lovers

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I was swept away by this fantasy romance in a time of war. I loved the characters and the slow development of their love in the midst of all the turmoil going on. The pacing was perfect, and the narrative was engaging.

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the free advanced digital copy of this book.

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A sweeping story that wouldn’t let me go. Had to know what would happen next and never saw the twists coming. The imagery is still with me even after months since reading. <3

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A Thousand Heartbeats is a fast-paced, star-crossed lovers' young adult novel. I love books that feature strong women characters and this had just that. The characters were enjoyable, except for the villains, but that is to be expected. Filled with action and love I really enjoyed this book and the journey it takes you on.

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This book was absolutely beautiful. Some books don't match their covers, this book did. It had everything in it that you want in a book. A little bit of mystery, love and fierceness.

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I thought this was a fantastic YA read! What I enjoyed about this book was how the main characters alternated telling the story - chapter by chapter. The enemies to lovers trope was short lived as the main characters throw around the term ‘love’ pretty quickly but there are a number of obstacles that they need to overcome throughout the story and I thought that it was all pretty exciting - there is something in here for everyone! It’s a love story primarily but there are a few battle scenes and twists and turns that keep you on your toes. I would definitely recommend this book!

Thank you NetGalley for the electronic version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Where do I even begin with this title?

Usually I am leary of starting a large book well over 300 pages but picking this up, I was surprised with how fast the time flew by. I have been a fan of Cass’s since I read her Selection series as a teenager. I loved those books. Her Bethrothed series was likewise good but I didn’t think it lived up to Selection standards. Siren was intriguing but this…

This book…

I cannot praise this book high enough. It’s not very often that I cry, gasp, cringe, yell when reading a book and this one had me doing all of that. 100/10 would very much recommend. The characterization is completely unreal and this definitely takes its place as the best book I have read this year so far. I wish I could read this from the very beginning all over again.

I recommend this book for ages 13+ for depictions of violence.

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I couldn't have loved this fantasy romance more!! It's daring, dashing, and so very dreamy. This clean young adult novel feel made me fall even more in love with it. The imagery and dialogue were absolutely swoony.

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I love Kiera Cass, and this book was no different. I am a huge fan of the enemies to lovers trope so I knew I was in for a good ride, but I was slightly disappointed that they fell for each other so quickly, a slow burn is usually the best burn. Annika was a great character, even though she was submissive to her father (I man- he is King), she wasn't an entitled brat and when it came down to it she was brave and willing to do what she needed to. Lenox was a very well written "cold on the outside, warm and fuzzy on the inside" kind of character which I also loved.
My only issue was the world building wasn't as strong as it could have been. But honestly I felt that way with Kiera Cass's earlier works and I still loved them too.

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A THOUSAND HEARTBEATS by Kiera Cass is a hard book to categorize for a lot of reasons. It reads like YA historical fiction, except the land it takes place in is a fantasy world. There are no magical elements that would cast it as a traditional fantasy, however. The other difficult thing about describing the book is that it is split into several distinct parts. For at least the first third of the book, we are following the MMC and the FMC in their independent story lines. We visit each of their lives and learn about their personal histories. I don't know if we needed this part. It went on for a long time and much of the information was repeated when the characters meet up in the second half of the book. The back part was solid, with a romance that was gripping. I did have a lot of questions about character motivations and resolutions. Things that seemed like obvious solutions took a long time and things that felt like real barriers were often quickly hurdled.

I would have really liked if the book started with the main characters meeting and continuing past the ending to see them working to tackle some of the challenges that their choices would certainly spark.

Overall, it was a solid read.

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