Review Wednesday: Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Title: Heartless

Author: Marissa Meyer
1st Date of Publication: November 8, 2016

ISBN: 9781250044655
# of Pages: 453

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Fiction

Age Rating: 13+

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Book Description:
Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland and a favorite of the unmarried King, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, she wants to open a shop and create delectable pastries. But for her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for a woman who could be a queen.

At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the King’s marriage proposal, she meets handsome and mysterious Jest. 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 a secret courtship.

Cath is determined to choose her own destiny. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

Setting: Wonderland
Point of View: 3rd person- Catherine Pinkerton

Goodreads Rating: 4.10

My Rating: 4.25

 

Part of the Book that Caught My Attention: Both

View on the Cover: I find that the black and a blood red mingled together are really interesting. It looks like the black is consuming the red. I love how their are roses with thorns, which shows the ugly in the beautiful. I like how their is a sword in the middle of the book.
View on Title: Who exactly is heartless? Why did they become heartless?

Pros:

• It is the prequel of Alice in Wonderland, and it shows how and why the Queen of Hearts becomes the Queen of Hearts, or the Red Queen. I think the view of Wonderland is so different to a native than it is to Alice who is a foreigner.
• The concept of Wonderland being a chessboard with a White Queen who is a threat to the Kingdom of Hearts. In the hardcover version of the book, the cover of the book is a checkerboard if you take off the paper cover, which was really cool once you find out.
• The book has a lot of other nursery rhymes sprinkled throughout, such as Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater.
• I really liked the Jabberwock twist in the book. It made the book made sense since it was the missing piece of the puzzle for the story, which made the ending really interesting.
• I really liked the main character Catherine Pinkerton. She is strong and has a dream to become a baker even though she is a noble's daughter. This book becomes a fight for her independence in choosing both who can she love and what she does for a living. It basically becomes the decision for duty to self or to family.
• Jester's character is very lovable and it makes the reader feel bad since he/she knows that he will get the shaft in the end.
• There's a forbidden love story with the Jester. Who doesn't love a story about forbidden love?
• The ending is not exactly what I expecting, which is nice since it wasn't completely predictable.

Cons:

• It was a little hard to get into the book at first since it was a little slow.
• I wish there was more character development with the King of Hearts.
• I also wish that there was more the world of Wonderland shown.
• Finally, I felt that this book could have been better if the book was written in 1st person rather than 3rd.

Critics' Reviews:
"The author’s best fantasy yet. ...Meyer has woven all the elements of darkness and light, fate and free will, and love and hatred into an unforgettable story of the evolution of the Red Queen from a young girl who dreamed of true love and freedom to a madwoman best remembered for the phrase 'Off with his head.' If you only read one fractured fairy tale this year, make it Heartless. A must-have title. -School Library Journal

Marissa Meyer's Website:
http://www.marissameyer.com/

Other Recommendations:

Spindle by Shonna Slayton
Splintered by A.G. Howard
Cinder by Marissa Meyer