By Marissa Meyer
Genre Fantasy/Retelling
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Synopsis
Before Alice visited Wonderland, Before the Queen of Hearts uttered "off with his head" there was just Catherine. A girl with a dream to start a bakery. But Wonderland has other plans.
First Sentence
Three luscious lemon tarts glistened up at Catherine.
Ever since reading The Lunar Chronicles I've been eager to see what else Marissa Meyer would come up with. When I heard about Heartless, Meyer's take on the Queen of Hearts before she became the vicious villain from Alice in Wonderland, I was very excited!
Now let's think this through. This is a retelling of the Queen of Hearts. We all know how wicked and cruel she is, right? So I knew going into it that we weren't in for a happy ending. Having that acceptance was important for me to enjoy the story. If I'd thought I was getting a happy ending I might have been very upset.
While I found this one a little...OK a LOT slower moving than Meyer's other books, I was still very much enjoying myself while I read. Meyer's does the best job of taking a well known story and twisting it around to meet her needs and yet still keeping true to the original.
I loved this take on Wonderland. Everything was described in a very casual way. Animals talk? Why yes, they do, Why do you ask? I loved that she didn't stop the story to explain the inner workings of Wonderland. Who can really do that anyway? Not even Carroll, I dare say.
My biggest issue with the book was Catherine. She was such a simpering little wimp! It drove me nuts. I'm kind of surprised she becomes someone as strong willed and stubborn as the Queen of Hearts. But maybe that was the point??? Who knows. It just bugged me. I like my heroine's a little more self reliant.
Should you read it
Oh yes. Please do. Just be ready for that ending.
Even though I know the Queen of Hearts is vicious, I think I still would've looked for a happy ending because it's a retelling. So, thanks for the heads up, lol.
ReplyDeleteYeah, no happy ending here. I think it might piss you off, actually.
DeleteI like reading different versions of Carroll's Wonderland, so that alone would probably make me want to read this...although I'm not really a fan of the Queen of Hearts. Just saying... :)
ReplyDeleteMaybe this one will make you like her more???
DeleteI don't know why I never connected this as being the same author as The Lunar Chronicles! I still have Cinder on my shelf unread. Someday!
ReplyDeleteYou've got to at least read The Lunar Chronicles.
DeleteThis book was SO slow, but the ending was everything I wanted an more! We have to talk now! I want to know if you liked Jest!
ReplyDeleteI have mixed feelings about him. We'll have to talk.
DeleteHave this one on my wishlist, so thanks for the heads up about the ending! I wonder how Catherine gets from being a wimp to the strong-willed Queen of Hearts? I think that might annoy me as I don't like wimps, but still want to read it!
ReplyDeleteI've had this book since it came out, but I still haven't gotten to it. My 15yo daughter read it and said the same thing you did -- super slow. Since I love Marissa Meyer, I'll definitely read it anyway. I'm not rushing, though.
ReplyDeleteGreat review :) I read this one a while ago and didn't like it at all :( I found Cath super annoying, and it was just too slow. But I've recently started The Lunar Chronicles, and that is SO much better!
ReplyDeleteAmy @ A Magical World Of Words
I like reading different versions of Carroll's Wonderland, so that alone would probably make me want to read this...
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