Plot:

Heartless by Marissa Meyer is a re-imagined backstory for the Queen of Hearts – the “mad”

villain of Alice in Wonderland. The story follows Lady Catherine Pinkerton and her fantastic

fantasy journey throughout the land of Hearts and the trauma, drama, and loss that she

experienced before she would take the throne. At the beginning of the novel, Catherine is

introduced as a headstrong girl who desires to open her own bakery with her best friend

Mary-Ann. In typical fantasy-princess fashion, her parents do not approve as they don’t believe

she should participate in the “mans” world of business; rather, she should marry any one of her

numerous suitors – most notably, the unmarried King. But marriage seems too dull and

uninteresting for Catherine who possesses bigger dreams and the determination to make them

happen. Unexpected situations occur during the King’s ball (designed for a proposal) and

Catherine and Jest meet. This event serves as a catalyst for the plot, for the relationship, and for

the urgent matters that occur.

Thoughts:

I started reading Heartless with no prior fantasy-reading experience, nor with any familiarity

with Marissa Meyer’s writing style or the original Alice in Wonderland tale. I would recommend

readers to familiarize themselves with the lore and life of the original story to find more

enjoyment out of the references and the world that is created in Meyer’s re-imagined version.

Even with expectations low, there is a lack of depth or plot, and the romance between Jest and

Catherine feels insta-love. Some of the decisions made were very specific to “teenagers in love”

but it was presented in a stomachable fashion. The writing feels wistful and delectable. At times,

reading Heartless felt like standing still in the middle of a merry-go-round and watching the

characters, plot, and setting whirl around me, sometimes slowing to a agonzing pace, sometimes

speeding into a blur, but altogether too addictive for me to put down or lead myself out of the

story. The character “shells” are well written, however, their arcs fall flat, due to unusual pacing

and the unnecessary length that the first half of the novel contains. Meyer’s writing was addictive

and beautiful, but many aspects of the story feel undercooked and black-and-white in contrast to

the crazy-quirky perceptions of the original story of Alice. Catherine has little involvement in her

own life, which is understandable due to the unique series of events that she finds herself thrust

into, however, she takes a passive approach. Even though there are lacking elements, this pie

slice into her backstory feels filling to describe the series of events that pushed her to be the

Queen of Hearts. Heartless does just what it says it will do, however it isn’t “mad” (quirky,

embodying the spirit of Alice in Wonderland to its fullest capacity) enough. It wasn’t until the

last 100 pages that more dramatic and fast-paced events occurred, and it was this moment when I

knew that I was attached to the cast of characters. I read the final pages as quickly as possible to

face the inevitable pain that would eventually come. Meyer’s writing is brilliant, but Heartless

can feel lacking – especially to avid fantasy readers who expect fully fleshed-out elements of

storytelling to compare with their high expectations. I would still recommend this book for the

characters and for a “pie-slice of life” into Catherine’s journey to discover the method to her

madness and humanize the Alice in Wonderland villain, once and for all. Off with their heads.

Check out Heartless at the Newport Beach Public Library.