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.
Every time Marissa Meyer releases a book, my mind goes: “Does Marissa have my college schedule? Because she always seems to release books during my final semester exams.”
Anyways, Meyer never fails to surprise me and her books always promise to be a great, un-regrettable reads. Heartless was one book that didn’t disappoint me and gave me exactly what I expected. The book is basically like a prequel (or almost parallel) to Alice In Wonderland and is the story of the Queen of Hearts.
Catherine is the daughter of the Marquess and is really passionate about baking. Her dream is to open a Bakery with the most scrumptious, delicious cakes and tarts in the land of Hearts. She shares this dream with Mary Ann, her maid who is to take the role of an accountant in her Bakery. Fortunately (or unfortunately) for Catherine, the King of Hearts likes more than just her baked goodies and is relentless in wooing her (much to the delight of her mother, the Marchioness).
The King is not your typical alpha-male with well-defined muscles and a chiseled face that comes into our heads. He is more of a short, round fellow (like the jolly little Kings we see in cartoons) – very appealing. Catherine doesn’t love the King (much to her mother’s dismay) but falls in love with the Joker of the court instead. I really didn’t buy the romance between the Joker and Cath. There was no chemistry and I felt that it was too dream-like and unrealistic for my taste.
I loved how I could relate every happening in the book with Alice In the Wonderland and was literally beaming when the same terms/lines were used.
I fell in love with Marissa’s writing style all over again. Her writing just captivates you and leaves you yearning for more. I cannot wait to read more works by her in the future. So, why four stars if I loved the book that much? This is because of the earlier part mentioning the poor development of the romance between Jest and Cath. The other point I didn’t like was that the plot dragged a little in the middle. And the last part of the book was just rushed. The climax is a crucial part in explaining the story of the Queen of Hearts and it was over in a matter of few pages. Come on, Marissa. You gotta give me more than that! Otherwise, I’m in love with the book and the cover.
Let us take a moment here and admire that packaging and the cover of that book! Very innovative.
The ARC of the book looks like that! The picture used above is by Jennifer F. Santucci. Doesn’t that look wonderful? A cute red box with the book and a letter that reads “Open Me”. Sigh. If only I was lucky enough to get one…
So. Have you guys read the book? What are your thoughts?
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Meyer usually doesn’t disappoint 😀 I loved this book. It had both the whimsiness of Carroll’s original and the creepiness of Tim Burton’s movie sequel (which is one of my favourite interpretations).
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That’s one way of describing the book 😉
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