Hello everyone! It’s time for a book review! 😀

Before I started HEARTLESS, I was very conflicted for multiple reasons. First, there was SO MUCH HYPE surrounding the book simply because Marissa Meyer was the author. Second, this hype caused a LEGITIMATE stampede during BEA 2016. Third, the most important reason I was conflicted, was…I don’t like Alice in Wonderland. I never liked the story nor the movie. I’ve tried reading many retellings, and I haven’t liked any of them. But, since this is a different type of retelling, I decided to face my fears and give it a chance. After all, worse come to worse, I would just DNF it and send it to another blogger who would enjoy it more than me!

Well, it’s time to face facts. I don’t have to worry about the Queen wanting to chop my head off because…I ACTUALLY REALLY LIKED IT! Believe me, I was shocked. The very first page lured me in by talking about delicious lemon tarts, and continued to keep me captive throughout the rest of the novel.

You see, in HEARTLESS, the Queen of Hearts wasn’t always obsessed with chopping off people’s heads. She was a typical girl, just like you and me. She loved to bake- and her dream was to open her own bakery with her best friend/maid Mary Ann. But, her parents are the Marquess and the Marchioness, and they have grand aspirations for her. Aspirations that include marrying the king. It’s too bad that the king is a bumbling idiot 15 years her senior.

But wait- I just realized that I’ve only discussed the Queen of Hearts, when I should have used the name Catherine. After all, even the Queen of Hearts was an innocent girl once. She didn’t always shout “off with their heads.” HEARTLESS tells the story of Catherine, a girl who liked dancing, baking, playing croquet, and hiding from the king. Well, that’s what she liked to do…until she met the king’s new jester. But the jester had secrets, and I’m not just referencing what’s inside of his magical hat.

Yes, this is a love story. No, the romance doesn’t take over the entire plot. You might wonder who she ends up with in the end- the king or his jester, but I’m not going to spoil that for you. Nope. And remember, this is an Alice in Wonderland retelling, so not everything happens like you’d expect. The only thing I’ll say is that there is one very nice kissing scene that I loved. 😉

There are also some AMAZING quotes. I’m going to share two of them below because they really stood out to me. Please note- these quotes are from an ARC, not a finished copy.

“But hoping, is how the impossible can be possible after all.”

“What is luxury if your life is a lie?”