It’s been a while since I read anything by Kiera Cass, but I’ve recommended her books to some teen readers. I remember good things about The Selection series, though I’ve only read the first three books in the series. I’ve been a Kiera Cass stan for at least a decade. I binged The Selectionwhile on a bike at the gym, which I later only regretted the location in that situation. That series has been finished for a while, and now she’s releasing book number ten, A Thousand Heartbeats. 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. A classic enemies-to-lovers tale (and that’s not a spoiler because, let’s be honest, it’s all right there in the description), A Thousand Heartbeats is a sparkling romance that features star-crossed lovers and political intrigue.

In the grand scheme of the plot, those were minor details. But there were things kind of like that at different points throughout the book. Just little things that didn’t make sense. An engrossing tale reminiscent of Shannon Hale’s Princess Academy and Ally Condie’s Matched. Fairy-tale lovers will lose themselves in America’s alternate reality and wish that the next glamorous sequel were waiting for them.”— School Library Journal Princess Annika used to be able to lean on her loving father with no reservations, but recently he’s turned—becoming someone she hardly recognises—and now she’s being made to marry someone she doesn’t want to, just for him to get the political upper hand. Lennox won’t let anything distract him from standing up for his people, no matter what it takes or who gets in the way. But everything changes when Annika and Lennox meet under whirlwind circumstances. From there, it’s no longer a guessing game, with unpredictability, a long-time-coming battle, and hearts raised for the taking, leading to the enemies-to-lovers romance that was promised. A cross between The Hunger Games (minus the bloodsport) and The Bachelor (minus the bloodsport), this trilogy launch is a lot of fun. Cass deftly builds the chemistry between America and Maxon, while stoking the embers of America’s first, forbidden love.”— Publishers Weekly -Cass: I really do like playing with impossible situations and scenarios where the love story affects more than just the two people falling in love. Those things tend to come up a lot in my books. I also love seeing strong friendships or seeing friendships grow where they seem unlikely, and that comes up in A Thousand Heartbeats as well. Kiera Cass: I think it’s okay to admit that the same situations happen over and over, both in fiction and in real life. The thing that makes them all unique is the way people approach them. My characters all feel very real and individual to me, and they rarely make decisions the same way I would, and they don’t come to the same conclusions as one another either. So it’s always interesting for me to follow the story as it unfolds, to see how they’re going to make mistakes, how they’re going to thrive. I hope that experience is just as exciting for the reader. Paste: One of the things I loved best about this story is that it doesn’t shy away from the brutality of war and the ugliness that can come with ruling a kingdom, while still leaving a place for kindness in (well, at least in some) of your characters. How did you balance all these competing elements of this story?

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. I will say that early in the story, we learn that Lennox has done something Annika finds unforgivable. (And I agreed with her.) I wasn’t sure how the story was going to lead us around that fact and build a believable romance. In my opinion, Kiera Cass did a pretty good job at that, though.Lennox is sent out on a mission to prove his loyalty and runs into Annika out on a ride with her fiancé (who is also pretty awful), so logically, Lennox kidnaps her. He just doesn’t quite know what she is capable of. In the last few years, I’ve been working through a lot of forgiveness, and that’s something that’s come up a lot in their story, too. I’ve said before that I don’t go into my books trying to teach a lesson or give a moral, but it does feel like sometimes I go in with a question, and I seem to try to answer it in 80,000 words or so. I’m not sure. But forgiveness seems to have been on my mind. It’s always a joy to read anything Kiera Cass puts out, and A Thousand Heartbeats is no different. If you want a young adult fantasy story with love, politics, and some sword fighting, I recommend this book as a cozy autumn read.

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. Even though Princess Annika has led a comfortable life, she cannot escape the reality that her life is not her own. Her father, the monarch, has turned cold, and she will soon be compelled to wed for political benefits to someone she detests. 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?

A Thousand Heartbeats Book PDF Summary

Annika, the princess of Kadier, believes in the love of fairy tales but knows it’s not in her future since her father demanded she marry to secure a political alliance. Not too far from their kingdom, there is a growing army of those who believe Kadier rightfully belonged to their ancestors, and they plan to reclaim it. When stoic, hardened soldier Lennox is given the opportunity to prove himself, he makes a plan to sneak into the kingdom. Neither Annika nor Lennox is prepared for the ways their lives and those of everyone around them will forever be changed upon their meeting. They start as enemies, but their hearts have other ideas, and soon their love is impossible to ignore. This stand-alone fantasy romance shifts between the two protagonists’ points of view, giving readers access to the interior lives of both. Patience is required, as the tale is slow to start; it finds its footing eventually, but readers may find it to be too little, too late. Much of the narrative feels bloated with story yet hollow in characterization and emotional depth. Even moments meant to evoke big emotions, like important deaths or grand romantic gestures, wind up falling flat since there’s not enough substance to give them weight. Characters are assumed White. 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. We’re following two characters through this chunky boi of a novel. Annika is a princess, but things aren’t all glitz and glamor. Her mother disappeared years before, and her father has kept her close ever since. Lennox is part of a clan that lives in an area the other six think is uninhabited. His father was beheaded during a mission into Annika’s kingdom, and he’s holding a bit of a grudge. Making matters worse for him, his mom is in a relationship with the leader of the clan, and that guy is abusive and awful. We got the chance to talk to Cass herself about what she says is her “last planned novel,” how A Thousand Heartbeats is different from her previous books, and her favorite romance tropes.