Heartless by Marissa Meyer
Pan Macmillan, 2016. ISBN 9781925479478
(Age: 13+) Recommended. A tale that is a must read for anyone who
enjoyed Alice in Wonderland and fairy tale retellings,
Meyer, the New York Times bestselling author of The Lunar
Chronicles, has given a unique backstory to the woman who was
the Queen of Hearts. Catherine Pinkerton is a talented baker and
even though she is desired by the unmarried King of Hearts, all she
wants to do is to open a baker's shop with her best friend. However
her mother is determined that she will be the next queen and having
a daughter who owns a bakery is not what she wants. Then Cath meets
Jest, the handsome court jester and the two begin to fall in love,
but fate intervenes . . .
Readers will become engrossed in the setting of the strange fantasy
world that Meyer has created, while identifying with the normality
of Cath making delicious cakes and dreaming of opening her own shop.
Catherine feels no attraction for the King of Hearts and doesn't
want to be the Queen of Hearts, instead falling for Jest a most
unsuitable man in the eyes of her mother. Readers will be swept away
by the conflict that Cath faces, that of being a dutiful daughter
and obeying her mother, while wanting completely different things
for herself.
The idea behind the story is very clever, the writing is lyrical,
Catherine's dreams and desires are very relatable and the ending
will leave readers breathless. This is sure to appeal to people who
enjoyed The lunar chronicles, and those who like books by
Robin McKinley, Zoe Marriot and Frances Hardinge.
Pat Pledger