Book Review | Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Title: Heartless
Author: Marissa Meyer
Publication: November 8th 2016 by Feiwel & Friends
Series: Standalone
Pages: 449
Genre: Fantasy
Copy: Hardcover; Bought
Summary: 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.

The Lunar Chronicles is one of my favorite series of all time, so I had pretty high expectations going into this book.  There were a lot of aspects that I liked about this book.  The writing, as expected, is amazing.  I especially loved the similarities to the original Alice and Wonderland story.  The setting is probably my favorite part of this book.  It brought back so many memories of reading Lewis Carroll as a kid.  However, although I enjoyed reading this book, there were some things that disappointed me a little.

Let's talk about the characters.  Not gonna lie, I hated Cath.  She's literally the wimpiest MC I've ever read about.  She doesn't stand up for herself AT ALL.  This book could've been over 50 pages in if she just stood up for what she wanted.  And I know, I know.  She's the Queen of Hearts.  We're not supposed to like her.  Just augh.  I hate reading from the POV of character I don't like.

I really enjoyed all of the other characters, though.  Jest is definitely my favorite character; he's so sweet and he could've done so much better than Cath.  Cheshire is another one of my favorites (he's literally the definition of chaotic good).  Overall, the characters were pretty well-done, and I enjoyed reading about them.

However, the one thing that really disappointed me about this book is the ending.  Obviously, we all know what happens; Cath turns evil and becomes the Queen of Hearts.  It could have been so incredibly epic, but...it just wasn't.  Everything seems kinda rushed and unbelievable.  Cath goes from a whinny, weak character to "OF WITH HIS HEAD" in .2 seconds.  Maybe if she would've been a stronger character from the beginning, or showed more signs of darkness in her, it would've been more believable.

Now, after all of that, you're probably thinking: why'd you rate it 4 stars??  The thing is, I'm being really nitpicky here because I just had such high expectations for this book.  Overall, I really did enjoy reading this book.  I just wanted to rant because I know that this book could've been even better with a few slight changes.  If you like Alice and Wonderland and villain backstories, I would definitely recommend reading this book.

Let me know in the comments if you've read this book, and whether or not you liked it!