ARC Review: Heartless by Marissa Meyer


3.5/5 Stars
Published by Feiwel and Friends
Published November 8th, 2016

Synopsis: 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 yet-unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend and supply the Kingdom of Hearts with delectable pastries and confections. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next Queen.

At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the king's marriage proposal, she 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.



Hello friends!! I am so sorry for being so distant and out of touch with my blog recently, but college has gotten super stressful for me, and I felt like I should focus on my studies. With that said, I have finally found a little time between everything for me to try to get back in the swing of things and schedule some posts ahead of time. Without further ado, let's get on with the review!



Marissa Meyer is one of the greatest fairytale retelling writers I have ever had the pleasure of reading from. The Lunar Chronicles is one of the most enjoyable series I've read and sets her writing really high up on my radar. When I heard she was coming out with another fairytale retelling, I was immediately intrigued. After hearing it was a Queen of Hearts retelling, I was completely sold for the story. When I received an ARC of this from ALA, I was beyond thrilled. It was one of the happiest moments for me during that weekend. So getting started, Heartless was definitely a good book. The writing is just as amazing as TLC, just as intriguing and eloquent, but I felt that it was really slow at the beginning. Since this is an origin story, and an origin story that I'm sure not very many people are familiar with, it took a while for Marissa Meyer to set the story and develop the background. That is understandable. However, I was expecting so much more from this book, especially since it is a standalone.