Heartless

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

4.5/5 Stars

“I’m not sure I want to go to a mad tea party.”

 Jest winked at her.

“Trust me, my lady. You do.”


       The very first thing you should know about this book, is that you will become incredibly hungry while reading it. Especially for baked goods. The whole time I was reading this book I wanted to hop in the kitchen and bake every dessert I knew how to and then some. Catherine or Cath is the best baker in all of Hearts, but is also the most desired lady, especially by the king. Catherine just wants to focus on her baking, but her parents and the king make that all but impossible. While being courted by the King, Cath meets Jest. The Kings court Jester. A fool. Cath quickly finds herself falling in love with the wrong (but right) person, and in a land full of madness, she has to fight for what she wants.

       So overall I enjoyed the story very much! It was definitely different and exactly what I needed at the moment. I’ve been putting this book off for a while because I’ve heard mixed reviews about it, but I’m so glad I gave it a chance! The parts I probably loved most were some of the characters, and their development. I loved the world, of course, and the fact that it was an actual retelling and you could recognize the characters and the world. Some retelling’s can be quite awful, but not Marissa Meyer’s. As for the characters I enjoyed Cath, I did. Is she my favorite female character ever? No, but I felt like she fit in this story and developed quite appropriately. At some points I wanted to scream at her to have a backbone and stand up to people, but I feel like that was part of her development, and what made her into the person she became. The friendship between Cath and her maid Mary Ann was also one of the better parts of the book. I liked how they were a team and had each other to rely on, and also how they managed to give each other support in a world that was very much against woman who wanted anything other then a husband. The other supporting characters were exactly what I were hoping they’d be! Except the Jabberwock, why didn’t you eat more people? Especially the King, I was hoping the Jabberwock would swoop up this little Lord Farquad of a dude. I was so over the king like five minutes into the story. However JEST the foolish adorable fool was the absolute best part of this book. His folly, and his forbidden romance with the future Queen of hearts, Jest was just so...adorable. I felt like he was willing to give Cath anything, and in the end he did. Their relationship blossoms slowly at first and then rushes into a forbidden love that neither know how long they could hold on to.
          I was not expecting the ending to be the way that it was, until like two chapters from the end. Was I shocked at first? Of freaking course. I didn’t know what to think, at first I was disappointed and then I started to figure out where the story and Cath’s development was going and I was kind of okay with it more then I thought I’d be. Cath ended up exactly where I thought she’d be at the beginning of the book, just not exactly the way she did. If I had any complaints about this book it would be that there wasn’t nearly enough moments between Cath and Jest. I feel like they had a quick whirlwind of a relationship that was just a stepping stone to get Cath where she ultimately was heading. However this book is quite different, and may not be everyones cup of tea but it was definitely mine and I would recommend it for anyone looking for something out of the ordinary. This book is full of impossible possibilities ;)