[Review] Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Rating: 4 stars

Published: November 8th 2016

Goodreads Synopsis:

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.

"When please, I beat like a drum. When sad, I break like glass. Once stolen, I can never be taken back. What am I?"
She thought for a moment before venturing, "A heart?"
Hatta's eyes warmed. "Very acute, Lady Pinkerton."
"It's very good," she said, "although I wonder whether it wouldnt' be more accurate to say, 'Once given, I can never be taken back."
"That would imply we give our hearts away willingly, and I am not sure that is the case." 

Marissa Meyer is honestly really good at making me sympathize with villains. This introspection on the Queen of Hearts before she was the queen went from cutesy to dark so quickly. She did a fascinating job of making an authentic hearts - full of madness and the impossible, but also crafting into it the origin story of someone who appears to be heartless.

Catherine Pinkerton loves to bake and wants to spend the rest of her life in a bakery with her best friend and maid Mary Ann, but as a high class lady of Hearts, her parents have set sights on her becoming the betrothed of the King of Hearts. Although she's expected to follow her parents' wishes, this changes when she meets and becomes enamored with the King's new joker, Jest. 

I related to Catherine so much - follow your heart or follow your parents is definitely a complicated question to answer. I only wished Catherine had defied her parents more easily, more readily, but that itself is easier said than done. When everything went from happy to absolutely wrong for her, I couldn't help but cry. It was so sad, and so so dark and twisted the direction this story took. Her transformation in the end was evil and heartbreaking. 

Her love interest, Jest, was certainly swoon-worthy. Though their romance was very insta-love, I couldn't help but root for the two of them to have their happy ending. 

There's also a wonderful cast of supporting characters. Hatta, Raven, the sisters were all fun reads. Hatta's descent into madness made me pity the poor, mad hatter. 

That ending scene though... That was just the best. I enjoyed this dark and bloody little tale. 

Without much spoilers, I'll end it with my favorite line.

"She spoke without feeling, unburdened by love or dreams or the pain of a broken heart. It was a new day in Hearts, and she was the Queen.
"Off with his head."