“Long before Alice fell down the rabbit hole… And before the roses were painted red… The Queen of Hearts was just a girl, in love for the first time.”
What is the book about?
Before Alice fell down the rabbit hole and Hearts was ruled by a bloodthirsty monarch, the Queen of Hearts was just a girl falling in love and wishing for a new fate. Catherine Pinkerton is the daughter of the Marquess and Marchioness of Rock Turtle Cove and her life is not her own. The King has taken a fancy to her and now she is destined to become his wife and the next Queen of Hearts. Her parents are sure she wants it and are proud to see their daughter become a royal, but Catherine is not as pleased as her fake smile might suggest. Glittering crowns, beautiful dresses, and shining jewels are not her dream; the only thing she wishes for in life is to run her own bakery with her maid, her best friend, by her side. But she is the daughter of a Marquess, she is a lady, and there is no way her impossible dream can become possible. At the King’s black and white ball, one shocking event after another places Catherine in the presence of a man completely out her reach, but Catherine seems to only have impossible dreams and nothing she wants in life seems to be coming true. Catherine begins to fall in love and for once she starts to think that maybe there is a small chance of the future she has always dreamed of. Her love’s specialty is impossible and there may be a way for Catherine to be happy. But not all fairy tales have happy endings and it seems Catherine’s dreams are too far out of reach…
What were your initial thoughts on the book?
I didn’t know about Heartless until one of my friends said she found it interesting and wanted it when I asked her what she would like me to get her for her birthday. Of course, as soon as I looked on Amazon to buy it, I was completely mesmerised and was intrigued. I had always liked twisted fairy tale books because it gave a new view, usually from the villain’s side, and gave you interesting information on why the person was seen as evil. I’ve always loved being able to see into a villains past because I have never believed that a person just starts off evil, as said by Regina Mills in Once Upon A Time: ‘Evil isn’t born, it’s made.’ Once my friend had finished reading Heartless, I begged to borrow it and finally she brought it in to school for me to take home. I always loved Alice in Wonderland and adored the little animals and fascinating plants as a child; I always liked it and was interested in seeing what Heartless would bring. The blurb was short and to the point, so I didn’t get much insight on what would happen in the book, but I knew there would be a tragic ending for whoever it was that the Queen of Hearts was in love with. Once I began the book, it took me a few chapters to start to get used to the book but soon I was flying through it and wishing I would never find its end. The first few chapters weren’t the most interesting, however once I met the love interest, everything got a lot more fascinating. I knew it was going to be sad yet I still found it very upsetting, but I am glad I read the book as I have discovered another amazing author.
Who was your favourite character and why?
There were a lot of unimaginable characters in Heartless and I would consider quite a few of them as my favourite, but there were a couple characters that I liked more than the others. One of my favourite characters was Jest. He was so funny and optimistic and when he came into Catherine’s life he made it seem like he could make her impossible dreams possible, and he almost did. He was such a brave and sweet character and gave Catherine everything he could. Even when Catherine began to doubt that there was any way for her to achieve happiness, he managed to find a way, no matter how difficult it seemed he was there for Catherine and was ready to give up everything, to ignore his orders, and her fell in love just as much as he did. Jest was able to put a smile on Catherine’s face even in the darkest of times and he never stopped fighting for their future together, even when it seemed so far out of reach that they would have been able to achieve it even with all the magic in the world. The other character that I liked was Catherine. The best thing about her was that she was a dreamer. Her whole life had pretty much already been decided, but she was ignorant to this and kept on believing that her little bakery would be possible and that she would be able to escape her fate. She was brave and strong and, even though she was destined to be the Queen of Hearts, she was kind. Catherine reminded me so much of Alice and I couldn’t help but see all the qualities we love in Alice also shining in her. The only bad thing about Catherine was that she let her anger and vengeance get the best of her and turn her into a heartless monster. I now have a lot more sympathy for the Queen of Hearts than I ever had before, but she let the thoughts of revenge, of murder, take over her mind when she should have been thinking of all the happy times she had and of how lucky she was to have experienced love. Not all stories can end happily, but sometimes you have to look past the bad and just wait for another chance to come along. Catherine definitely deserved better, and Jest too, but things could have ended differently if she had chosen to let her pain make her a better person instead of a villain.
What was your favourite part of the book and why?
There were quite a few happy parts in the book, but also a lot of sad ones. If I were to choose a favourite part it would definitely be one of the happy because it gave, not just me, but the characters hope that there was a chance at a happier future. There were two parts that stood out from all the others. The first one, and most likely the best one, was when Jest and Catherine were together at the treacle well. This was such a happy part, the happiest and definitely the best. The reason for this is because it was when they admit to being in love and when a lot of my questions were answered. In that moment, Catherine and Jest believed that their love was possible and that they could actually have a future that doesn’t mean being forever apart. It gave them hope and, even though it didn’t last very long, it was the most beautiful part of the book because they were both given the chance to express their feelings and show how in love they really were. I can’t even begin to explain how much I loved this part and I am sure it is the most amazing part in the book. Even though I have said that the treacle well was the best part of the book, there was a second part that I also really enjoyed and might be my second favourite part of the book. This is the part when Catherine and Jest are dancing together. I know it seems very simple and normal, but it was anything but that. There was so much complicating their lives in that moment and it was as if everything around them was falling apart. But, although everything was an utter mess, they were together and holding each other in front of an audience without a care in the world. It was a short but sweet moment and I think it was the moment Jest and Catherine both knew that they wanted nothing but each other and would do anything to get to be together forever. Both of these parts were really romantic and sweet, even though the whole book was really good, I am sure that these were the best parts in the story.
What was your overall impression of the book?
Overall, I really enjoyed reading Heartless and I thought that it was a beautifully well written book. One of the things that I liked about it was how the characters spoke. It was sometimes difficult to understand what they were saying because they were speaking like the characters in Alice in Wonderland. However, despite the struggles to understand, I really liked it and I thought that a lot of what was said was really beautiful. This made me see what a great author Marissa Meyer must be if she is able to write such strange but wonderful conversations, and I really want to read other books she has written. Another reason I liked the book was because it was an absolutely unbelievable retelling of one of my favourite fairy tales. I have always enjoyed fairy tales and I still do, even now when I am probably much too old for them. But a few years ago I became extremely interested in twisted fairy tales that showed me things from the villains view and made me sympathise with them. I didn’t think it would be possible to make me feel sorry for the Queen of Hearts, I always liked her as a character because of her power and strength but I wasn’t sure I could ever see her as part of a tragic love story. Heartless was able to make me see that no villain ever starts of evil and that the truth is not always what it seems. One last thing to mention about Heartless, which I thought was another thing that made me love the book but also something that I hated, was the ending. I knew there was going to be something terrible that would happen concerning Catherine and Jest, but I was still shocked at what happened and wish that things could have ended differently. Obviously there was no possible way for them to have a happy ending because this was a story made to show how the Queen of Hearts ended up so evil, but neither of them deserved to lose their happy ending. This made the book connect with me on a much deeper level, and I think it made me love the book even more because it made me see, once again but ever clearer, that not all fairy tales have happy ending and that even villains have their own stories. I really loved reading Heartless and I think that it was a perfect book and I don’t think I am even ‘mostly right’ after reading it.
Would you recommend this book?
If you enjoy fairy tales, adventure and a tragic romance then I recommend you read Heartless. I think that it is best for readers 13 or over, but I am sure that if you are looking for a perfect fairy tale retelling then you will love this book.
Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict)
A magical romantic tragedy about a girl whose destiny is to become queen of a kingdom forbidding her to dream.
Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego
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