all characters wanted
  • Book Reviews
    • Reviews by Book Title
    • Reviews by Posting Date >
      • Book Reviews: 2020
      • Book Reviews: 2019
      • Book Reviews: 2018
      • Book Reviews: 2017
    • Rating System
  • Other Musings
    • Monthly Wrap Ups
    • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact

Book Reviews

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

8/30/2018

0 Comments

 
SYNOPSIS
Long before she was the terror of Wonderland, 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.
Picture
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.
Synopsis from Amazon

PERSONAL REVIEW
I’ll be honest and say that I’ve never been the biggest fan of Alice in Wonderland, no matter the number of times I’ve read it. I’ve written essays on it and taught it in lessons, but it’s just never been one of my favourite classics. I completely recognize the value of it; it’s simply a personal opinion. That said, I was really excited to read Marissa Meyer’s Heartless, the “untold story” of the Queen of Hearts. There are so many ways that she could tell this story and I walked into it simply expecting to have fun; as always Meyer’s delivers.

Loved Cath and Jest
I couldn’t believe how much I ended up liking Catherine! I’m a fan of Marissa Meyer’s writing style and the characters she created in the Lunar Chronicles, so I assumed she’d do a good job with the Queen of Hearts...but I didn’t expect to actually like Cath. In this version, Cath wants to be a baker and spend her days creating beautiful desserts for people to enjoy. It’s her mother who is the schemer and manipulator, forcing Cath to become engaged to the King of Hearts. I was rooting for Cath the entire story. And rooting for Cath definitely meant that I was keeping my fingers crossed for Jest. An original character, Jest is the hero of Cath’s (and now my) dreams. He’s sweet, funny, and will do anything to support his lady. I have such a soft spot for him and had my fingers crossed for a happy ending for him and Cath the entire time!

Heartbreaking
I knew this book had to have a heartbreaking moment in order for Cath to become the vindictive Queen of Hearts, but I honestly was not expecting to get as emotionally attached to these characters as I did! When we finally get to this climatic moment at the end of the book, I definitely got teary-eyed. It shouldn’t be expected to anybody because there definitely need it to be this moment for something happens that turns Cath into the cruel queen that we see in the Alice in Wonderland story, but somehow I was still completely shocked at how it happened and how much it hurt me when I was reading it. All I can say is make sure you have some tissues ready, or are alone, when you get to the end of this book because it is definitely heartbreaking. (I hate crying in public so I’m glad I was home alone when reading this!)

Brilliant Way to Lead into the Classic Story
So although it was completely heartbreaking, I understood why Meyer’s did what she did. I thought she did a brilliant job ending Heartless so that it easily leads into to the classic Alice in Wonderland story and characters we all know. I thought it was brilliant how we see Cath shut off her emotions and becoming so revengeful, as well as how her executioner is created. My heart hurt for her by the end of this story and Meyer’s completely had me sympathizing with Cath. Although I hated to see Cath become the Queen of Hearts, I knew it was going happen and I thought Meyer’s did a wonderful job bringing us on this journey. She did a great job recreating Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland, and I actually liked Cath’s journey a lot more then I liked Alice’s in Alice in Wonderland.

Heartless came out last year (I know, I’m late I’m actually reviewing it) and is a wonderful adventure in Wonderland. I would highly recommend this to anyone who likes Alice in Wonderland, The Lunar Chronicles, or is simply interested in how the Queen of Hearts came to be. It’s

FINAL RATING: 4/5
Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    About Me

    Hi, I'm Alexandra! I love reading (largely YA fiction, but sometimes I'll read "adult" books), playing board games, Nutella, and binge-watching TV shows on Netflix with my husband. 

    I absolutely love to travel, but home will always be in Toronto. Books come with me everywhere and I can't wait to hear if you agree or disagree with my reviews. 


    Follow Me on Instagram

    @AllCharactersWanted

    Categories

    • ​​Reviews by Posting Date
    • Reviews by Book Title ​​

    2020 Reading Challenge

    2020 Reading Challenge
    Alexandra has read 20 books toward her goal of 85 books.
    hide
    20 of 85 (23%)
    view books

    2019 Reading Challenge

    2019 Reading Challenge
    Alexandra has read 5 books toward her goal of 90 books.
    hide
    5 of 90 (5%)
    view books

    2018 Reading Challenge

    2018 Reading Challenge
    Alexandra has completed her goal of reading 80 books in 2018!
    hide
    88 of 80 (100%)
    view books

Posts

Latest Book Review

Other Musings

Reviews

Reviews by Posting Date

Reviews by Title

Author

About Me
Contact Me
© COPYRIGHT All Characters Wanted 2017. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Book Reviews
    • Reviews by Book Title
    • Reviews by Posting Date >
      • Book Reviews: 2020
      • Book Reviews: 2019
      • Book Reviews: 2018
      • Book Reviews: 2017
    • Rating System
  • Other Musings
    • Monthly Wrap Ups
    • Recipes
  • About
  • Contact