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Heartless by Marissa Meyer Narrator: Rebecca Soler
Also by this author: Cinder, Scarlet , Cress, Winter
Published by MacMillan Audio on 14th November 2019
Genres: Fairytale, Fantasy, Love & Romance, Retellings, YA Fantasy, Young Adult
Length: 14 hours and 34 minutes
Format: Audible
Source: I bought it
Goodreads
Amazon Kindle, Audible, Bookshop, Bookhype
Long before she was the terror of Wonderland - the infamous Queen of Hearts - she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.
Long before she was the terror of Wonderland, she 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. In her first stand-alone teen novel, the New York Times-bestselling author dazzles us with a prequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
I love a good retelling and this one has been on my TBR pile for a while. I read Melissa’s Lunar Chronicles series last year and I LOVED it! So when I saw this was on audio I just had to grab it.
This book is set before Alice in Wonderland and tells the story of how Catherine became the Queen of Hearts. I liked this different take on a retelling by telling the villains story. This has happened a few times recently in a few Disney films and it’s something I really like. I feel like people most of the time there is a reason people have turned evil.
Catherine is young and full of dreams. She is an avid baker and dreams of opening her own bakery. She loves the way her treats make people happy. Catherine was such an endearing character that you really struggle to see how she can become the Queen of Hearts. Marissa does such a good job of making Catherine likeable. I kept hoping that somewhere something would go right for her and things wouldn’t turn out so terrible.
I’m not a die-hard Alice in Wonderland fan but it did make me want to read the book (or maybe watch the film!) I loved that some of the characters like The Mad Hatter were in the book. It really made the story feel real.
I’d love this to become a series as I feel there is more that could come from these characters but I equally understand why it’s a standalone. If you love a retelling with a twist then I would highly recommend this story. Especially the audio version. Rebecca has such a great voice I could listen to her read to me all day. She does such an excellent job of portraying the story and differentiating the voices.
About Marissa Meyer
I live in Tacoma, Washington, with my husband and beautiful twin daughters. Represented by Jill Grinberg. Learn more about me and my upcoming books at http://www.marissameyer.com.
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