Review: Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Book: Cinder, Marissa Meyer 
Series: Stand-Alone
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Release Date: November 8^th, 2016

 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.

 

If I had a word to describe this book, it would have to be bittersweet. We’re all familiar with the story of Alice in Wonderland; whether it’s through the books, the many TV and movie adaptions, or just for the classic quotes that are remembered so many years on. “We’re all mad here”, “Curiouser and curiouser”. I use a lot of them myself.

Now I’ll be honest, besides the main story, and the quotes, and the characters, I don’t know a lot about Alice in Wonderland; specifically, the Queen of Hearts. All I know is she is evil, and is very fond of the phrase, “Off with their head!” But this is Marissa Meyer, a queen in her own right of storytelling, and this is a prequel – the start of the life of the Queen of Hearts in Wonderland, long before Alice ever makes an appearance. I couldn’t wait for this book! And while it’s not as amazing as her Lunar Chronicles series, I really did enjoy this book, and it’s makes me want to read Alice in Wonderland just to get a glimpse of the true Queen of Hearts from Lewis Carroll.

Once I started reading this, and I got a feeling for our heroine, Catherine’s character, this picture immediately came to mind:

 

Regina from the TV show Once Upon A Time was forced to be a Queen when all she wanted was to be with her love, a lowly stable boy.

Very similarly, Catherine Pinkerton has no interest in being a Queen. She has aspirations to open up a bakery with her best friend and be known as the best baker in the kingdom. Love is the last thing on her mind. However, it’s on the front of her parents’ minds, who only want the best for their daughter, which in their minds means marrying the most powerful man in the kingdom.

Everyone knows that Catherine’s dream of opening a bakery is very unlikely; no one is willing to give her a loan and her parents refuse to give her her dowry, but Catherine remains very optimistic that her bakery will become a reality, especially when the perfect store becomes vacant.

What she doesn’t expect is to meet Jest, the Court Joker, and become completely enamoured by him. He has a secret, but he too is taken with Catherine, and whenever the two are together you just melt; they’re so adorable. You want them to get their happily ever after, but real life just keeps getting in the way.

I won’t say any more plot wise, but it was so engaging! It was so sad to see Catherine’s hope and optimism fade over the course of the book. Things stop going her way, and secrets are revealed, and the likelihood that Catherine is going to open her bakery become less and less likely with every chapter. She starts to lose her smile, and we see her slowly transform into the Queen of Hearts everyone is so familiar with.

For not all fairy tales have an happily ever after.

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles are sure to love this, but be wary of your heart. The ending may just break it.