Title: Heartless
Author: Marissa Meyer
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Retelling, Romance
Publish Date: November 8th, 2016
Date Read: October 7th, 2019
Number of Pages: 453
Stars: 5/5⭐️
Summary on Back:
“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.”
Review:
I am a sucker for a good romance and this was definitely a good one. Its setting was roughly Victorian England so if you like the Victorian era, you’ll like this book.
This is the kind of book that it is easy to fall head first into. You know the type, the ones that you feel as if you are right there in the book with the characters. You will feel all the emotions of the characters, but beware, this book will rip your heart out.
The book was in third person point of view but from Cath’s view. My favorite character was definitely Jest, while my least favorite character is either the Marchioness or Margaret Mearle.
I really enjoyed this book and it is definitely one of my favorites. I’ve been a fan of Marissa Meyer since The Lunar Chronicles and this book definitely lived up to my expectations. It reminds me of Wicked. A good book that explains the backstory of a villain from a popular novel. I loved it a lot.
*Spoiler Alert: Read at your own risk*
I loved the match between Cath and Jest, they were so cute together. My favorite scenes in the book were the ones shared between them. I cried when Jest died. It had to happen so that she could become the Queen of Hearts, but I still wanted a happy ending. When I first started reading it, I lost sight of the fact that there had to be a bad ending for her to become the infamous Queen of Hearts and I let myself hope in a good future for Jest and Cath. If only she had not gone back for Mary Ann.
If I could change anything it would definitely be the ending. Rather than the climax’s peak being in the pumpkin patch with Peter Peter, it would maybe be with Cath fighting the war for the White Queen. And the ending would be with her and Jest making a bakery together and living happily ever after. Obviously in that instance, she would end up being just another character in Wonderland rather than the Queen of Hearts, but someone else would end up being the Queen of Hearts.
Regardless of this fact, the book was good. As I previously mentioned, it moved me to tears and it will now hold a special place in my heart as one of my favorite books.
"Hoping is how the impossible can be possible after all."
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