Review: Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Published: November 8, 2016

Rating: 3.75/5

Goodreads

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 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.

I picked this book up for the read-a-thon challenge – OwlCrate-a-thon! (You can read more about this in my post HERE) I received this book way back in 2016 as part of an OwlCrate and figured it was finally time to pick it up. Admittedly, I have never read Alice in Wonderland before (due to being terrified of the Disney movie as a child) so was unsure what kind of experience Wonderland would give me. It was certainly whimsical, with allusions to rhymes from my childhood and other references I recognized from both the live action and animated adaptations.

I found Catherine a sympathetic character. All of the descriptions of baked goods she made caused some major food envy! Throughout the story, I understood where she and her emotions were coming from, and I totally get her infatuation with Jest (the love interest). He was super broody and the sort of bad boy that I always love to pair off with the good girls.

Knowing this was an origin story for the Queen of Hearts, there had to be some tragedy involved. Although it was great getting the “whole story” behind what made the Queen of Hearts who she is, nothing really revolutionary happened. I saw one of the plot twists coming a little before the halfway point in the book, and felt like the story just kept circling trying to build up relationship tension. It was a struggle getting through the middle portion, contributing to my belief that this book could’ve been shorter than the 450 pages it was. The story really picked up in the last 100 pages or so, which is ultimately what led me to round my review up rather than down. Overall, it was just okay for me, although fans of Alice in Wonderland may feel differently and I can see how this book holds appeal.

In a side note, I feel like the low ratings I’ve been giving to some books lately may be due to me outgrowing some of the younger-YA genre (what, no, never!).

I hope to finally read Alice in Wonderland as my pick for the Classic of the Month 2018 challenge in March, so I’ll check back in!

OwlCrate-a-Thon

I’m so excited to be participating in the OwlCrate-a-Thon reading challenge this year! It’s a challenge run by the subscription box OwlCrate between February 10 and 23, with the goal of reading some books that have previously come in the box have been sitting on your TBR pile.

This years challenges (and my reading goals) are:

• Finish the oldest OwlCrate book you received: Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake (UPDATE: you can see my review HERE)
• Read books from two different genres: I’ll be reading Heartless by Marissa Meyer, which is an origin story for the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland. Retellings are different enough from fantasy for me!
• Finish two books in two weeks!

Even if you aren’t a subscriber, you can join in! The goal is to read any book that has previously come in the subscription box. If you want to check out the official announcement (with a full list of the books in the description), you can check out the Youtube Video HERE.

Goodreads Book Tag

I was tagged to do this Book Tag by the lovely Maggie at MassachusettsNovel.

What was the last book you marked as read | You Make Me by Erin McCarthy

Let me preface this by saying that I like to turn to romance novels to overcome the post-Maas slump after every book. After finishing Empire of Storms this weekend, I turned to this book which was free on Amazon. This book was a little lackluster as the retellings go. It was supposedly a retelling of Wuthering Heights, a book which I love but it wasn’t really except for same vague concepts and names. Overall very average, and okay for a free book.

What are you currently reading | Winter by Marissa Meyer

I am actually reading four books right now, two of which are re-reads, but out of all of them I absolutely love this book. Unfortunately it got put on the back burner when Empire of Storms released, but now that I have read my mandatory romance, I’ll be picking this one back up.

What book do you plan to read next | Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone is one of the books that I am currently re-reading because I would like to finish the original trilogy before I read Six of Crows. While I have read the first book before, I never finished (or started) the other two books. Hopefully I will be able to finish before my Duology hardcover set comes!

Do you use the star rating system | Yes

I always try and star the books I read, for me as much as anyone else who could be seeing them. Sometimes I’ll go back through by read list and totally forget what a book was about. The starring helps me remember how I felt at the time, and will sometimes remind me of impressions the book left.

Are you doing the 2016 reading challenge | Yes

I always like to set goals for myself as to what to read the coming year. This also tends to keep me on track and focused, as I can get easily distracted by life. This helps to remind me to take time for myself.

Do you have a wish list | No

If I want a book, I will either buy it or request it from the library. Don’t really have to “wish” for anything, unless it’s a foreign edition or such.

What book do you plan to buy next | Six of Crows Duology

I don’t know if it counts, but I do have the Six of Crows Duology box set pre-ordered. I’m getting the signed editions from Books of Wonder! I can’t wait to read this series because I have heard nothing but good things.

Do you have any favorite quotes. Share a few | Of Course

“All that is gold does not glitter/ Not all those who wander are lost.” -Tolkien

“My name is Celaena Sardothein and I will not be afraid.” -Maas

“She is my fireheart.” – Maas

“When a girl cries, few things are more worthless than a boy.” -Bracken

And I will stop there, although I could probably go on forever.

Who are your favorite authors | Sarah J. Maas (obvi.) and Alexandra Bracken

Perhaps I’m not a true Bracken fan because I still have not read Passenger or her first book, however I really do love The Darkest Minds enough for her to qualify as one of my favorite authors. If you haven’t read me waxing poetic about Sarah J. Maas before, you probably  only need to go back a few posts.

Have you joined any groups | No

I have always been a quiet reader. It wasn’t until recently when I found my Big Maggie (who tagged me for this post) and my G-Big that I really started getting in the “book club” mood. I don’t see myself joining any groups in the future either, in part because of some vicious posts I’ve seen in some when people don’t agree.

 

Thank you for reading! Feel free to do this tag, and keep stopping by!

-Emily