A review by michelle_inktonovel
Heart Sworn by Cia Petrichor

5.0

Although this was a Beauty and the Beast retelling of sorts, the world and the story that the author created was so much more than the original story we know and love. It was my first monster romance and quickly became one of my favorite retellings so far.

It took me about 1/3 of the book to really get into it, but once I did, I couldn’t put it down and was constantly wondering if Lu was ok with everything she was going through. I admittedly didn’t highlight or annotate  much in this story, and it’s largely due to how connected I felt to the story and Lu’s journey.
** read the freaking trigger warnings! They are there for a reason! Loss of a parent plays a significant role in this novel and the character's actions**

Lu's father was the mayor of their quaint town, and came down with an illness without a cure. Theo was the handsome, reliable, golden boy that the whole town knew and loved. And then there was Luciana. An outcast of sorts in her small town. Whispers and rumors followed her seemingly everywhere she went. But after her mom left, everything Lu did was out of love. Her only goals were to protect her little brother Theo, and take care of him and their father in the only ways she knew how, at whatever cost.

Some moments did feel a bit predictable, but not enough to affect my overall love for the story. There were definitely unexpected plot twists that I did not see coming and the spice was top notch.

Heart Sworn was hands down one of my favorite reads of 2022. Cia, you did an outstanding job with this one, and I can't wait to find out what happens to Luciana and Dorran in Hellhind Woods next!

✔️A Beauty & The Beast retelling
✔️Monster romance
✔️Touch her and you die
✔️A curvy FMC
✔️LGBTQ+ representation

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆/5