Heartless
Author: Marissa Meyer
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy/Retelling
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Published: November 8, 2016
Pages: 453
My Rating: ★★★★★

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 her first stand-alone teen novel, the New York Times-bestselling author dazzles us with a prequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
 How The Queen of Hearts became the queen in all her wickedness.
OH MY LORDY! I have not loved a novel this much in a very long time. Alice in Wonderland has always been one of my favorites. When I saw that this book was a retelling of how The Queen of Hearts came to be, I was all for it. Thank goodness I picked this story up because it's now one of my new favorites. The plot was paced exactly right. There were many times when I could picture Wonderland exactly in my brain. The use of words drew me in. 

Marissa Meyer is an incredible writer and storyteller. I am for sure going to pick up more of her books after reading this one. I had never read anything by her before. Now I can see why people rave about her writing. This lovely book definitely lived up to the hype for me. Unlike so many others failing to do so. You begin to realize why the queen is the way she is but end up loving her for it. There was just the right amount of romance thrown in as well. Easily a five star read for me. It was not overdone in the slightest. 

I loved how the original story of Alice was tied in. All of the main characters had backstories which were very enjoyable to read. I adore the Cheshire Cat and all his kookiness that made me laugh a bunch of times. The story almost reminded me of Wicked. How you become sympathetic towards a villain who didn't start out as evil. I loved learning about what made the queen evil. Any fan of Alice in Wonderland should pick up this charm of a book. Beware, this book will make you extremely hungry for eating dessert hahaha. The ending was everything I could have hoped for and more. Good golly, I LOVE THIS BOOK!
Walmart / Book Depository / Biblio / Target / Barnes & Noble / Book Outlet


I live in Tacoma, Washington, with my husband and beautiful twin daughters. Represented by Jill Grinberg. Learn more about me and my upcoming books at http://www.marissameyer.com.