January 2021 Standalone BOTM - Heartless, by Marissa Meyer

[Alaina]

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.

In her first stand-alone teen novel, the New York Times-bestselling author dazzles us with a prequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

**This BOTM thread will be open until February 5th @ Midnight (in your time zone)**

[Kelly]

Ch 13 - (view spoiler)[Poor hedgehogs and flamingos. (hide spoiler)]
Ch 26 - (view spoiler)[The King of Hearts is a bit creepy and not very smart but I kind of pity him too. (hide spoiler)]
Ch 30 - (view spoiler)[I'm a little bored right now but hoping it'll pick up. (hide spoiler)]
Ch 35 - (view spoiler)[ahah I was wondering when she would tell the King what she really thinks of him -> useless. Of course, someone else made it seem like it was the pain that made her say that xD (hide spoiler)]
Finished - (view spoiler)[ Jest died :( I was wondering when she would become the Queen of Hearts we know. I liked this book but I wish I hadn't been bored at some moments. (hide spoiler)]

[Elizabeth]

I only meant to start listening to it, but I ended up binging it....

30%: (view spoiler)[ I hate Cath's mother. She's one of those suffocating nobles who projects their hopes onto their children and use them for their sociopolitical gain. I can easily see her trying to win the King's favor if she was any younger. 😣 (hide spoiler)]

50% (view spoiler)[ I forgot about the Hatter's background. Why was he able to move between Heart and Chess. All I can remember about him is that he goes mad at the end... (hide spoiler)]

76.0%: (view spoiler)[ I wonder what could have happened had Catherine didn't go through the door. Could she have won over the Red Queen? Could she have a normal life? It could have been a great duology/series. (hide spoiler)]

100%: (view spoiler)[ I used to love the ending, truly. It is poetic and bittersweet. From a literary POV, it works really well and ties up all lose ends.

But while rereading, I felt it was odd that it goes from whimsical, rebellious, and adventurous to dark, nihilistic, and hopeless after the climax. It's just sad to see that despite the agency Cath displayed, she was no match. For fate. For other's ability to control over her life.

It hurt to see Cath lose her heart, even before actually losing it, and make others miserable in a role she didn't even want in the first place. (hide spoiler)]

[Alaina]

Starting this now!

[Alaina]

Ch 14: (view spoiler)[I love her dads sass about the bread pudding.. he is hilarious. Also, I would look and feel the same way if someone took away my dinner and lovely dessert. (hide spoiler)]

[Alaina]

Ch 28: (view spoiler)[Ugh, this contest is making me hungry. (hide spoiler)]

[Alaina]

Ch 42: (view spoiler)[Are these girls okay? They are kind of freaking me out lol (hide spoiler)]

[Alaina]

Finished: (view spoiler)[I had a feeling he was going to die and then she was going to turn in to the queen of heart. Ugh, love it. OFF WITH THEIR HEADS! (hide spoiler)]

[Marissa]

Chapters 1-12 (view spoiler)[
I really enjoy Marissa Meyer's writing. It is always fun to read and I love her retelling of classic fairytales and stories. While the writing is still nice in this one, I am finding the story to be somewhat dull so far. I am listening to this as an audiobook, so I think that helps a bit, but the story could use a little more excitement. I can't believe Catherine missed the Jabberwock attack! I am confident that the story will pick up soon, though. (hide spoiler)]
Chapters 13-24 (view spoiler)[
I am actually not that into the Jest with Catherine. I do feel sorry for the King of Hearts, though. He is clearly quite enamored by Catherine, but she doesn't return the feelings. It is really a lose-lose unless Catherine turns him down (which we know she doesn't), but then the King is still heartbroken. Anyway, I am really interested to see how this kind-hearted woman ends up turning into the cruel Queen of Hearts. (hide spoiler)]

[Marissa]

Chapters 25-39 (view spoiler)[
I am still not a huge fan of Jest, especially with his original reason for coming to Hearts had been revealed. However, I feel bad for Catherine being in this situation and having to marry someone she doesn't love. Especially because she would rather be opening a bakery. This still doesn’t explain why she ended up being the cruel and crazy Queen of Hearts. I am guessing Jest steals her heart anyway once she is married to the king? What exactly happens when your heart is stolen? (hide spoiler)]
Chapters 40-54 (view spoiler)[
I liked this back story of the Queen of Hearts, but the pacing wasn't great. The first half was slow until things finally picked up towards the end. I really didn't really see the chemistry between the Joker and Catherine (of course there was also none between Catherine and the King either). However, I was pretty sad when the Jest died. It was all downhill for Catherine after that :(

This is probably my least favorite Marissa Meyer book so far, but it still was a decent novel (hide spoiler)]