Heartless

by Marissa Meyer

[kimbacaffeinate]

Heartless is the story of young Catherine before she became the Queen of Hearts. Myer's telling of her history was wonderfully detailed and pulled at my heartstrings. Brilliantly told, this is not a love story, nor does it offer a happy ending but it is the story of how a little girl became a feared Queen.

When we meet Catherine, she is baking lemon tarts. Catherine dreams of opening a bakery in Hearts with her maid. She has never known love and tries to both please her parents and realize her dreams and ambitions. At the black and white ball, she meets the Jester, and her heart begins to flutter, but the King is eying her to be his Queen. The tale that unfolds was indeed a trip down the rabbit hole.

I delighted in seeing characters from Alice in Wonderland. There was the Mad Hatter, Cheshire Cat, and Peter Pumpkin. I adored, the Jester's companion a Raven who talked in rhyme. Meyer's said he was inspired by Edger Allen Poe and I delighted in the somewhat familiar verse. The Jester was mysterious, charismatic and handsome. I could see how Catherine was attracted to him. The King was portrayed as a bit of a bumbling buffoon and had me rolling my eyes at his attempts to court Catherine.

As we learn about Cathrine, and the men in her life we engage in lawn crochet, attend teas and deal with her ambitious momma. All the while a mythological creature is attacking the people of Hearts and Catherine is determined to stop it. It was all splendidly done, and I found myself slipping into the world and connecting with these characters.

Magic, prophecies, and characters of the Kingdom all added interest and slowly pushed us towards the catalyst that would forever change Catherine.

Heartless was riveting and pulled me down the rabbit hole. For fans of Alice in Wonderland and Marissa Meyer, Heartless is a must read.

This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer