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moonlitreading_'s review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
“Was she so afraid to disappoint her parents and the King, that she was willing to put their happiness before her own?”
This is my first Marissa Meyer book and I must say her writing is lovely. Her words kept me hooked from start to finish. I haven’t read Alice in Wonderland so all I know of it is from the 1951 Disney movie. It’s interesting how she played with existing characters and gave them their own history in her story.
Before picking up this book knew that things were not going to go well for Cath because of who the Queen of Hearts is in Alice in Wonderland. That said, it still broke my heart how things came to be. It makes me sad how much of a contrast there is between the Cath from the beginning to the Cath at the end.
The romance between Jest and Cath was so good, I love forbidden lovers. The way Jest really cares about her and puts her well-being first makes me want to bawl my eyes out. Jest can do no wrong in my eyes, he’s perfect.
It’s gonna take a while for me to forget about this book because it made me really sad. Please go read it<3333
This is my first Marissa Meyer book and I must say her writing is lovely. Her words kept me hooked from start to finish. I haven’t read Alice in Wonderland so all I know of it is from the 1951 Disney movie. It’s interesting how she played with existing characters and gave them their own history in her story.
Before picking up this book knew that things were not going to go well for Cath because of who the Queen of Hearts is in Alice in Wonderland. That said, it still broke my heart how things came to be. It makes me sad how much of a contrast there is between the Cath from the beginning to the Cath at the end.
The romance between Jest and Cath was so good, I love forbidden lovers. The way Jest really cares about her and puts her well-being first makes me want to bawl my eyes out. Jest can do no wrong in my eyes, he’s perfect.
It’s gonna take a while for me to forget about this book because it made me really sad. Please go read it<3333
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Fatphobia, and Body shaming
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, and Animal death
dezzykins's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
This is a truly beautifully written back story to the Queen of Hearts that teens and adults can enjoy. I do wish the romance was a little more and the story could've gone on longer to introduce more characters as well as given more chapters with Cath's revengeful side but overall this read was a read I will not forget and I don't regret it at all the emotions were there and I could potentially see myself reading this again in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Death
Moderate: Fatphobia
kendal_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Fatphobia, and Grief
kyra_johnson_'s review
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
It took me a little bit to get into the book, but once we really got to see Jest and Cath’s relationship develop, I was invested. It was hard to read (emotionally) because the ending is in a way already known, but that didn’t stop me from reading it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Fatphobia, Body shaming, and Grief
Moderate: Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Minor: Classism
beklovesbooks's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Similar to Cruella or Maleficent, it’s the unexpected backstory of a character. True to the book and Alice in Wonderland movie, there are many overlapping characters. Powerful love story. Twists, turns, whimsy, fun, tension, creepy. Well done, though I might prefer to rewrite some sections and outcomes myself.
Content Warnings
Minor: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Body shaming, Classism, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Infidelity, and Murder
mysteryharvey's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I love this book and it was so beautifully heartbreaking. The twists and turns were lovely and I almost cried twice. The characters make you defend their wrongdoings with how lovable they are.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Fatphobia, Classism, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, and Blood
kenna13's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I loved the characters and how Meyer wrote Cath’s character arch! It was magical
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming and Fatphobia
Moderate: Suicide, Gore, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts
astoryofpages's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I didn't think I was going to love this book so much. At first, everything seemed quite futile and naive to me, especially Catherine. We had a very magical and princess-ish atmosphere, with lots of glitter. I had a hard time liking it, since I usually read darker fantasy. But this ending, omg!! I had already managed to guess the Jabberwock subplot, but I didn't expect it to come to that. I love how Catherine completely changed. But her character didn't convince me more than that, other than in the last few chapters. Very good rewrite to explain the past of the Queen of Hearts, even if it lacked some complexity to my liking. And that last sentence, wow, gave me chills! But my poor Jest 🥲
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Alcohol, Murder, Blood, and Fatphobia
ash_ton's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
it took me so long to read this book 1) because i had to stop to read books that were due at the library soon and a book club book, and 2) because i skimmed through the ending TWICE and it made me depressed and anxious lol.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Murder, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Death
Minor: Fatphobia
her_littleclouds's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
they deserved so much better(side note the body shaming and fatphobia in this book was not needed under any circumstance and should have been left out)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Death