I will beg you to think kindly on our wretched attempts to flatter one whose praises could only be spelled out in the poetry of ocean waves and the song of distant thunder.

Well, holy hell! My previous experience of Marissa Meyer was The Lunar Chronicles, which I just loved. I find that fairytale retellings are usually successful in my eyes and they end up being some of my favourite series; having been built upon an already known foundation it helps to appreciate a new interpretation and portrayal of the characters and storyline. I know Heartless is a couple of years old but I finally got round to reading this – and it was a 3 day wild ride! [spoilers ahead…]

Heartless by Marissa Meyer is a fairytale retelling of the Queen of Hearts from the internationally acclaimed and loved, Alice in Wonderland tales by Lewis Carroll. That was the first big tick for this book! The story offers a background to the Quene of Hearts, pre-Queen of Hearts, as Lady Catherine Pinkerton. Now, we all know the characterisation of the Queen of Hearts within Alice in Wonderland. She is a piece of work. This interpretation of her character gave me a totally new appreciation for her persona though, providing me with the opportunity of understanding how she became how she did.

I won’t lie – I found her character a bit annoying at first. 17 years old, nobility, EXTREMELY whiny and spoilt. But this was obviously an executive decision made by the author to give you a foundation to your understanding of her character development. Further into the book I found myself relating to her and almsot foreseeing what her next steps would be – in the sense that I had found the balance within the character profile and how her relationship with Jest, the main male love interest was progressing. That brings us to our next big character.

Ah, Jest. Absolute SWOON. I loved this character!!!!!! Total fave character. This was a perfectly rounded character and just, thank you Marissa Meyer for creating him. I wish I could have a romance with someone like the Joker. If you are having any doubts about reading this book, do it just for being introduced to a character like Jest.

Hatter also deserves a quick but notable mention – simply for the character-building shown by Meyer through the construction of his personality and idea. With a definite resemblence and basis off of the stereotypical Disney Mad Hatter that we have come to know and associate with Alice in Wonderland, Hatter presented a character in turmoil and desperation, trying to prevent what he viewed as his fate and a premonition bestowed on him through the knowledge of his familiy’s previous experiences and demises. I found his the hardest to read as it was so heartbreaking. He was sassy and cunning and definitely an anti-hero, but I felt myself caring for him all the same. Superb writing.

All in all, I would give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. It was magical and heart-wrenching, romantic and fantastical and I felt like I had been stabbed in the gut. I loved it. Definitely one for your To-Be-Read List, and and a reading experience not to be missed!