Review: Heartless by Marissa Meyer
*Spoilers*
What a disappointment.
First of all, how can you expect me to root for a protagonist whose entire voyage of development is just a gradual slide into antagonism? Am I supposed to like a character who begins with admirable goals and ideas, and slowly is denied her dreams and makes ridiculously terrible decisions?
This book is about the backstory of the Queen of Hearts (of Alice fame) so, of course, we know what the ending will be: she becomes a villain. And yet why would anyone write about a villain if not to showcase redeemable qualities? Cath (the eventual Queen) does, at first, seem to possess some virtues. She has goals, confidence, and a relatively independent spirit in an antifeminist, oppressive society.
Cath wants to become a baker, although her family wants her to marry the very silly, not-so-smart king. Then along comes Jest, the attractive court jester who sweeps her off her feet, even as she is being courted by the king and wrestling with her desires versus the desires of her parents. Amidst all of this secrecy and betrayal, a Jabberwock is terrorizing the kingdom.
Several wrong choices later, Cath's secret boyfriend is dead, she has given in to the dark side of grudges, hate, and anger, and she has abandoned all of her dreams at the drop of a hat...or should I say, a head. She marries the king and becomes a horrible person. Seeing how she responded in the face of adversity, I think maybe Jest is better off without her, even if he is dead.
The whole Wonderland thing was alright, but Lewis Carroll stuff is so weird that retelling his stories is hard. And although it wasn't terribly done, Meyer's Wonderland missed the mark for me. The only reason I give it 3.5 stars is because I loved the first third or so of the story. Cath and Jest and their escapades with their magical friends were fun and cute and I loved her bakery thing she almost had going on. And I love Marissa Meyer's writing style. But...then it was just awful and Cath couldn't communicate and she wouldn't stand up for herself and everything was just bleh. If you, like many of my friends, were unable to finish this book...don't feel too guilty.
Hopefully, Marissa Meyer's upcoming novel, Renegades, is nearer the bar set by The Lunar Chronicles and not that of Heartless.
What a disappointment.
First of all, how can you expect me to root for a protagonist whose entire voyage of development is just a gradual slide into antagonism? Am I supposed to like a character who begins with admirable goals and ideas, and slowly is denied her dreams and makes ridiculously terrible decisions?
This book is about the backstory of the Queen of Hearts (of Alice fame) so, of course, we know what the ending will be: she becomes a villain. And yet why would anyone write about a villain if not to showcase redeemable qualities? Cath (the eventual Queen) does, at first, seem to possess some virtues. She has goals, confidence, and a relatively independent spirit in an antifeminist, oppressive society.
Cath wants to become a baker, although her family wants her to marry the very silly, not-so-smart king. Then along comes Jest, the attractive court jester who sweeps her off her feet, even as she is being courted by the king and wrestling with her desires versus the desires of her parents. Amidst all of this secrecy and betrayal, a Jabberwock is terrorizing the kingdom.
Several wrong choices later, Cath's secret boyfriend is dead, she has given in to the dark side of grudges, hate, and anger, and she has abandoned all of her dreams at the drop of a hat...or should I say, a head. She marries the king and becomes a horrible person. Seeing how she responded in the face of adversity, I think maybe Jest is better off without her, even if he is dead.
The whole Wonderland thing was alright, but Lewis Carroll stuff is so weird that retelling his stories is hard. And although it wasn't terribly done, Meyer's Wonderland missed the mark for me. The only reason I give it 3.5 stars is because I loved the first third or so of the story. Cath and Jest and their escapades with their magical friends were fun and cute and I loved her bakery thing she almost had going on. And I love Marissa Meyer's writing style. But...then it was just awful and Cath couldn't communicate and she wouldn't stand up for herself and everything was just bleh. If you, like many of my friends, were unable to finish this book...don't feel too guilty.
Hopefully, Marissa Meyer's upcoming novel, Renegades, is nearer the bar set by The Lunar Chronicles and not that of Heartless.
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