Sweet, easy read. I really liked the story. The characters are fun and cute. It’s such a great middle grade book. The end definitely leaves room for a new story and yet this one came to a satisfying end. I’ll probably read the next one soon.

Even though I am very familiar with this story and it's many variations, I finally listened to this book! I own a few copies but chose to listen via audio book and it was a great, short book to listen to. There's not much to say about this classic except that it's a fun story that everyone should read.

Such a fantastic, FULL book. There was a lot going on, a lot of side stories, and it all tied together beautifully. I listened to the Author's Preferred Text 10th Anniversary Addition via Libro.fm audio book. I recommend this book to anyone who likes twists and turns, stories that fuse many beliefs, and a little bit of heart ache.

I simply loved it. The main character was bad ass, the storyline was easy to follow and full of magic, and the ending wrapped up nicely. Just enough romance to be believable for teens and still engaging. The faerie world was so fantastical and it fit with the “real” world just right. Loved it.

3.5 stars. This was a HUGE story. The world, characters, schemes, side-schemes... all of it was a lot. I had a really hard time getting into this book. I think I was over halfway through before I got interested enough that I actually wanted to know what was going to happen next. There was a lot of world building, background information, and set-up to get to the "meat" of the story. At least, that's how it felt to me. I didn't connect with any of the characters, and I didn't find that I favored any characters either, which meant that I wasn't rooting for anyone and I was loosing interest. I usually give a book just 100 pages before DNF it, if I feel I won't like it, but there were so many of my reader friends (who share similar book taste) that liked this, that I decided to finish it. I'm actually glad I did because it was a good story. I didn't expect the end result, and I always like when the ending are a surprise. I won't be reading anymore of this series since this book's story came to an end and I don't care to find out what happens to the remaining characters. If you like new, similar-to-ours worlds, based in the past, with schemes, thievery, and murder... then this is a great book for you!

The way Marissa Meyer made this Queen of Hearts story match the Queen of Hearts we know from the classic Alice In wonderland story was genius. I really liked Catherine at the beginning of this book. The character arc was well executed (pun intended) and by the end I felt I truly understood why the Queen of Hearts is the way she is. Great book.

Lived up to the hype

I’m so glad I was finally able to read this book. The world was so rich and full, that it occupied my mind even when I wasn’t reading. I kept wanting to get back into this story, this world! If you love excitement, twists, love, heartache and fantasy, this will tick all those boxes for you.

I really don't know how to review this book... I didn't like the first half and would not have finished it had it not been that I was reading it for my bookclub... and Gideon. I love Gideon's sass, snark, all that stuff she's made up of. I was so confused by who the characters were, how to pronounce their names, the different terms used to refer to them... I wish I had known to LOOK IN THE BACK OF THE BOOK!!! The glossary and info woulda been great...
Okay, so the story confused me. I didn't know what the point of the trip to the First House was, until I read through a bit more. Was it lost in translation? Did I just not follow along properly? I really don't know. Also, What was the POINT of the "trials"? To be Lyctor, yes, but what was the point of the ODD TRIALS? To prove they could do certain things with their necromantic skills? And since Gideon was the MC of this book, why didn't she participate until over halfway through? Because Harrow is a bitch, yes, BUT SERIOUSLY, she WANDERED for DAYS/WEEKS and the story got stale... This is all just my opinion obviously and others have loved this book. I think I'd like it more if I reread it, because I'd know some background to help me understand WHAT THE F WAS HAPPENING. Again, I was confused. Also, it felt like the author worked a little too hard to come up with synonyms for so many things. I get it, you don't want to use the same words too often and become boring, but I had to look up too many words. Or the word was used obscurely and it made me do a double take. And "myriad" was used... so many times.... But, I give the author kudos. I learned some awesome new vocabulary and I'm much more knowledgeable about typical "English" words as opposed to the "American" stuff I usually read. And those disgustingly detailed fight scenes with the grotesque explanations... BLECH! They were awesome and gross, and I had to stop eating during a few (yes, I eat while I read. Or, I read while I eat..). Okay, so this only gets lower stars because I really just did not like huge chunks of the story. The beginning was confusing, the explanations of the places was long and confusing... Again I will say, If I were to reread this, I'd probably enjoy it a lot more. At this point, I don't know if I will read the next book.

I'm going to have to take a few days to mourn before I can write a proper review...