February 25, 2019 | No Comments
Heartless
by Marissa Meyer
Date Published: November 8, 2016
Published By: Feiwel & Friends
Page Count: 453
Publisher’s Description:
Long before she was the terror of Wonderland—the infamous Queen of Hearts—she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.
Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen.
Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship. Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.
In her first stand-alone teen novel, the New York Times-bestselling author dazzles us with a prequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
My Star Rating:
My Review:
Heartless by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book, oh, this book. It was so good. So creatively, whimsically, devastatingly good.
I admit I’ve never read the classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, but of course I’ve seen enough of the Disney movie to know the general story, the characters, and the chaos and madness that is Wonderland, which made this book and all its characters a treasure to read.
That being said, I knew this story would not end well, knowing what I know about the Queen of Hearts, the terror of Wonderland in her coming of age story of how she came to be said terror. But what I did not expect was … everything.
I didn’t expect to like her so much. I didn’t expect to fall in love like I did. I didn’t expect to be so enthralled as I was or have as much fun as I did. I didn’t expect the excitement and longing or rejoice in the acts of courage and bravery like I did. I didn’t expect to be utterly heartbroken like I was.
If ever there was a book I want to reread the moment I finished it, it was this one.
Lady Catherine is just a girl with dreams, a prisoner to her title and the petty desires of her sovereign. The King, silly, simple, and brainless man that he is, wants her for his queen. But she knows she doesn’t want to be Queen of Hearts even before she meets and falls for the oh-so-suave, mesmerizing, witty, clever, noble, and protective Jest, the new court joker to the King. And the more she learns about Jest, the more she finds he is not just a lowly court joker. He’s so much more, and he’s full of surprises.
I fell so in love with Jest. He was … sigh … perfect.
Listen, just read this book. It does not have a happy ending and you won’t expect it to, but it won’t be what you expect, either. It’ll be so much more.