Review Detail

A THOUSAND HEARTBEATS by Kiera Cass is a YA fantasy novel told in dual POV from Annika, a princess grappling with a fractured family and obligations to the crown, and Lennox, a young warrior, brutal with his sword and friendless because of it. Seemingly, they are worlds apart, but when their paths do cross, what gets set into motion cannot be undone. Now, Annika must figure out how best to protect her country while keeping what’s left of her family together, and Lennox needs to decide when he’ll step forward to take what’s rightfully his. With so many wanting different things from these two, the most difficult question they’ll face is: does one of them have to die for the other to succeed?

I loved this book. It was everything I want in a fantasy novel: court intrigue, betrayal, forbidden romance, and more. I was absolutely swept up in it! For me, how much I enjoy the story is always proportional to how much I care about the characters, and in this case, I connected with Annika and Lenox deeply. Both of them are incredibly dynamic, with a soft side and a side you wouldn’t want to cross. I also like Annika’s brother and how supportive he is—their relationship as siblings is really sweet— and Inigo, Lennox’s teammate. Inigo has a big arc as he eventually becomes one of the most loyal people Lennox knows. That being said, there are a handful of characters who are wishy-washy, which was probably purposeful, but it was also confusing at times and made it tougher to switch allegiances or to decide who to root for.

The book is on the longer side as the story is a slow build. While I was waiting for action, or what felt like the inciting incident, it did make me appreciate more how the norm changes over the course of the story. The resolution, in contrast, is very quick, but by the time I got to the ending, I was so invested in the story at that point that I would’ve been okay with another hundred pages. Even more preferably, I would’ve been thrilled if the author forewent the epilogue altogether and instead gave us a second book! Honestly, this world is so rich that there’s so much still to explore.

All in all, A THOUSAND HEARTBEATS may just be the best star-crossed lovers' tale since Romeo and Juliet. Anyone who loves enemies-to-lovers should add this book to their TBR.