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snowwhitehatesapples's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
Also on Snow White Hates Apples.
Before she was the ruthless Queen of Hearts, Catherine was a sheltered, young noblewoman who dreamed of opening her own bakery with her best friend, a maid who has always been by her side. She dreamed of marrying for love, not for duty.
But, reality is never as dreamed.
As the daughter of the Marquess and Marchioness of Rock Turtle Cove, Catherine can never open her bakery without her father’s support or unless she removes herself from her family. She can never marry for love either, because the greatest match for her is none other than the King of Hearts, a simple-minded but happy little old man. Nevertheless, Catherine is determined to turn her dreams into reality. She finds ways to open her bakery, lets her heart love a man she shouldn’t and goodness, the forbidden romance is so sweet, so swoon-worthy — even I, who can’t read YA romance without cringing, found myself being swept along with Catherine.
Jest is one of the better (if not the best) fictional love interests out there. His many strong pros include being dashing, brave, kind, attentive, understanding and fun. The only con I can think of? Loving Catherine through a fool’s rose-tinted glasses.
As much as I understand Catherine’s characterisation and actions, I can’t help being frustrated by her naivety, her spinelessness and her stubbornness too. She’s the epitome of the fine line between heroic and foolish. She’s constantly saved by others (mostly Jest) and can’t really stand up for herself. She’s so, so exasperating to read because, at the same time, I can’t fault her as she’s merely the result of her upbringing and surroundings.
Hence why I find it a shame that everyone has to suffer the consequences of Catherine’s many choices, be it as the sweet young noblewoman or as the ruthless Queen of Hearts. (Though, the path she chose is arguably, preordained by fate.)
Characters aside, I adore the way Meyer brought Wonderland to life. The imagery is gorgeous, plus the overall execution had just the right amount of Alice in Wonderland-ness to it. It’s not as zany as the original tale but that’s fine. It’s a story inspired by the classic, after all.
Everything considered, Heartless>/i> has the right balance of whimsical, historical fantasy, forbidden romance and prophecy . Whether you’re a fan of the original Alice in Wonderland or not, as long as those three aspects tickle your fancy, this is a book you’ll want to read!
Before she was the ruthless Queen of Hearts, Catherine was a sheltered, young noblewoman who dreamed of opening her own bakery with her best friend, a maid who has always been by her side. She dreamed of marrying for love, not for duty.
But, reality is never as dreamed.
As the daughter of the Marquess and Marchioness of Rock Turtle Cove, Catherine can never open her bakery without her father’s support or unless she removes herself from her family. She can never marry for love either, because the greatest match for her is none other than the King of Hearts, a simple-minded but happy little old man. Nevertheless, Catherine is determined to turn her dreams into reality. She finds ways to open her bakery, lets her heart love a man she shouldn’t and goodness, the forbidden romance is so sweet, so swoon-worthy — even I, who can’t read YA romance without cringing, found myself being swept along with Catherine.
Jest is one of the better (if not the best) fictional love interests out there. His many strong pros include being dashing, brave, kind, attentive, understanding and fun. The only con I can think of? Loving Catherine through a fool’s rose-tinted glasses.
As much as I understand Catherine’s characterisation and actions, I can’t help being frustrated by her naivety, her spinelessness and her stubbornness too. She’s the epitome of the fine line between heroic and foolish. She’s constantly saved by others (mostly Jest) and can’t really stand up for herself. She’s so, so exasperating to read because, at the same time, I can’t fault her as she’s merely the result of her upbringing and surroundings.
Hence why I find it a shame that everyone has to suffer the consequences of Catherine’s many choices, be it as the sweet young noblewoman or as the ruthless Queen of Hearts. (Though, the path she chose is arguably, preordained by fate.)
Characters aside, I adore the way Meyer brought Wonderland to life. The imagery is gorgeous, plus the overall execution had just the right amount of Alice in Wonderland-ness to it. It’s not as zany as the original tale but that’s fine. It’s a story inspired by the classic, after all.
Everything considered, Heartless>/i> has the right balance of whimsical, historical fantasy, forbidden romance and prophecy . Whether you’re a fan of the original Alice in Wonderland or not, as long as those three aspects tickle your fancy, this is a book you’ll want to read!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Murder, and Body shaming
Minor: Misogyny, Death, and Animal death
praaliine's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
i actually dnf’d this book, i only marked it as read because i was 73% in and the hours i spent reading it can never be gotten back. this book was a drag and painful to read, i wasn’t excited to flip to the next page or to know what happened next. i have genuine, deep seated beef with the entire book because the premise was cute but it fell so flat and i resorted to skimming through the pages when i was halfway but struggled to even do that. the world building was sorely lacking and i’m sure the plot line didn’t know what it was let alone the reader. the main character had next to no personality and didn’t stand out in anyway. i felt no attachment to the characters like i usually would when i’m immersed in a good book, they were all forgettable. this book was boring, that’s what it was, boring.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism and Gaslighting
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
solouncapitulomas's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
“It is a dangerous thing to unbelieve something only because it frightens you.”
I grew up reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and I have to say this book reached every expectation, I think Lewis would've been proud. Such an amazing writing I could picture myself in Wonderland once again and THE PLOT omg, it left me aching, I knew the ending and dared to hope
(like the fool that I am) damn, I will not be able to hear the word fool every again...thanks Marissa, I will be reading more of your books ma'am bc I do love me some pain.
<a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6SA85E1XbXKpC5NcHeb44T?si=4e7f44275a164984">heartless amazing playlist</a>
I grew up reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and I have to say this book reached every expectation, I think Lewis would've been proud. Such an amazing writing I could picture myself in Wonderland once again and THE PLOT omg, it left me aching, I knew the ending and dared to hope
(like the fool that I am) damn, I will not be able to hear the word fool every again...thanks Marissa, I will be reading more of your books ma'am bc I do love me some pain.
<a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6SA85E1XbXKpC5NcHeb44T?si=4e7f44275a164984">heartless amazing playlist</a>
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Body shaming, Blood, and Emotional abuse
Minor: War, Adult/minor relationship, and Suicide
tays_books's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Grief, and Pedophilia
Minor: Kidnapping, Suicide, and War
leilaliw's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Violence, Blood, and Gore
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
rawan_m's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Murder
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
baponthecob's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Grief
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis and Suicide
roseamillerg's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
damn.😭
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexism
Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, and Eating disorder
ednam0dewannabe's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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 can't stop crying as I write this review, which I will have to keep short because if I went into detail and explained why I gave this novel the rating it has it would enter the spoiler zone. If you like forbidden love stories, a mystery that gets bigger with each chapter and an original and fresh world, I highly recommend this novel. Just make sure you have a box of Kleenex nearby. You'll thank me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Body horror, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Sexism, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Murder
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, Violence, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, and War
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