Heartless by Marissa Meyer

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MerryLove
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Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Post by MerryLove »

published: November 8th, 2016 by Feiwel & Friends
pages: 464
genre: fairy tale, fantasy, romance


Wow. This standalone book was an amazing read. For me, a good book makes you feel, and this book certainly made me feel. Cath is the favorite to become engaged to the king and become the Queen of Hearts, but it's not what she wants at all. She longs to disown her title and open a bakery. To top it off, she also starts falling for another man. So, what's a girl to do? Should she marry the king? Is it really an option to NOT marry the king? This is the main plot of the book, and it is very much a love story. Her feelings for the king, his feelings toward her, and her feelings for the other man are a central part of the plot.

Meyer did a great job of keeping me at the edge of my seat. Even 2/3 into the book, I was still going back and forth about what Cath would decide. Would she be the Queen of Hearts at the end of the book, or would it be someone else? One chapter I would be convinced of one answer, and change my mind a few chapters later. I wasn't sure, changing my mind over and over. It was both a frustrating and thrilling sort of anticipation, and I loved it.

I also found myself a bit frustrated with Cath, but this wasn't a bad thing. While I definitely liked her as a character, I couldn't gain any respect for her. She seemed so wishy washy, and wouldn't make up her mind, or make a firm decision. She kept letting things happen to her without standing up for herself! But this worked well with the plot, and this frustrating element to her actually made her a great character in the book as a whole. Characters don't have to resonate positively to be good. Cath was an excellent character, and I adored her because she wasn't an admirable character.

The story world itself had many of the familiar things I thought of when I think of Wonderland. A short silly king, the jabberwocky, and flamingo croquet are all present along with many others. It felt very familiar, with a few new twists. I really enjoyed Meyer's take on the societal aspects of Wonderland and how she wove the peculiar into the maintstream.


Rating

Overall, this book was amazing and I'd give it a full 4 out of 4. While I was reading, I wasn't sure how much reread value the story would have, but by the end I knew this is a story I will read again and again. It was wonderful. If you enjoy Wonderland or alternate fairy tales, this is a must read.
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Post by peprica21 »

I LOVED this book. One of those, "I can't put this down" book. It was a wonderful read and I enjoyed Meyer's take on the back story behind Catherine. I went back and watched the Disney's version of Alice after I finished, just because it made me love Wonderland that much more. Thanks for your review.
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MerryLove
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Post by MerryLove »

Thanks for your comment! I'm glad you loved it as much as I did. :D
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Post by Mannie913 »

I was a little unsure of whether this was a book that was something I would like but after reading this it sounds right up my alley. I didn't know it would have an Alice in Wonderland theme but that sounds great. I haven't heard of story yet written from the Queen of Hearts point of view so it sounds like an extremely interesting read. I will put this on my ever expanding 'to read' list.
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Post by L Bucher »

Heartless by Marissa Meyer. I LOVED this book, and I agree with everything you have said here! This book certainly made me feel, and wrapped me up in a whirlwind of emotions, that I almost didn't realize what happened when it was over! Honestly, 4 out of 4 stars!
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Post by AlwaysWorthIt »

Your review was spot on.

I thought that the book was very different, just like Alice in Wonderland. I couldn't imagine someone being able to get into that sort of mind set to write a book that was in a why linked to the "original".

The book had all the aspects of 'I didn't see that coming' and 'wait, what?' I have to admit that I was a little lost at first when the "odd" came out, but it was quickly resolved and brought me back to the world of weird, but I understand.

I absolutely LOVE that this was a standalone book. The idea of a second is possible, yet why? I was concluded and yet as a reader, you can fan fiction a series of your own.

I, too, would rate this book a 4 out of 4 stars!
It's Always Worth the Read.
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Post by Heathernross26 »

I definitely felt the pull in this book. I felt frustrated for Cath because of her parents and the King. The Joker was captivating. I was very much hoping for a happy ending. And then it became clear that it was going in a different direction. A dark one fueled by vengence. I loved every character in this book. I give this book a 4 star rating.
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Post by JonSnowFan »

Yeahh...the ending was so worth it. When you might be thinking "what the hell is happening?" because sometimes you feel that some scenes or part aren't that important. But in the end it will make sense why it happened. When i was reading the book i was so anticipating on what's her final decision: marrying the king or open a bakery with her friend. It made me wish for a happy ending while i completely forgot that this was the Queen of Hearts story before she was full with hatres.And the middle part of the book was quiet slow for me and still i am turning the page because meyers' writing is soooo good. It made me fall in love with the wonderland world even more. For me, this book needs a reread and a movie to show the world that being evil isn't born.
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Post by jomoyes »

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll be putting this on my to-read list.
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Post by Vscholz »

Now that I've finished obsessing and writing about The Lunar Chronicles, Heartless is my next read. I've had it since it was released but grad school and dissertation research leave little time for entertainment. I love the way Meyer doesn't beat you over the head with allusions to the original source material, letting her version be its own rather than a straight retelling with a few changes.
As for you & your heart & the things you said & didn't say, she will remember them all when men are fairy tales in books written by rabbits. (Schmendrick the Magician)
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Post by Heathernross26 »

Vscholz wrote: 28 Oct 2018, 20:46 Now that I've finished obsessing and writing about The Lunar Chronicles, Heartless is my next read. I've had it since it was released but grad school and dissertation research leave little time for entertainment. I love the way Meyer doesn't beat you over the head with allusions to the original source material, letting her version be its own rather than a straight retelling with a few changes.

I loved the Lunar Chronicles. Meyer is a very creative writer and has the ability to take your favorite childhood fairytales and put a creative spin on the original stories. When I read Heartless, I was not sure if I would be into it because Alice and Wonderland was not one of my favorite tales but she completely won me over by adding the creative backstory for the queen of hearts. I was literally blown away by the end of the book. Also, if you haven't yet read Renegades by Meyer then I will also recommend that one as well. Marissa Meyer does not disappoint.
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Post by jevvel »

Thanks for this wonderful and effortful story. I would love reading it, and i can relate to the topic of being a heartless. It hurts alot, thanks. I greatly admire you Heathernross26.
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Post by Arwen9 »

Heartless is an amazing book, outstanding from cover to cover. It’s about a girl named Catherine, a talented baker whom the king of Hearts falls in love with. But she does not love the king- she dreams of opening a bakery with her best friend. At a party, she meets the handsome court Jester, and she falls madly in love. It follows Cath and the misterious Jest through a tale of excitement, thrill, and heartbreak.
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Post by RoxieReads »

Marissa Meyer never fails to impress! This book is positively exquisite, and I highly recommend the audiobook. Rebecca Soler, the narrator, truly brings the characters to life. She also narrates the Lunar Chronicles and the Renegades trilogy.
~Roxie~
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Post by ladyofsith »

For this book, I don't know how to begin. I met Meyer with The Lunar Chronicles and from the first book I began to adore her. I really love how she turned classic stories to something that is not close to classic ones. But somehow when you think about it, Meyer's version and the classic versions link at some point. What was really hard that while she was writing them she had to put her own creativity in the works but at the same time she had to put characters own origins in it. Which she killed it by the way. So when I read summary of Heartless I knew that was going to be epic as the previous ones. Indeed it was. The characters is so unique from Alice in Wonderland but at the same time it was the same. But this book is different than others. Because this book made me cry for a character. This book made me love a character which I didn't love any character in Lunar Chronicles. So I can easily say that Heartless is my favourite book of Marissa Meyer.
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