“But hoping," he said, "is how the impossible can be possible after all.”


We all know who the Queen of Hearts is but we don't know how she became the tyrant she is within Wonderland or her motivations. If you've read Meyer's Fairest, you know how well she writes villain's backstories and this is no exception.


Catherine is a sweet, sweet-creating girl who has big aspirations of opening her own bakery someday. That day is not today, unfortunately, because her parents aspire to improve their station by marrying their daughter off to the king. Of course, Cath does not want to marry the king, not only because he has little backbone or substance but because she is in love with someone else. Jest, the court joker whom you will fall in love with just as she does. 


Heartless is not an Alice in Wonderland retelling but rather inspired by the characters and world prior to Alice arriving. They all have their own backstory to tell and Meyer gives it to them, much to all of our delight. This book gets very dark at times, which I appreciate. The story of a girl going from sweet and inspired to a monarch who deals with disappointment by death is not going to be fluffy. Characters such as Cheshire provide just enough comic relief to get you through the end. 


Oh, and you'll never think of turtles the same way again.


The narrator in the audiobook will be familiar to those who listened to the Lunar Chronicles. While it's clear she has a range of characterizations she can provide, I found her portrayal that mirrors the animated movies to be distracting and uninspired. I nearly gave up listening due to the high-pitched, incredibly loud portrayal of the White Rabbit. I recommend reading the book versus listening (plus it's beautiful!).