Published by Feiwel and Friends

8th November  2016

Synopsis

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.

My thoughts

How did the Queen of Hearts in Wonderland become the Queen of Hearts?

Merissa Meyer’s Heartless tells us, Meyer is brilliant at retelling stories (The Lunar Chronicles anyone?) and she does it again with Heartless.

Meyer’s writing grips you from page 1 and you read the book constantly wondering how can the kind, wonderful, gorgeous Catherine becomes, well, heartless. A beautifully realised character we follow her as she fights her destiny to marry the King of Hearts and instead peruses her dream of opening a bakery. On the way she meets the Court Joker – Jest and they fall in love, Jest is another well written character and the romance between them throughout the book is so sweet and keeps you longing for a happy ending.

I read this book in two days, cheering in Jest and Catherine and hating her mother who thinks the best thing is for her daughter to be Queen.

We meet the wonderful characters of Wonderland, learn why the Hatter became made and how the Mock Turtle became the Mock Turtle., each character carrying their own secrets and hopes as the book hurtles towards its shocking but inevitable ending.

This book broke my heart, and not every story has a happy ending as Merissa Meyer proves in Heartless.

I gave Heartless 5 out of 5*