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Heartless

Marissa Meyer

Start date: December 19, 2016

Finish date: December 31, 2016

Discussion: BOTMs

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* Heartless by Marissa Meyer chapters 1-4
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last updated Dec 19, 2016 09:16AM

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What Members Thought

Nov 11, 2016 samantha Bookworm-on-rainydays rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 20, 2017 Kylie Hart rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 4.5/5 stars

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THIS BOOK
AHGHGGHAGHGAHG

I had no idea what to expect before I read this. Basically I just new it was a fairytale retelling. I am not very familiar with Alice in Wonderland and I felt a bit jumbled and unsure when I started reading it, because it was all so magical and I wasn't sure how this fit into the whole world.

While reading the book and more towards the second half I started thinking that maybe this ...more

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Dec 31, 2016 McKenzie (Bookishthingsandtea) rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2016, 3-stars

Heartless is an enchanting retelling of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. As I'm someone with virtually no knowledge of the original story line (I've never read the book(s), seen any movies about it), the world that Meyer built was extremely fun and unique, although ever so slightly confusing at first.

Although, the whole story centered around our protagonist, Catherine, before she came the cruel Queen of Hearts that we're familiar with. In the beginning of the book, I found Catherine to be qu Heartless is an enchanting retelling of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. As I'm someone with virtually no knowledge of the original story line (I've never read the book(s), seen any movies about it), the world that Meyer built was extremely fun and unique, although ever so slightly confusing at first.

Although, the whole story centered around our protagonist, Catherine, before she came the cruel Queen of Hearts that we're familiar with. In the beginning of the book, I found Catherine to be quite dull, it wasn't until the main plot began that she grew as a character. In a general sense, the entire cast of the novel is very enchanting and whimsical, and they pull you into the story. However, a vibrant cast of characters doesn't make up for other lacking departments.

In a simple sense, this book is a love story set inside an extremely creative world. There is no overarching plot line to the book, rather it is full of miniature subplots that culminate in the end. It took me a long time to get into the book in the beginning, and then it dragged once again before the ending. I also found the ending (until the last few pages) to be quite dry compared to the quick sequence of events that preceded it. The book just follows Catherine's misery and her slow demise into the ruthless Queen of Hearts, and while it was important to the character development, I just didn't care for reading several chapters about how much someone's life sucked.

However, when there was action present I could easily soak up every rich and vivid detail that Meyer puts forth. It's so easy to imagine the terrors of the Jabberwock, Jest's beautiful performances for the King, the King himself blubbering off in a corner, and the tea party hosted by Hatter. I truly applaud Meyer for her creative spins on the original story, which kept me interested in the book.

Speaking of Jest, along with Chesire, he was by far one of my favorite characters. He was charming, swoon worthy, and definitely fun to read. The romance between Jest and Catherine, while rushed feeling at some points, was quite sweet and emotional. I'm always a fan of forbidden romances, especially if they have that aspect of mystery thrown in!

After we meet Jest, we're thrown into this magical world full of crazy tea parties, hats that seem to have unique powers, and whole different realms. This was my favorite part of the book, especially learning more about Hatter's life. I enjoyed Meyer's decision of exploring the Mad Hatter's life before he becomes mad, it was quite charming and different.

Overall, Heartless is another fun retelling from Marissa Meyer. The world is gorgeously crafted and unveiled to the reader, and there are plenty of quirky characters to get to know. However, that does not make up for the severe lack of an overarching plot, and an underwhelming end. Yet, if you are a Alice in Wonderland fan, and love a good retelling... this is the book for you. ...more

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May 13, 2017 Amena (Nerd in New York) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017-reads, may-reads-2017

Pro's

First of all that cover. JUST LOOK AT IT!!
The sTORY JUST TOOK MY HEART, AND SQUASHED IT WITH 5 INCH HEELS!

pain

Even though it did murder my heart, I admit that this book was soo good. I loved Catherine's transition, and applaud Marrisa Meyer for coming up with such a beautiful storyline. The plot twist broke my heart, but the way it was played out was impressive.

Setting/World-building - I didn't really read the blurb, so I didn't know it was a fantasy retelling, but I instantly reco ...more

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Nov 04, 2016 Em rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-2016, 5star, read-fantasy, format-ebook

*I recieved a free eARC of this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Heartless follows the Queen of Hearts from the famous Alice in Wonderland stories before she becomes the character we all know and hate today. After hearing the premise of this book I was sold, I love anything Alice in Wonderland related so I was very excited to read this book. I’ve not heard of many stories focusing on the origin of the Queen of Hearts so I knew this would be interesting.

Catherine (the soo *I recieved a free eARC of this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Heartless follows the Queen of Hearts from the famous Alice in Wonderland stories before she becomes the character we all know and hate today. After hearing the premise of this book I was sold, I love anything Alice in Wonderland related so I was very excited to read this book. I’ve not heard of many stories focusing on the origin of the Queen of Hearts so I knew this would be interesting.

Catherine (the soon to be Queen of Hearts) is a young woman being pressured by her parents into a marriage with the King, despite her desire to do other things. She adores baking and wants to open the best bakery in town. Cath’s love of baking is a unique hobby, it’s not something I’ve come across in other books. I loved Cath’s passion and determination to achieve her dreams. She’s a very strong-minded character and I enjoyed following her throughout this novel. Even though she tries to become independent over the course of this novel, she was also very caught up in her attempts not to disappoint her parents.

Then Cath meets Jest, the King’s mysterious new joker, and she’s enthralled. She feels an attraction towards him that’s she’s never experienced before and he introduces her to a world of joy that she’s never imagined. Jest is a wonderful, intriguing character. He’s witty and funny and a complete gentleman. He was entertaining to read about as you never quite knew what to expect from him.

This story is set in Wonderland and draws a lot of inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s original story. I’ve always adored Wonderland so it’s no surprise that I loved it in this book also. It’s a bizarre, familiar place that Marissa Meyer has added her own ideas and story to.

I was captivated from the beginning of this story. Although, there are some slow moments, especially in the middle, it didn’t take away from the overall enjoyment of reading this book. The development of Cath and Jest’s romance lead to many adorable moments as well as many sad moments which will pull on your heartstrings.

Marissa Meyer’s writing in this novel was reminiscent of the original, with the speech and society echoing Victorian England. I loved all the quotes and references to Caroll’s writing. The fact that this novel is a retelling of a very famous story makes this an easy book to become engrossed in.

If you’re a fan of Alice in Wonderland or Marrissa Meyer’s other novels then you will love this book. The romance is wonderful and there are so many offbeat characters and strange goings on which make this story enjoyable. ...more

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