Heartless

By Marissa Meyer

Book Overview

From Marissa Meyer, the #1 New York Times-bestselling story of Wonderland's most notorious villain: the Queen of Hearts.

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 Heartless, her first stand-alone teen novel, the New York Times-bestselling author of the Lunar Chronicles dazzles us with a prequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Praise for Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles series:

#1 New York Times Bestselling Series, USA Today Bestseller, Publishers Weekly Bestseller, National Indie Bestseller

"Marissa Meyer rocks the fractured fairy tale genre." --The Seattle Times

"Prince Charming among the cyborgs." --The Wall Street Journal

Don't miss more from Marissa Meyer:

The Lunar Chronicles:
Cinder
Scarlet
Cress
Winter
Stars Above
Fairest

The Wires and Nerve series:
Wires and Nerve: Volume 1
Wires and Nerve: Volume 2

Renegades

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250148189
• ISBN13: 9781250148186
• Release Date: May 2018
• Publisher: Square Fish
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 0.97 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 5.5" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 12 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 7 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Loved it

Very well written and I found it easy to read. It was fun seeing all the references to the following original books. One of my new favorites although it was sad, as expected.

I loved this book!

I’ve always wanted to know why the queen of hearts was the was she is, and I definitely got my answer! I loved Catherine’s character and the way she goes from good to evil.

Rip

So Good omg hard to get through till like 100 pages in. then you don't do anything else! I was so sad to finish it! R.i.p. ykw

Couldn’t put it down

I wasn’t really into it until about 50 pages in and then I couldn’t put it down. It just became one of my favorites. Definitely made me sad and a little mad.

I liked heartless

I didnt start enjoying the book until 200 pages in when more conflicts starter to occur. However when it picks up you really cant put the book down.

I adore Heartless

This has easily become one of my favorite books I've ever read. I'm a big Alice in Wonderland fan, so when I heard about this book I knew that I had to read it. It so eloquently references the Alice in Wonderland books written by Lewis Carroll, and ties together the stories in such an amazing way. This book is truly heartbreaking and left me feeling like I was slain by the jabberwocky. Also very clean. Highly recommend!

So Good!!

This book was so much better than I expected, normally when a book has so many positive reviews I get concerned it will be over hyped. Not this book, seriously, BUY IT!

Very Nice

Okay, so, I'm not going to review the book because I haven't read it and I do that on Goodreads, but this came in the mail today and it was sooo nice. I got the very good hardback version. There is a tear in the book cover but it's not bad. And the hardcover of the actual book is stunning! I know you can't judge a book by its cover but this cover makes me excited to read it and the aesthetic of the cover adds to the overall experience of the book. I also read the Lunar Chronicles series and I loved that one, so very excited to read it.

One of my favorite books

I really can't tell you how much I loved this book. It weaves so well into the story of Alice in Wonderland and I thought to myself many times, "Ah, this actually explains things". It's so interesting. If you like twisted fairly tales, you'll love this book.

The good, the bad, and the ugly.

The good: Marissa Meyer did an amazing job of portraying a new Wonderland. Drawing from the British English Victorian era brought a new layer to the story, and introduced an entirely new feel to Wonderland. I think that the storyline was very well constructed, and the plot was really well put together. Everything had a place and a reason for happening, and it all tied together in the end, of which was fantastic just as it was devastating. The story was thoroughly enjoyable for me, and I must admit I became rather attached to the characters, which were well-developed. I loved that they all had a purpose in the story, I didn’t feel as though there were just random characters thrown in for the sake of it. In fact, I even cried when reading it, and trust me, it’s hard to get me to cry. The bad: I do think that Wonderland lacked a certain whimsy. Alice in Wonderland has always been one of my favorites, its nonsense bringing to the table a unique feeling that’s hard to find. Heartless needs more exposure to that. Also, some of the characters were truly a bit ridiculous in some areas, whether regarding their ignorance or just their overall behavior. Having not read the original stories (I know, I know, shame on me; they’re drowning in the TBR pile) I can’t chalk anything up to being references, so I’m not going to start complaining just yet. The ugly: I hated that Cath did nothing. I mean, I understand Marissa's possible intentions, as it made her weaker as a character which could've proven vital to her transition to the Queen of Hearts. However, it drove me away from the character and made her less relatable. In some instances, I was just plain frustrated with her. I think that there should’ve been more fight in Cath as a character, and the story honestly would’ve really benefitted from that. There are other ways to give Cath weaknesses or reasons to be unable to cope with the grief that led to her change, and Marissa should’ve utilized them. At the very least, a little more content on how she becomes the Queen of Hearts and how she translates the grief into anger would’ve cleared up a lot character-wise. Seeing as this is the main complaint upon readers, it also probably would have brought the story more praise as a whole. Before walking into this story, keep in mind that part of its purpose is to be a love story. And not a practical, pretty one, but an intense, unreasonable love that will either leave you shaking your head in disapproval or jumping in and holding on for the ride. Overall rating: 4.5/5