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hollyheartless's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I can’t explain how much I love this book. This is the first book I read for a second time because I loved it so much but I still haven’t emotionally recovered. The plot is so engaging throughout and the characters are impossible not to get attached to. I can’t recommend this book enough to anyone who loves a fantasy retelling/reimagining or just anyone who loves a fantasy book. Warning though: once you read this book, it will be on your mind constantly and I don’t know if anyone has set up a ‘just read Heartless’ emotional support line but they should
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Classism, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
kim_lommaert's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Death, and Grief
Minor: Blood and Kidnapping
good_names_dont_exist's review
adventurous
emotional
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Body shaming, Blood, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Suicide and War
holiday7's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
Most of this book made me either really shocked or really sad. Fuck Margaret, Peter, the King, and Catherine's parents. Also, justice for the Duke, Jest, and Mary Ann. I loved them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Grief
Moderate: Blood, Emotional abuse, and Body shaming
Minor: Suicide and War
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
beckyyreadss's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
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
4.0
I wanted to read this book because I really enjoyed the Cinder Series and I enjoy how Marissa does her re-tellings. I struggled with the Gilded Series and the Renegades Series. But I enjoyed this standalone.
This book is based on the Queen of Hearts. Before she got the Queen of Hearts title, she was Catherine Pinkerton, and she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love. She was one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favourite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. She is a talented baker and all she wants to do is open a bakery with her best friend. But according to her mother, having a goal like that is unthinkable for a 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 an intense and 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, it looks like fate has other plans.
This is one of the times where all I wanted to do throughout this whole book is hug Cath and smack the shit out of her parents, like multiple times. All she wanted to do was to have her own life and open her own bakery. Yet her parents wanted her to marry off the power and status in the country. I just love how badass she got and how he learned to stand up for herself during this book. I love that she wanted to fight for everyone but also learned that she can’t save anyone. The storyline was strong and that you lose the fact that she’s not the villain until towards the end, but at the beginning she’s just this doe-eyed girl who had dreams and wishes. Jest was adorable and wanted more of him and his ending made me bawl my eyes out.
I would have loved for this book to be a dual POV, I would have loved to have seen how the Jest felt. I would have loved some more romance as well; it was a very quick and painful relationship, and I would have loved to be a bit slower and more romance.
This book made me root for the villain for the first time and I would love more books where the villain is the face of it all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Blood
Minor: War and Suicide
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
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