Heartless by Marissa Meyer | Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5)

"Fascinating, isn't it, how often heroic and foolish turn out to be one and the same."

Oh, where to start, where to start? I do so love dipping into various spins on Wonderland and am constantly looking into retellings and re-imaginings. Marissa Meyer, of course, is one of the most prolific authors in the fantasy young adult world and is known most highly for her fairytale retellings in the beloved The Lunar Chronicles series. Heartless is a standalone novel not related to the above series but surely will strike a chord amongst her biggest fans and then some.

Highly imaginative and entertaining, Heartless serves as an intriguing origin story to The Queen of Hearts. Full of action, romance and one heartfelt characters way to being heartless, it is impossible to put down in all its glory.

While, at times, it felt as though the story was underdeveloped and was unable to keep up with its delicious premise and prose, Heartless was captivating and easy to read in one sitting. It is very much so a story that you will devour almost instantly (not unlike, ahem, Lady Peter and her pumpkins) and find yourself craving to continue even when you must take a break. The characters are fascinating and it's always a good tale when it comes to getting into the heads of someone who is on their path to becoming one of literature's biggest villains.

That being said, it had its flaws and there were quite a few plots that felt rushed or dull. This isn't to say it wasn't fun--I loved it for what it was. Which was an intriguingly fluffy spin on love and loss and life in Hearts. We had sizzling chemistry in the deliciously complex relationship between Cath (or as you will soon know her: the Queen) and Jest. I am a sucker for forbidden romances and this one doesn't let you down in terms of romance--unless you consider the tears that you will shed in the climax of the novel.

At hand are other familiar faces from Wonderland--Mary Ann, The White Rabbit, Mad Hatter, March Hair, so on and so forth. I thought it was delightful how these characters came and went. Seeing them tied into the central plot of Catherine's story was a blast despite how unrealistic it felt, even for a story taking place in Wonderland.

Other pros: Mary Ann is an absolute angel, Catherine is lovable in a complex way (you are all kinds of sympathetic towards her and heartbroken when she becomes, well, heartless) and Jest is pretty damn dreamy despite how underdeveloped he felt.

Overall, I really enjoyed myself with this one and can't get over how beautiful the set-up and cover art is. Both on the dust jacket and underneath. It truly looks like a classic book and is totally swoon worthy.