“Heartless”
Written by Marissa Meyer
Reviewed by Diana Iozzia
As a retelling of a famous literary work, especially
one for children that was made into a Disney film, Heartless, had my
significantly high expectations to overcome. For all my life, I have loved Alice
in Wonderland, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and many different
retellings. Remakes and reimagining of Alice’s story have been pervasive in
media since Lewis Carroll’s first publishing. This work, Heartless,
comes from a writer who has made most of her career adapting and reimagining
fairy tales and folklore, so I expected greatness. This recreation is
spear-headed by Catherine, ‘Cath’, who lives in the Kingdom of Hearts in what
will be known as the dimension of Wonderland.
Cath is a teenager, of noble blood, whose main
ambition is to open her own bakery in the small cozy village nearest her. Her
parents believe that Alice should be married off, to the King of Hearts, who
has begun courting Cath. However, Cath does not want to be married to him, for
she meets a new boy to capture her heart, Jest, a joker at the castle. Jest is
charming and clever, while the King is boring and oafish. The premise of the story
is that we meet a young Queen of Hearts, before her rise to power and her
descent into madness. Can we reconcile that Cath will be later this demonic and
horrific villain? Will we see why? Cath’s journey introduces us to many
familiar characters from the Alice lore, including some interesting new
characters. We see the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, many cards turned guards,
a cobbler named Caterpillar, Magpies, Cuckoo birds, Duke Warthog, Peter Peter
Pumpkin Eater, the Jabberwock, and more.
My thoughts on this novel are all positive. This is a
fantastic work of young adult fantasy, with gorgeous figurative language,
incredibly visual scenes, witty yet intelligent dialogue, and a true author’s
ability to adapt a classic. Mayer’s wisdom shines through, as she acutely can
adapt these characters and story into a fresh and unique work of fiction that
honors the original and praises her innovation. Heartless is a stark
novelty, almost a new fairy tale all on its own. Additionally, I was impressed
by the character development of Catherine, her positive changes and the unraveling
of her mental state. I was surprised by the causes of her descent into madness,
but I found some clues that alluded to it.
After completing the story, I found that the plot was
so incredibly intricate, with clues for every reveal embedded in details. The
author’s ability to create nuance, providing appealing and effective context
for most memorable scenes and moments from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland:
painting the roses red, ‘off with her head’, the Mad Hatter’s craziness, etc. I
was completely invested in all plot aspects: her bakery dreams, her marriage
woes, her romance with Jest, the fear of the dangerous Jabberwock, and the secrets
surrounding certain characters. I loved the inclusion of fates, puzzles,
riddles, Time, the Looking Glass, and a thorough world build of each kingdom, Hearts
and Chess. The final act of the book includes a fascinating climax with many
interesting reveals, important deaths, heartbreaking decisions, and a great final
line. Cath’s descent into madness was unexpected and crushing, yet unbeatable.
Personally, I think this may be the best Alice’s Adventures
in Wonderland reimagining that I have yet to read. Heartless was
absolutely perfect, without any glaring flaws or poor aging aspects. I truly
wish this could have been extended into a series, but maybe if we beg Mayer enough,
Catherine’s story would continue. I would love to spend more time in Mayer’s version
of Wonderland. Truly, I recommend this novel to anyone interested in fantasy, young
adult, Disney, and fairy tales. As an adult, I have grown skeptical of teen fiction,
for fear of cheesy dialogue, poor character choices, and unhealthy romantic depictions.
None of these fears came true, leaving me blown away. If you find yourself on
the fence about picking this novel up, take the leap.
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