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.
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This was a wonderful story. Beautifully written! A must read for anyone who loves fairy tale backstories! Made me want to get up and step through the looking glass!
By the time I finished this book I was practically crying. It is such a well written book and so easy to get lost in.
It is a great book with its twisted way of showing how all of wonderland has started. How the red queen existed. It retells the story of wonderland in a whole new tone
It’s amazing, changed my whole view of Alice in Wonderland.
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.
The story of the Queen of Hearts. Even going in, you know it won’t end the way you’d like it to…but you just can’t stop yourself from hoping.
Heartless begins with Catherine (aka The Queen of Hearts) as a young lady still at home with her parents. We get to see her love of baking and her treatment of servants as equals. We see her fall in love for the first time. And we see her lose what happiness she had and turn into the bitter “off with their heads” queen she becomes.
I, personally, love reading fairy tales that have been retold. I enjoy even more the tales told from the villain’s point of view. If you’re like me, you’d love this book. Marissa Meyer definitely has a creative voice in fairy tale retellings and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!
As an Alice in Wonderland collector and one who has played the Queen of Hearts in a theater production, I found Heartless inventive in the way Marissa came to explain the Queen and her vindictive character. (Off with his head!) I also loved the way she named and placed the original characters in the country of Hearts. Great play on the words and phrases from Carroll’s text. Enjoyed the read!
Watch for an upcoming blog post from me on What makes Good People Do Bad Things? I’ll talk about this theme as I see it represented in some of the fairy tale reimaginings I’ve been reading in books like this awesome Marissa Meyers book. Who pictures the Red Queen before she was the famed “Off With Youe Head’ character? Marissa does, and it’s a really cool vision!
Loved this Alice in Wonderland take, but I didn’t find it as entertaining as the Lunar Chronicles series. Still, an enjoyable read that had me turning pages. Have you read this book? What was your favorite part? Do you like fairytale retellings?
One of the best books I have ever read. One of my top 5.
Marissa Meyer is a literary genius when it comes to the Lunar Chronicles. Ah-mazing series. With her ability to transform beloved characters, I jumped right into Heartless. Unfortunately the delivery of the story fell flat. The book reads like a 4th-6th grade level. I wanted to fall in love with the Queen of Hearts and weep at her known demise, however Meyer’s made Catherine off the bat a selfish character with just an obsession with cooking. The book is a slow read and frustration made me want to stop half way in. The one positive, she tried to incorporate some interesting characters, however the book only touched the surface and never fully delivered.
Love it! Fast read!
I love anything related to Alice in wonderland. Interesting take on the fate of the queen of hearts.
Unique, wonderful, and magical is how I would describe this story! I loved it!
Fun, magical and engrossing. I absolutely adored this book and the different way Marissa dances around the magical looking glass. It is filled with expected characters but who they truly are is astoundingly captivating. I did get a little upset with the way the book took a turn and I am hoping that she will resurrect a new book that will fix my heartbreak with this story. Still loved it though. I look forward to her next masterpiece!
Awful. Couldn’t finish.
I loved this author for a while. This is such a unique take; a great origin story. I appreciated how such seemingly small social pressures can shape lives. Very original.
I love reading about established, famous, well known characters, from a different vantage point. Be it wicked etc…
This book has a wonderful sense of whimsy that I loved. Well written
This book will stay with me forever.
3.75*