(Spoiler-free review) Catherine Pinkerton loves to bake, and she dreams of opening a bakery with her maid friend, Mary Ann. Although she wants this badly, her parents would never approve of a girl that had a chance of being the future queen “destroying” her status to own a business. At a ball where Catherine learns of the king’s intent to propose to her, she meets the court jester, Jest, and falls deeply in love, but fate has other plans. This book is my favorite of all time. Marissa Meyer writes so beautifully, and she will make you love the characters so much. It’s a retelling/origin story of the Queen of Hearts, and it tells of how she became so heartless. The book itself is long, but it is a real page-turner and will rip your heart out at the ending. I read this book in less than one day, maybe about five hours—I couldn’t tear myself away. The characters, scenes, and the overwhelming emotion made me feel something too as I screamed at the pages. Yes, this book destroyed me emotionally, but you should definitely read it—I’ve never felt any emotions as strong as this while reading a book. There’s also a musical version on YouTube, it’s pretty book accurate, but I haven’t watched the whole thing. As for the age range for this book, I’d say maybe 14 and up, but if you’re a teenager, you should be able to read this book (like I did). Yes, it has romance, but it’s not very explicit, but I don’t think that people under 13 should read it. Overall, the characters are amazing and so is the character development. I fell in love with all of the characters and it’s overall a really great book, and you should read it!
Heartless
By Marissa Meyer
| Interest Level | Reading Level | Reading A-Z | ATOS | Word Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 9 - 12 | Grades 3 - 6 | n/a | 5.6 | 127167 |
The #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestseller that Gregory Maguire (Wicked and After Alice) calls "full of heart."
Long before she was the terror of Wonderland, 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.
Book Reviews (25)
Although there are some potholes............. everything else was perfect. I even shed a tear. My brother keeps trying to steal it from me. Not that it matters, but still, if you have an idea about where to hide books, please let me know! (Jk)
The beautiful, thrilling backstory of the Queen of Hearts! In this novel, Heartless, the main character is Catherine. While she is wealthy and a favorite of the King of Hearts, her interests like in the realm of baking: she dreams of opening a bakery with her lady's maid, Mary Ann. And when Jest, the court joker, makes his way into her life, she begins to doubt the lavish life her parents have planned out for her even more. Every character in this book was fantastical, from the adorable Cheshire Cat to the enigmatic Hatta. The development of Catherine and Jest's relationship was wonderful! This novel truly does justice to Lewis Carroll's original "Alice in Wonderland," providing readers with just the right amount of thrills, chills, and romance while narrating how a whimsical girl grew to become the notorious Queen of Hearts.
I love this book, it’s the author of The Lunar Chronicles which I would also highly recommend reading. Anyway this is a story about how the queen of hearts is so evil. I love all of Marissa Meyers’ stuff and if you like this you should definitely try some of her other work!
this is one of my favorite books by marissa meyer, the author of the cinder series! it tells the story of why the queen of hearts became so evil, and i really loved it! its super fast-paced, and will break your heart.
Heartless is one of those books that are so indescribably enchanting, that it cannot be put into words, yet I will try to do it justice here, Heartless, a tale of romance, a tuna-tart loving cat, a maid and a lady who dream of a bakery, a jester and a king, who purse the same heart and an impossibly mad hatter on the run from time. and the fate that twists their lives in a knot, binding them in an embrace so tight that it becomes impossible to unravel, a tale of things that never should have been, of longing, and false hopes, but this is wonderland, and this is the tale of many things that might be anyway, a defiance of what may seem to be the fate's chosen truth, a romance, a heartbreak, unsurpassed. Marissa Meyers knows the makings of a good romance, and I say this truthfully, very few books make me cry, yet she gives us this gift, like a pure white, rose cut by a joker's hand, that is the key, to the souls of many readers.
This is a stand alone book written by Merissa Meyer. Even though Catherine is the girl the king favors, Catherine has always wanted o be a baker. So when the king proposes, she's not sure what to do. Then she meets the jester, and the choice becomes clear. What will Catherine do? Read the book to find out!
this book made me cry, multiple times. the story and its characters are extremely lovable, and i could not get enough of them. another stunning novel by marissa meyer. i especially enjoyed it because i love wonderland!
this book made me cry, multiple times. the story and its characters are extremely lovable, and i could not get enough of them. another amazing book by marissa meyer. i especially loved it because i love wonderland!
I should probably explain my star rating. One out of five. I did not like this book. Here is why...good things in this book: the author is a great writer. I was immediately entranced with the kingdom of Hearts, the talking, human-like animals, the foods that come from dreams, and how most everyone is nice. I liked the beginning of the plot, with the Jabberwock and the Cath's frustrating, complicating relationships with the King and Jest. I loved Jest himself, he's basically a book crush. Jest was funny and caring and gentle. Was willing to go great distances to ensure Cath's safety. I understood Cath's feelings toward her controlling mother. I met characters like the Mad Hatter and the March Hare and the White Rabbit. Once, Cath's dad even mentioned Alice! I liked how Cath saved Mary Ann (her maid friend) at the end. I loved Cath's dream of starting a bakery. I loved how she wanted to follow her dreams, and nothing would stop her. But then the prophecy came. A murderer, a monarch, a martyr, and mad. One for Raven, Jest, Hatte, and Cath. The prophecy showed Cath agreeing to marry the king and having a hard face. The prophecy showed Raven with an ax over a dead Jest. The prophecy showed Hatte going crazy. And then do you want to know what happened!??!? Why my rating dropped so much?!!? *spoiler* JEST WAS MURDERED AND THE AUTHOR DID NOTHING TO FIX IT!!! I had such high hopes for this after the Lunar Chronicles series. This book....it most definitely wasn't a happily-ever-after where all the characters live in peace and joy the rest of their days. Cath turns into the cold hearted Queen of Hearts after the brutal death of Jest (WHY!!?!?!?) and Jest dies (WHY!?!??!) and Raven also becomes dark and withdrawn, and the Mad Hatter went insane. All in all, this was an extremely disappointing book that made me cry. I would not recommend it if unless you enjoy terrible, sad endings.
Wow 0-0