Marissa Meyer

Long before she was the Queen of Hearts, Catherine Pinkerton was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.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.From New York Times bestselling author of The Lunar Chronicles, Marissa Meyer, comes a vision of Wonderland like none you've seen before, telling the untold story of the girl who would the notorious Queen of Hearts.

Heartless

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland and a favorite of the unmarried King, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, she wants to open a shop and create delectable pastries. But for her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for a woman who could be a queen. At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the King's marriage proposal, she meets handsome and mysterious Jest. 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 a secret courtship. Cath is determined to choose her own destiny. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

Fausta Kaveckaitė

“You. Over everything else I choose you.”

Kaitlyn

"His Majesty keeps coming to me for advice." He looked up again, misery in his expression. "He seems to think I'm an expert on how best to court you. What to say, what gifts to send." He hesitated. "Of course I help him, because… well, I have to. But also, I sometimes pretend that it’s me, instead of jinx I suggest he do the things that I would do, if I were… deserving of you.”

"I can't stop thinking about you, Lady Catherine Pinkerton of Rock Turtle Cove. I've been trying, but it's useless. You've had me mesmerized from the first moment I saw you in that red dress, and I don't know what to do about it, other than to use every skill at my disposal to try and mesmerize you back."

Jillian Roberts

Her agony turned to fury when Time refused to answer her. There was no this time, no next time, no time at all. 

No amount of bargaining made any difference. 

Jest is out here trying to save her life, she’s lying injured with her broken ankle with a Jabberwock trying to kill her, yet still manages to laugh at a silly though! I love this girl.😂

Selina 

It was like being at the circus. Cath could see it all in her pain-filled delirium. 

For our next act, please welcome Jest and the Jubilant Jabberwock, best acrobatic team in all of Hearts!

‘It’s silly, I know. But you’re always dreaming of roses and lemon trees, and the marquess has such a grand imagination when it comes to stories he tells, and even Cheshire is passionate over tuna and cream. Whereas, to me, life is all numbers and logic. Profit and loss. Practical and safe. I thought it might be nice to let myself just… dream. For once.’

Finally a realistic laugh! This is definitely my favourite way to describe a laugh now.

‘But what I was really thinking was that you talk about him like… like you talk about a decadent piece of chocolate cake.’  A honk of a laugh escaped Cath before she could help it. ‘He is not a piece of cake!’

How can beautiful ever be a comment compared to this?! I felt myself blushing for Cath!!

‘I understand why he’s so drawn to you. You aren’t only talented, but… do you know, you’re extra beautiful when you talk about baking. You know you’re good at it and that knowledge lights you up.’

Catch’s defences shivered and she had to look away, flattered and flustered and…

The King was so jovial, practically skipping beside her. She wanted to put her hands on his shoulders and order him to calm down, but she did her best to be amused by his enthusiasm instead.

 right implies an impossible phase. We hope for 

Ajda Perko

"Dear Catherine. I wanted to kiss you from the moment you awoke in that rose garden" 

She curled her fingers over his. "Kiss me, then" 

amelia <3

Cath blinked. “You must be wrong, Jest." He looked up at her, surprised, and she swooped her arm over the wildflowers. "We can't be standing at the doorway to Chess. Were sitting, after all."

Sara Vasilescu

'You have my heart, Jest. I don't know if you deserve it or not. I can't tell if you're a hero or a villain, but it doesn't seem to matter. Either way, my heart is yours.'

Lina <3

“Tell me, Sir Rook, did you behave this way with all the ladies in Chess too?”

“Which behavior are you referring to? My good manners, my charming witticisms, my beguiling charisma—”

“I was referring to your determination to make me blush, for no other purpose than to laugh at me later.”

Idk Cath is getting on my nerve, just throw the king in the sea it’s not that hard

“She was sure all the world would have noticed the longing in her face, except all the world was focused on her hand locked inside the crook of the King’s elbow.

They reached the dual lines of sea creatures, already partnered with their lobsters. The King was far too exuberant to notice how distracted Cath was.

What would have happened if she had asked Jest to dance instead?

“I have a trick for that too, Lady Catherine.”

He chuckled. “My hat isn’t the only magical thing about me.”

Noticing her, Jest perked up and slid the cards back into some secret pocket.

“Are you ready?” he asked, his whole face lighting up in a way that filled her with warmth and sugar.

CRYING SCREAMING THROWING UP I LOVE FORBIDDEN ROMANCE 

She stiffened, bewildered. “Why would you ask me that?”

“I thought maybe that’s why you’re opposed to the King. I thought you might have already given your heart away to someone else, but maybe … maybe it’s someone your parents wouldn’t be so quick to approve of.”

She started to shake her head. “No, there isn’t anyone else.”

Ellie 

“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.“

“A beating heart was skewered on its tip. It was broken, cut almost clean in half by a blackened fissure that was filled with dust and ash.“

“why is a raven like a writing desk?[…] They are both so full of poetry, you see. Darkness and whimsy, nightmares and song.’

‘“But hoping,’ he said, ‘is how the impossible can be possible after all.’“

“I wish for you all the joy this darkened world can employ”

‘“You have my heart, Jest. I don’t know if you deserve it or not. I can’t tell if you’re a hero or a villain, but it doesn’t seem to matter. Either way, my heart is yours.’”

Absolutely perfect. The way Jest YEARNSSSSSSSS is just perfect he had me giggling and kicking my feet every time I read about him🤭. Catherine made me so mad at the end tho like she KNEW he was gonna die but she still went to save the girl? I get it tho she meant a lot to her but still wild.

Haley

beautiful yet tragic backstory of the queen of hearts, made me cry

Taylor Grace

nany

stars: ★★★★★

I will miss cath and Jest

Linara K.S

Mid book. First half of the book hooked me, but then I slowly got into a slump with the filler nonsense.
The characters weren't interesting except for the Mad Hatter. 
The plot was...out there.
Every decision made by Cath was just plain dumb and could have easily been foxed if she'd used a hint of logic. And yeah... just a very mid book that almost gave me a reading slump.

Anna 

Ah, jak ráda jsem byla, když jsem se znovu objevila v mojí oblíbené Říši divů. Příběh nám poodkryje život Srdcové královny, ale ne takové, jakou známe. Srdcová královna byla dříve dívka, která toužila po tom mít sny. Byla to dívka, která měla srdce. 
Bez srdce se mi líbilo, ani nemůžu vyjádřit jak moc. Díky tomuto prequelu jsem pochopila Srdcovou královnu, a dokázala jsem jí odpustit. Já jakožto veliký milovník Alenky a všeho s ní nebo s Říší divů spojeného jsem si knížku moc užívala. 
Je to zkrátka nádherný, smutný příběh, který by si měl přečíst každý, kdo má rád Říši divů alespoň z poloviny tak moc jako já. 
✩
4*/5*, jednu hvězdičku ubírám kvůli nejasnostem v knize, protože samozřejmě, je to smyšlený příběh, a o Srdcové královně vypráví úplně jinak než ve filmech, počínaje jejím jménem a konče důvodem, ze kterého usedla na trůn.

Heartless starts off very whimsical with a tinge of melancholy in the background and gets dark very quickly at the end. (Expect lots of very lush descriptions of baked treats in this one!) 

My main gripe with this book is Jest and Catherine’s relationship. I found it to be a bit shallow and lacking depth which is a big problem given that the arc of this relationship is pivotal in Catherine’s transition into the Queen of Hearts. I did not believe their love story. 

I like the creative liberties that Marissa Meyer takes with her source material and the Easter eggs that are sprinkled throughout the book. I just wish there was a better buildup in Catherine’s emotional/mental transition and more depth to her character in general.  

Mel 

Heartless starts off very whimsical with a tinge of melancholy in the background and gets dark very quickly at the end. (Expect lots of very lush descriptions of baked treats in this one!) 

My main gripe with this book is Jest and Catherine’s relationship. I found it to be a bit shallow and lacking depth which is a big problem given that the arc of this relationship is pivotal in Catherine’s transition into the Queen of Hearts. I did not believe their love story. 

I like the creative liberties that Marissa Meyer takes with her source material and the Easter eggs that are sprinkled throughout the book. I just wish there was a better buildup in Catherine’s emotional/mental transition and more depth to her character in general.  

This was heartbreaking mostly because you know she isn’t going to have the bakery, or the life with Jest and Mary Ann. Just when all was hopeful in the book I reminded myself that this is her backstory and that with the way she turned out, I’m not surprised after reading this. 

Cathrine was loveable at the start, love of baking and as the blurb says, she fell in love for the first time with Jest. The author did amazing job of showing her descent into madness after Jest’s death. We also see that after her heart is taken, she quite obviously really changes. 

I loved this book, I read my sisters copy but I will be buying my own version to put on my bookshelf because this book really had my heart 💗 

Love you Jest you didn’t deserve that ❤️🕊️

Jafe

This was heartbreaking mostly because you know she isn’t going to have the bakery, or the life with Jest and Mary Ann. Just when all was hopeful in the book I reminded myself that this is her backstory and that with the way she turned out, I’m not surprised after reading this. 

Cathrine was loveable at the start, love of baking and as the blurb says, she fell in love for the first time with Jest. The author did amazing job of showing her descent into madness after Jest’s death. We also see that after her heart is taken, she quite obviously really changes. 

I loved this book, I read my sisters copy but I will be buying my own version to put on my bookshelf because this book really had my heart 💗 

Love you Jest you didn’t deserve that ❤️🕊️

What an unexpectedly addicting and magical read! Loved it

Sasha

Noha Zainal

Anjorin Molayo 

I’ll tell you who’s heartless, it’s Marissa Meyer!!!!

This book was so good and so sad at the same time. I LOVE reading villain origin stories and dare I say I’d be a villain too if this happened to me. 

I’ll tell you who’s heartless, it’s Marissa Meyer!!!!

This book was so good and so sad at the same time. I LOVE reading villain origin stories and dare I say I’d be a villain too if this happened to me. 

Greer Andersson

** spoiler alert **
           4.5 ⭐️
God this book tore my heart out. If anyone is heartless, it’s me. Marissa Meyer’s writing in this book is just so whimsical and magical, it’s so easy to picture scenery and events happening in the book.
She wrote Cath’s descent into madness so well, and although I knew that this book ended in a way that left everyone sobbing their eyes out, I didn’t know how exactly. I don’t think I’ll ever recover.

Camille Osborn-Clark

Hanna Rybchynska

Mary Rose Gibson

Riley Bell

** spoiler alert **
           I really liked Cath off the bat and that she had a special hobby and was more than just another royal gossiper, though she was one. Most people seem to think she’s not worth much more but we see very much that she is through her personal thoughts related to trivial royal things and her defiant attitude against the Jabberwock, although the king doesn’t really see any of this. I only wish we knew more about WHY the king was so infatuated with her and why he didn’t even bother with other girls of the land of Hearts. At least one other girl had some interesting hobby that would amuse the king right? 

I did love how all the favorites of the traditional Wonderland were added in with unique twists. Others said they liked that there wasn’t too much time spent on describing the world we’re all pretty familiar with but I noticed some differences that just felt glossed over. For one, the two lands of the White and Red Queens (the Red Queen obviously is NOT the Queen or Hearts but HOW??) which is a different part of the Looking Glass and a different part of time, and apparently much MORE magical. Back in the land of Hearts, we hear a tidbit from somebody from ~Clubs~ (I don’t remember exactly) and I wish we knew a bit more of the dynamic of the royal lands between the 4 suits. Other than that there was just the perfect amount of magic and amusement and whimsy without doing too much since we’ve seen most of it already in other adaptations. 

We all know that it’s meant to end with the traditional, horrifying and violent Queen of Hearts and I was eager to find out how we were going to get there. The ending did feel a bit rushed but I think it still makes sense. Cath had all of her dreams coming true available at her fingertips but gone in an instant. Instead of dealing with the turmoil and loss she let it fester into hate and disgust. She allowed these emotions to overcome her fairly quickly which does show some type of weakness despite how strong her heart was supposed to be. But I guess that is the worst scenario for anybody that experiences loss and that’s just exactly what happened to our beloved Queen of Hearts. 

I certainly hoped for a happy ending anyway because the idea of being with Jest and having her bakery and ending a war was quite interesting and would have made a thrilling story by itself. But unfortunately that’s not what we were given in the best of ways. So if a happy ending is what you’re looking for you won’t get it here. If you’re looking for a read that will twist your heart with hope and despair fueled by magic in the wonderful world of Wonderland then this book is just for you!

ouch, no voy a ver mas alicia en el pais de las maravillas, tipo la reina de corazones de ahi esta necia y siento q me voy a olvidar de su backstory y solo ver lo malo de ella. Hest te amo y te odio peter. Cuervo te re banco. Y PORQUE MDA CATH TENIAS Q CRUZAR ESA PUERTA

Piliii

Nabila Azahra

ok this is only the first week of january 2018 and i already read 2 books with stupid main character



1. first half of the book was so freaking slow
2. this catherine bih didn't want to speak up for herself and that made me angry. like just say no and run the hell out of town with your boyfriend or something?! instead she kept whining and didn't do anything about it. 
3. to mary anne, i completely understand your desicion, you're such a good RATIONAL friend ily catherine was just being stupid
4. and catherine's parents.... whatever they're just shitty parents
(view spoiler)[5. my dearest gay pal, hatter i like you ok i thought you're pretty cool
6. literally what irks me the most is: that catherine bitch became a pyscho because jest's death. like i get it you love him so much and it kills you but wtf you. barely. knew. him.
7. i pity the king tbh (hide spoiler)]

overall, if you're looking for a book that involves insta-love and a HOT guy, congrats this book is for you!

gülefşan 

bu kitapta emeği geçen herkesin amk beni bu kadar üzmeye hakkınız yok

liana

Annalissa Powner 

“murder, martyr, monarch, mad"

well that... that was a whirlwind of a books!
i was never a giant fan or alice in wonderland, and byt that i mean i liked it but it wasn't a book i ever fangirled over so when i saw heartless i thought "eh" plus i'll admit the size turned me off.
THANK GOODNESS I CHANGED MY MIND!
this was beautifully done, i mean it was so perfect for an alice in wonderland themed story i felt as if they were written by the same mind, it flowed so well and the tone fit perfectly.
because i had never really intended to read this story i didn't read the back and went in more or less completely blind, that made the story so much better.
i feel like this is one of those books the less you know going in the better, you get to watch so much character development that if you don't know what you're looking for it makes it all feel more real.

all in all i loved this book and would highly recommend it. i also recommend tissues when reading it.

Katelyn B

** spoiler alert **
           I loved this backstory into the history of the Queen of Hearts before she was Queen before she gave away her heart. It is a story of forbidden love. Before she was a Queen she was a beautiful girl who loved sweets, wanted to open a bakery with her best friend and had no interest in being Queen. Catherine Pinkerton had the eye of the king and her parents wanted nothing more than to see her married to him. But then she met Jest and fell in love. Which was the start of changing her forever.

Heartless

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