Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland and a favorite of the unmarried King, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, she wants to open a shop and create delectable pastries. But for her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for a woman who could be a queen.
At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the King’s marriage proposal, she meets handsome and mysterious Jest. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into a secret courtship.
Cath is determined to choose her own destiny. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans. – Goodreads
I devoured this one. Kind of like the characters in the book who were obsessed with Catherine’s baking.
Can I just say that Marissa Meyer is a badass as retelling fairytales? Seriously! I’m not a Queen of Hearts kind of girl (hated the ones in the movies, didn’t like the one in the book). This book is the only telling of the Queen of Hearts that I’m down with. It’s basically a prequel to Alice in Wonderland — after all, we never really learn why the Queen of Hearts is so horrible.
Catherine is not your typical strong heroine. She doesn’t fight people, she’s not out on quests. She wants to open her own bakery, not marry the freakin’ king. But she doesn’t want to disappoint her parents. Then Jest comes and everything changes.
It’s instalove. It’s totally instalove. And I didn’t really care at all. Once it happens, their romance develops slowly and though it’s the overarching storyline, it wasn’t obnoxious. It worked really well.
I need to reign this in because I’m just gushing at this point.
The story is dark and twisted. The worldbuilding is fantastic — there are so many characters, beasts, and elements from Alice in Wonderland. The Cheshire Cat, the Looking Glass, the Mad Hatter…the list goes on. They all fit in flawlessly.
I can’t really go into too much more detail without ruining the plot — the ending was painful, though. I set the book down feeling the most intense form of book sadness ever.
I loved this book. I rated it 5/5!
lifebetweenreads.com 