HEARTLESS
AUTHOR:
Marrisa Meyer
GENRE:
Fantasy
AGE:
14+
RATING:
4/5 Stars
REVIEW:
We all know the classic children’s tale of Alice In Wonderland. We also all know the terrible Queen of Hearts. But have you ever wondered what happened to make her that way? Who was she before she was queen? Simply put Catherine was a girl with big dreams of running a bakery and falling in love. However her parents and the unmarried King of Hearts had other plans for her. And then Catherine meets the mysterious court joker, Jest, but in fear of her family and people she must keep the attraction secret. But fate too it seems, is not so aligned with her dreams.
I thought this tale was a unique twist compiling the magic and wonder of Wonderland with the dark and madness aspects as well. Compelling and emotional, I connected with the characters easily and found the writing style really vivid and well written. And that foreshadowing? It was done so well!
I was so caught up in all the characters that I forgot to remember who Catherine is. She’s the Queen of Hearts. Evil. Villain. I shouldn’t like her. And I tried to force myself to keep that in mind, but a story that well written made it nighly impossible. When the inevitable happened I was left with tears in my eyes and my heart broken as well.
However, the story did take a dark turn at the end that I was prepared for as I had heard from others, but that part made me not love it as much. But still a fascinating story!
WARNINGS:
Violence // Romance // Blood
TAKEAWAYS:
People will go to ultimate depths for those they love. A theme that was woven through the whole story. Characters sacrificing themselves for others shows the depth of that love. But something we can learn from this story is that bad things happen. Evil things happen. We will struggle, and fall and fail and lose, but we need not stay down. We should not blame our circumstances on others. But most of all, unlike Cath, we must learn how to forgive and not seek revenge. As this is a villain arc the best takeaways are on learning from the mistakes she made and not repeating them.
Reviewed by: Adalyn E. Skains
The Blurb
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.
About the Author
Marissa Meyer is the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Lunar Chronicles, Heartless, The Renegades Trilogy, and Instant Karma, as well as the graphic novel duology Wires and Nerve. She holds a BA in Creative Writing from Pacific Lutheran University and a MA in Publishing from Pace University. In addition to writing, Marissa hosts The Happy Writer podcast. She lives near Tacoma, Washington, with her husband and twin daughters.
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