The mixed reviews I heard before going into this book, made me slightly hesitant. I wasn't expecting to love this as much as I did, though it did make me angry and frustrated at the same time.

The writing was absolutely breathtaking! Honestly the whimsical, magical feel of the words was probably 80% of the reason I loved this book as much as I did. Marissa Meyer's writing can honestly convert the least romantic person on Earth, into a squealing, I-ship-this-so-much fangirl.

Speaking of the romance, I'm surprised I loved it as much as I did. Catherine, our main character, does sort of fall in love with Jest, the Joker, pretty quickly, but for some reason I didn't mind that. I think going into this book expecting a fairytale retelling and setting, it changed my expectations for the romance. I fell in love with Jest as quickly as Catherine did, so that definitely made a difference. He's so sweet and charismatic and mysterious, you just want to know more about him.

I loved Catherine as a character too, especially how much she loved baking and how to her, making sweets was her own kind of magic. I understood her situation way too well, and that's what made things so difficult when it came to reading this book. Her dream to open a bakery with her friend Mary Ann reminded me of my secret dreams and my fear of telling my parents. The scene where she finally tells them had me screaming at her to not do, but I also understood the hope she felt that maybe things would work out.

Now Catherine's parents and the whole courtship and marriage is another thing I want to talk about. And I'll be honest, since no one really reads my reviews lol. I noticed a lot of similarities between Catherine's parents and her situation and my own. Catherine's dad is similar to my dad – he stays out of the marriage business and leaves it to my mom, until he needs to step in. And my mom is very much like Catherine's mom – she gets excited and happy whenever I get a proposal, she's super concerned about what people think about me, she's constantly telling me what to wear and how to speak and act, and she gets upset when I say i don't want to get married. I understood the pressure Catherine was going through. The need to make her parents proud. Knowing that nothing else you do will make them as happy as them seeing you married is so difficult. It makes you feel like that's the only worth you have to your parents. And yet they do this cause they want you to be happy. And while I understand that most parents want that, the thing I think the book did well is show that just because someone assumes they know what will make you happy, doesn't mean they do. And honestly, all it takes is for someone to ask and listen and try and understand. Peer-pressure sucks, and for Catherine it was awful. Everyone was expecting her to marry the King, and even the stupid King was making presumptions without considering her feelings. Her feelings didn't matter and I felt like I related to Catherine on a whole other level.

The very end of the book when her father says that if she doesn't want to do this, she doesn't have to, that all they want is for her to be happy...it made me so angry. And seeing Catherine's response had me nodding my head with agreement:

"How different everything could have been, if you had thought to ask me that before."

And this line is so true. It's better to ask before its too late. And honestly, I hated Catherine's parents for this, and yeah I kind of hope they regret what they did for the rest of their lives.

Catherine's change at the end was something I had been expecting the entire book, yet I was still hoping for the ending I wanted. I understood her anger towards Mary Ann, but I also understood Mary Ann's concern and how she tried to fix what she had done. But for Catherine, Jest wasn't just someone she loved, he was her chance at freedom. In a way, Jest is very similar to one of Hatta's hats. He gave her the ability to dream that she could make her own choices, fall in love, and be herself. And to have that taken away, I think it justified Catherine's anger and need for vengeance. And while really sad, it kind of shows how your actions can affect people, and how you should think twice before doing or saying something.

Overall, I'm rating this book a 4.5/5 stars, down a 0.5 cause lol this book made me depressed at times.