Heartless | Marissa Meyer

Well. That was one dark mf'ing book! I am in LOVE! 

Marissa Meyer has done it again. She is best known for her books in the Lunar Chronicles. Heartless is her first stand alone novel, and this one is modeled after Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland.  

I've got to admit (with shame), that I've never actually read Alice in Wonderland. I have a vague idea about the plot and knew of the Cheshire Cat, Alice, the Mad Hatter, and the Red Queen, but that was about as much as I knew coming into it. I think it made my experience all the more enjoyable.  

The book starts off with the reader being introduced to Lady Catherine, the daughter of the Marchioness and Marchess and heir to the Rock Turtle Cove. She is a baker, and has dreams of opening up a bakery with her best friend and maid, Mary Ann. However, her family has other plans and want her to marry the King of Hearts, who has taken an interest in her. She finds him to be a soft headed idiot, and runs from the ball when he is about to ask her to marry him. She's been having dreams, and on her way from the ball she runs into the man that has been the subject of them. Fans of Alice in Wonderland will know the future of the Queen of Hearts, but this book gave us a look at what made her the 'heartless' queen.

One complaint I had in the beginning was that Cath was so naïve. I could see the writing on the wall and it seemed as though everyone around her could, too. But I will say, Meyer spun this tale in unexpected and entertaining ways. The beginning was slow, but about 80% of the way I tore through until the end. I enjoyed the characters and thought the worlds Meyer described were really well done. This story gave perspective to the Queen of Hearts and was close enough to the original to satisfy, but has enough turns to satiate. I really enjoyed it! 

Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ 5 Hearts