Review: Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Posted June 16, 2017 by Kate

Review: Heartless by Marissa MeyerCheck out on Goodreads | Buy on Amazon
Genres: Young Adult, High Fantasy, Fairytale Retelling
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Source: My shelves

Long before she was the terror of Wonderlandβ€”the infamous Queen of Heartsβ€”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.

**includes spoilers for the book!

I don’t even know where to start. Marissa Meyer did an absolutely phenomenal job with this!! I didn’t know what I was expecting going it…but it far exceeded even my highest expectations.

Fairytale Retellings (and fantasy) is my FAVORITE genre!!

I can’t tell you how excited I was when I first heard this was coming out. We have lots of Alice in Wonderland retellings out there (Splintered, Alice in Zombieland, etc.) and a fair few from the Queen of Hearts POV, but they pale in comparison. Marissa Meyer wasn’t afraid to think outside the confines of the initial story and managed to tell the tale completely differently from previous attempts, and have it be successful!

I’m writing this having just gotten up from finishing it and I’m still reeling … woah. She certainly didn’t pull any punches with that ending. I mean WOW!!!

Meyer had a really firm grasp on her character that you don’t often see. She KNEW Cath inside and out, her motivations, her friendships, and her priorities. She made Cath wholly human, mistakes and all, and this really brought her to life. Instead of the typical vapid YA “goodie-goodie”, I’m-not-going-to-regret-saving-a-life-even-though-it-had-devasting-consequences-for-me character, Cath was real. No human is like that. The fact that Cath SAID she wishes she never saved Mary-Ann so Jest would be alive… was huge for me. It proved her to be human. We place some lives over others. We have priorities that don’t necessarily paint us in a positive light. I applaud you, Marissa Meyer, genius that you are. I’m regretting that I didn’t get to make it when you toured in my city :( #why

heartless-quote-1-imageIf I had to make one critique, it would be the emotional impact. I’m a fairly emotional reader and I feel like I should have been bawling at the end. I don’t think this was intentional on her part, but I actually feel like it does lend itself to the story. The way this book was written, especially towards the end, made a lot of sense for what happened. So basically, I’m not critiquing her for it. But it’s still a critique.

Bah, it’s late and I’m not making sense.

Long story short
Heartless was amazing, totally unconventional and I really enjoyed this peek into the head of the legendary Queen of Hearts. BAH! Amazing :)


2 responses to “Review: Heartless by Marissa Meyer

  1. Zoe

    I completely agree! This is such a amazing and unique book and I’m so glad you enjoyed it as much as I did. :) Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous review! <3

    • Kat

      It was rather unique. It’s amazing how you KNOW what’s going to happen at the end… but it still comes as a complete shock when it happens. That’s good writing :)

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