Sunday, April 9, 2017

Review: Heartless

Heartless Heartless by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

You know when you hear about what the author of a series you're in love with is working on next as it comes to close and you think you can't wait to see what they do with this? You think the premise sounds great and you think you would love to read it because it sounds like it's right up your alley. You think about what a great and imaginative retelling they provided you in X book or Y book and how you just know that they are going to rock this concept too because how couldn't they? That's how I felt going into Heartless. I was coming off a high of reading some excellent books (Cinder, Scarlet, etc.) and felt certain that Marissa Meyer could handle the Queen of Hearts based on how well she'd tackled Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, and Snow White.

What I found was not what I was hoping for...



After the heartbreaking narrative of Fairest, I think I expected a treatment of the Queen of Hearts that I could feel for, one that I could identify with and see a connection with. I think I was expecting too much because I did not find the same kind of kinship with Cath and her struggle.



I think I would have been able to get behind it if it hadn't tried to create a world with yet another madman in the court of Hearts. I think I would have been able to get behind it if there was a relationship gone wrong between Hatta and Cath. I think this would have been something more interesting than the death of a nameless, faceless Jester causing her to snap and start spouting "off with their heads!"

The rating is 3 stars because, and I can't say this enough, the quirky world building and the writing itself is beautiful. The word choice is stellar and the description is breathtaking. It was a great premise that fell short on execution. I am not used to a book from Marissa Meyer that I can put down (several times) and have troubles picking back up. I'm hoping to be back to the norm with Renegades.


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