Heartless by Marissa Meyer

November 7th, 2016 Kimberly Review 72 Comments

7th Nov
Heartless by Marissa Meyer
Heartless
by Marissa Meyer
Genres: Fantasy
Source: BEA
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

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 yet-unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend and supply the Kingdom of Hearts with delectable pastries and confections. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next Queen.

At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the king's marriage proposal, she 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.

Truffles Fairy Tale HEARTBREAKING fantasy

I was ecstatic when I picked up a signed copy of Heartless by Marissa Meyer at BEA 2016. I love her Lunar Chronicles and have long been a fan of  Alice in Wonderland penned by Lewis Caroll. Everyone loves to hate the antagonist the Queen of Hearts, who declared, “off with his head” at the slightest provocation.

Heartless is the story of young Catherine before she became the Queen of Hearts. Myer’s telling of her history was wonderfully detailed and pulled at my heartstrings. Brilliantly told, this is not a love story, nor does it offer a happy ending but it is the story of how a little girl became a feared Queen.

When we meet Catherine, she is baking lemon tarts. Catherine dreams of opening a bakery in Hearts with her maid. She has never known love and tries to both please her parents and realize her dreams and ambitions. At the black and white ball, she meets the Jester, and her heart begins to flutter, but the King is eying her to be his Queen. The tale that unfolds was indeed a trip down the rabbit hole.

I delighted in seeing characters from Alice in Wonderland. There was the Mad Hatter, Cheshire Cat, and Peter Pumpkin. I adored, the Jester’s companion a Raven who talked in rhyme. Meyer’s said he was inspired by Edger Allen Poe and I delighted in the somewhat familiar verse. The Jester was mysterious, charismatic and handsome. I could see how Catherine was attracted to him. The King was portrayed as a bit of a bumbling buffoon and had me rolling my eyes at his attempts to court Catherine.

As we learn about Cathrine, and the men in her life we engage in lawn crochet, attend teas and deal with her ambitious momma. All the while a mythological creature is attacking the people of Hearts and Catherine is determined to stop it. It was all splendidly done, and I found myself slipping into the world and connecting with these characters.

Magic, prophecies, and characters of the Kingdom all added interest and slowly pushed us towards the catalyst that would forever change Catherine.

Heartless was riveting and pulled me down the rabbit hole. For fans of Alice in Wonderland and Marissa Meyer, Heartless is a must read.

 

Heartless by Marissa Meyer was riveting and pulled me down the rabbit hole Share on X
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

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72 Responses to “Heartless by Marissa Meyer”

  1. Naomi Hop

    I haven’t read Marissa Meyer yet, but I was intrigued by this one! I love that it’s a Alice in Wonderland spinoff… And the magical aspects… I need this one!

  3. AngelErin

    I’m happy this one was so wonderful for you. I can’t wait to get my hands on it myself. Love very your review.

  5. Kristin

    I am having such a hard time with this one and I’m not sure why. I know exactly what I’m getting into so it’s not THAT. I love Jest and Raven but I can’t “connect” to Catherine. She’s nice but kind of wishy washy, no backbone. I KNOW, I just need to keep reading. I’m right at the point where Jest is at Cath’s window and they’re going to a tea party. I’ll finish…. sometime…. soon….. I will… I’m so glad you liked this, though!!!

  6. Lorna

    Honestly, I never was able to get through reading Alice in Wonderland. Of course, that was when I was very young and I know it’s not really a children’s book. The older I get, the more I want a HEA and I know this book can not be that. But I am glad that you loved it!

  7. Trish

    I can’t believe how far down I had to scroll to add my comment! I love how many comments you get on your blog posts Kim! And yay, very happy you loved this. It’s on my Christmas list and I can’t wait to read it. I love retellings, but especially the way MM puts her own unique spin on them.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      LOL, my tech geek and I were just talking about that. He wants me to switch to Discus since I get so many comments. Oh, I hope Santa brings it for you! I love retellings too.

      • Trish

        That’s interesting. I wonder why he thinks Discus is better. I find discus to be difficult to log in to on my devices. On the computer or laptop, it’s fine but not on my phone or ipad. But at least all my comments wouldn’t go to spam! Your site hates me! 🙁

        • kimbacaffeinate

          LOL, and today your comment didn’t go to spam…lol He thinks it is better because everytime you come to my page all of these comments have to load. With Discus they are loaded from another source. I am fighting him on this.

  8. ShootingStarsMag

    I have to admit I’ve never read the original Alice in Wonderland books. HOWEVER, I am still very much excited about this one and I’m glad you enjoyed it so much. I just love Marissa Meyer.

  11. Katherine

    That’s awesome you were able to meet her and get a signed copy of this one! I’m always a little nervous when it’s a prequel about a character who starts out good and goes bad like in the case of the Queen of Hearts but I trust Marissa Meyer enough to definitely give this a chance.

  13. Stephanie Fairday's Blog

    This sounds great! I love the color! I am so intrigued because the book I am wrapping up has some ties to Alice in Wonderland, so she has been on my mind a lot lately. I will have to check this out (once I am totally done with my book). Thanks for sharing. 🙂

  14. Stormi Johnson

    I was not a big enough fan to wait in that chaotic line to get one…lol. Nor am I a huge Wonderland fan so I am not sure if I want to try it or not. I am glad it was a good one for you! 🙂 Great review.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Thanks Stormi, yeah I loved her Lunar Chronicles series, so this was one of the first books I selected when I bought the signed book package

  15. Heidi

    I am so happy this one didn’t disappoint. I am so excited to see it as I love the author and I know she knocks it out of the park with world buildilng and creativity.

  16. Tyler H. Jolley

    My immediate reaction after the blurb was, “Huh, it’s interesting but probably not for me.” Then as I read your review, I realized my initial assumption was wrong. I think you need to have them add you’re quote on the front! “Brilliantly told, this is not a love story, nor does it offer a happy ending but it is the story of how a little girl became a feared Queen.” <- Now THIS is my kind of book. I love a good backstory. This is just the type of book I need right now.

  17. Melissa (Books and Things)

    *shakes weak fist at you*

    Darn it! I already wanted this one and now I know I must have it. Yea, this is the kind of book I know I will adore and now I will have to really bug my library to get it. Yep, this one WILL be read by me. I also have to finish her other series as well. So much reading… so little time… *sigh* Good problem to have. 🙂

  20. Angela Adams

    Great idea for a story. Alice has always been the main focus of “Wonderland.”. Learning how the queen got to be “the queen,” is rather interesting and creative. Thanks for the post.

  21. Cyn

    I’m glad you loved this! I really enjoyed all the delicious food and Alice in Wonderland characters. I really loved Meyer’s writing and despite the heartbreaking ending, I think that part really was powerful.
    Lovely review, Kim!

  22. Melliane

    I saw different reviews about this one but I’m glad you had a nice time. I still need to finish her other series as I only did read Cinder.

  25. Bookworm Brandee

    So this can be read without having read The Lunar Chronicles?? I do want to read that series but since I *just* read Alice in Wonderland, I’m thinking this would be a fun read! It sounds like Meyer did a wonderful job with The Queen. 😉 I’m glad you have a good time with it, Kim, and that you made it *out* of the rabbit hole. 🙂

  27. Nick

    I adore Marissa Meyer, but I have to say I’m uninterested in this one for now. Mostly because I have never liked anything to do with Wonderland, and also because I know how this will end. I am thrilled that you were able to enjoy it so much though, Kim. I know you don’t always love all the YA so it’s great to see you find some good ones.

  29. Felicia GeekyBlogger (

    So this is one that I was on the fence about reading (since she turns into a bad guy eventually) but now I feel I must listen to it 🙂 Dang y’all! I seriously am glad I think I am done with my reading funk 🙂

  30. Maureen Beatrice

    I’m almost ashamed to say I’ve only read the first book in the Lunar Chronicles. I really really loved it off course. And I’ve been wanting to read the other books too, but everytime there gets another book in the way. But I’m so going to read them ASAP. Especially after reading your review of ‘Heartless’. It sounds like another great book.

  31. Berls

    I loved this so much! I struggled to write a review that conveyed how great it was – reading yours I kept going, man I should have mentioned that, or yea! Why didn’t I write that! So great review – mine is coming Wednesday 🙂

  32. Danielle Nolan

    As a huge fan of fairytales and retellings, Wonderland is my favorite! I am so glad to see that not only the story but the characters work so well fo you. Fingers crossed, my copy will be here tomorrow

  33. Di

    Yay! I’m so glad you loved this one too! Heartbreaking in so many ways and a really fantastic read.

    I love your review!