Heartless by Marissa Meyer | Review & Discussion 

This book broke my heart in so many ways..... it's such a masterpiece.

Spoilery, don't read if you haven't read the book. Kaths parent infuriated me. There were times I just wanted to throw the book across the room. At the end when her father asked if this is what she wanted, and she said, if only you asked me that before, I was like YES, THAT'S WHAT YOU GET, JERK. Ok rant over.

FOREVER CRYING OVER JEST

I think it was so interesting to read a story where you KNEW where it would go, but somehow you still have hope LOL

SPOILERS i cried my eyes out when Jest died. I literally don’t know why Marissa has to put that, I think about it.

When Jest died I was so in denial, I couldn't accept the fact that he died.

That last line was perfection! I read the line, and I closed the book feeling complete...even though I wish this would have been a series because it was just so good!

The Red Queen in the Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland freaks out about someone eating her tarts... Cath loves tarts, I love this connection lol

Ugh the book just killed me. All the time i just hoped that maybe there's a chance it's gonna be an alternative universe and they will end up together and she won't become the queen of hearts and everything will be perfect. But it was written amazingly and I loved it even though I hoped for a happy ending.

SPOILERS AHEAD Ok so you guys know the phrase; ‘One to be a murderer, the other to be martyred, One to be monarch, the other to go mad.” My own take of this is that all of these describe Catherine. She became a murderer after killing the Jabberwock (she killed her herself) and then Peter Peter (she ordered for his beheading). She was in a way “martyred” because she sold her soul and heart when she had to marry the king, she kind of “lost” her “old self” to fulfill her duties. The monarch one is pretty self explanatory. She did go “mad”, losing her senses and being “heartless”. I mean she wasn’t the innocent, young baker anymore, now she had become a monarch, with anger consuming her and coursing through her veins. that’s my take on this quote ! :D

did anyone else see the three sisters parallel? in the orignal Alice in wonderland, i don't remember who but at the mad hatters tea party, someone tells the story of the three girls who live in the treacle well and draw things with the letter M and in heartless the sisters prophesized that they was going to be a martyr, monarch, murdered, and mad person i just love how Marissa Meyer used the smallest details from the book and made them into such a big thing

I loved Jest and I hoped he wouldn't die. But y'all know what happened .

This book made me sympathise with the Queen. Something I thought to be impossible. But then I like to believe 6 impossible things before breakfast.

I loved Heartless so much and Jest was my favorite!

I swear the ending was not what I imagined. I'm half mad and half disappointed. I wish she'd let Mary Ann die since she betrayed Cath. Jest would still be alive😭

*spoilers* OMG THIS BOOK IS PERFECTION BUT STILL SO ARRRGGGGGG HEART WRENCHING JESUS throughout the entire reading experience I was SO nervous because I hoped so much that it would not end in tragedy BUT THEN IT STILL ENDED IN TRAGEDY WHYYY GAAAWWWWDDDD I mean I know the ending makes the book so awesome but i really hope it's not so tragic it's like someone freakin stabbed me and threw me out a window and dropped a piano on my face when I read the end of the book.

*MILD SPOILER ALERT* Another thing I loved about heartless was that all the actions of the characters were never without reason- even when Mary Ann betrayed her, there was justification in it (I mean, if your friend told you about her secret lover and you thought that he kidnapped her, and you didn't know anything about him anyway; Wouldn't you have told her parents, if you thought it wouldve saved her?) Even the Marquess and Marchioness, they only wanted what was best for her, and even though their vision of "happiness" was very different from her own, you understand the genuine care that they have for her (though muddled by their opposing vision) Though there were also scenes that made me want to scream at the book at how stupid they were being, like when Cath went through the door without a weapon; and telling them to wait when she 1) didnt know her way through the maze 2) will probably take a whole day to save Mary Ann and find them again 3) didnt even ask for directions ??? and when Mary Ann went and tried to kill the Jabberwock herself (without bringing a weapon; either) LIKE.... WHICH PART OF THAT PLAN WAS LOGICAL AGAIN (even though you understood, and maybe even admire, her intentions) though perhaps that's what the dream-bonnet does to a person? Also: That last part in which the Hatta and Cath (the newly bethrothed Queen of Hearts) were talking in his the hat shop with Hatta on the brink of madness, he said something along the lines of "You were not the only one who loved him," and "I had to come back for him" and then Cath said: "did he know" or something like that... Was I the only one who thought this could've hinted that Hatta had loved Jest (romantically, perhaps?) or maybe I was reading it wrong and it was really just a brotherly sort of love- or something of the sort... (Though either way, it doesnt really change much)

Marissa Meyer is queen at retellings.

spolier loved the book. quite sad that she had no happy ending but it was a amazing ending. i cried when Jest died.

SPOILER i personally think one of the reasons jests death was so heartbreaking was because he really didn’t have any character flaws, whereas all of the other characters definitely have flaws and he seems perfect compared to everyone also, i absolutely love how every single thing in the book is important, either to the plot of this book, or the original alice’s adventures in wonderland. like how if even one thing in the book didn’t happen, the book would be different. i loved rereading the book and seeing how things played out.

I finished it this morning at 1AM and I was bawling my eyes out. Don't get me wrong, I loved how it ended. But you-know-who's death is just... 😭😭😭

I read Heartless not knowing it was a story about the queen of hearts and by the end of it I was like WHYYYYYYYYY!!!??? I thought it was going to be a happy ending😣😣

I love jest with all my heart and I will always love him. The end broke me and made me cry. I freaking loved this book.

I came into this book without knowing it was the Queen of Hearts backstory. I had absolutely no idea that this book would rip my heart in pieces. I realized the true plot when I finished, and now I'm in shock.

Just completed Heartless absolutely in love with this book I cried, laughed and was so overwhelmed for her. So happy I heard 'off with her head' and Marissa Meyer is an amazing writer. What a great review, this is by far the best review on youtube.

“Off with his head” ICONIC

this book broke my damn heart. broke it into pieces. and now all my friends hate me for making them read it and breaking their hearts in the process.

I love prequels and fairy tale retellings, but I'm also hesitant about reading prequels for villains that make you sympathize with them, when you KNOW that things will not go well for them :(

I like the fact that in our world it’s an actual thing or joke or whatever that your greatest fear is becoming your parents. And in this book I thought that Caths mother acted like the queen of hearts and Caths worst fear was losing her dream of the bakery and nest and becoming queen and not only does she become queen but she becomes her mother!

When I read it, i knew what was going to happens but I still had hope for jest to come and cath to not become the queen. I cried a sea with this book. The only thing that I keep asking is like what does raven thinks about everything?

I just finished this book and I loved it! But I was so irritated with Cath's mom!

SPOILER I literally cried for an hour after finishing it, it honestly just destroyed me. Whyyyyy

I just finished the book and I needed this video more than anything! I cried through a whole day! I don't want to read or do anything .... my life now is just meh... Jest was everything, and I'm heartbroken.

Was I the only one who saw a few parallels to Romeo and Juliet in Heartless? Maybe I'm just thinking about that because I read R&J last month...hmm...

I'm wasn't familiar with the Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland. I'm glad of that because I had no idea what the end would be.

I loved the book but it made me cry twice, and I usually don’t cry on books. Once from when Jest dies-the end, and the other, when the walrus remark was brought up also at the end. My heart just wrenched for Cath. I HATED the Marchioness in that moment. I was like, what kind of a mother are you, you don’t even remember what she’s talking about. You just dismissed it and forgot? The walrus thing was brought up 5 WHOLE TIMES in the book, it stuck with Cath so much! 1. “Darling, you’re going to be mistaken for a walrus!” (Or something along the lines of that) (Marchioness) 2. Was she really turning into a walrus? (Cath’s thoughts) 3. “You wouldn’t believe how often I’m compared to a walrus.” (Said from Cath to Jest) 4.“Walruses do not climb trees.” (Also Cath to Jest) 5. “Look again. You might find that I actually resemble a walrus.” (Said in unmistakable hurt and bitterness to her mother, who had no recollection of her “offhand” remark) Like.. I felt pain from the pages of the book.

the most heartbreaking book... i swear i'll never recover

Absolutely loved this book! I finished this book a few weeks ago and it's still stuck in my mind. I loved Jest, especially when we first meet him in the book. Oh, but this book broke my heart. It's my first Marissa Meyer book but I will definitely be picking up more of her books.

It was 12 at night and I was crying so much when jest died, honestly still haunts me this book is truly amazing

[SPOILERS] . . . . Its 1am, I just finished the book, and im not sure ill be sleeping for the rest of the night. Of course I loved Jest, rest in power, but... just knowing that everyone else was doomed. Cath went from hopeful and innocent to being filled with hatred. Hatta went from joyful and interesting to being mad. Mary Anne has been cast aside and Raven is now stuck in a foreign kingdom mourning his best friend... the lack of a happy ending pains me... like yeah I don't expect *perfect* endings but this... yeah I will NOT be sleeping tonight, I'm still processing

Thank you for adding the Mary Ann part. I didn't realize.

omg HATED THE KING SO MUCH

MAJOR SPOILERS: I'M CRYING WHY DID JEST DIE AND THE CLIFFHANGER UGH 😭💔

Honestly, because I knew how it was going to end, it took me awhile to read - like, I didn't want to read it. I love Meyer's writing and ate up Lunar Chronicles, but I just...didn't want to make myself read what I knew was going to be a sad/horrible story. :(

i love the new style of your reviews!!

IM MAD ABOUT JEST I CRIED SO HHARD

Guys. I have been crying for 2 hours. I just finished this book. I did not know it was a backstory to the queen of hearts, and now I am ripped to absolute shreds. Jests death was absolutly horrible and sudden

I love you discussing the books now!!! I love how you called the King a bumbling idiot😂

Hatta wasn't a villain! I mean, he was responsible for a lot of the crap that happened, but it was an accident, Hatta was awesome! I felt so, so bad for him at the end.

I just finished this book and I feel broken but complete. Idek. I really really liked this book though. A masterpiece!

I just hope Marissa Meyer writes a story about Ursula 😍 and honestly I'd love to read if she ever comes up an Ariel & Jasmine retellings 😍 might as well all! 🤦🏽😅

Definitely one of my favorite books of 2016! So glad you did a spoiler discussion about it.

YAS. All of this... all of the feels.. This book was just so great, and i completely agree with you on everything you said!

the spoiler part.... so much yes to all of that I adored this book and I would gush everything just like you did the writing the characters everything

what i loved about this book was how much you really get to understand cath and understand the transformation that changed her to the queen of hearts we all know and hate today. such an amazing book and great review! we also reviewed and loved it on our channel :)

this book was so OMG I wanna cry forever N O W

I got the book and I never knew it was related to alice in wonder land until i read the words "cheshite cat" and immedietly went to this video

she was so close to going through the looking glass and the MARY ANNE JUST *H A D* to scream T^T

I love how excited you got throughout this review 😂. I was the same way reading this book 😂

Love how the bookcase is done

*SPOILER* So I read this book with knowing barely anything about Alice in Wonderland. I didn't even know the book was a retelling of parts of it. So I had no clue that it was going to end in her becoming that heartless queen. When Jest died, I literally cried my heart out because I had thought that it really would be a happy ending with them getting the bakery and staying in love.

i love the cover so much

Yea i was sobbing for the last half of the book at 3:30am and the next day i got a rly bad migrane but it was worth it

"Why is a raven like a writing desk?" ~Mad Hatter Classic! The answer is "Because it can produce a few notes, though they are very flat; and it is nevar put with the wrong end in front"

So for some reason even though I kind of knew what it was about my mind was able to convince me otherwise and I didn’t know Cath would become evil. Can I just say I died with Jest😭😭

I agree, we didn't get enough of Jest

Just finished the book. I am not okay.

✨ SPOILERS ✨ I don't know why , because I usually cry over books that aren't even sad , but I didn't cry when Heat died. I felt super empty and very hollow inside reading the ending , including Jests death and watching Catherine become the queen of hearts. I loved the book but now I feel super hollow and I think this feeling is gonna last for a long time 😂❤️

Congrats on 90K subs. Next stop, the milestone 100K, 6 digits. Wow.

the new style for your reviews are amazing

This book is so good I just finished it and it almost left me crying it was so good and I want more I hope we can get a movie adaption of this

I agree so much with everything you said in this!! I loved Heartless so much and it really made me excited whenever one of the subtle Through the Looking Glass moments popped up!

Great review! I was thinking the same of Kat's dad too, and the scene where they asking her at the end what she wants, omg that scene and reaction! I was totally blown away and hurt so much... I love Marissa Meyer, could you consider making a spoilery/free review of The Lunar Chronicles too please?? I read that series at least 4 times and it still wasn't enough it's so grrrreat!

This is still my favourite book after yeeeeaarrrrrssss. Reading this gave me so many emotions and the writing was eloquent and beautiful!!!! I would recommend this to ANYONE

I just reread the book and omg I’m so sad again I literally have a crush on jest and marissa just does that

Great review! I love spoiler discussions because often I gain new perspectives on the things that happened or I just fangirl when cool moments are talked about 😁

I am in love with the books in the back

I am reading this book just barely half way through and i like it so far

I just finished the book and I LOVE IT! And now I wonder if there is a wonderland fandom cause if so SIGN ME UP! 😜😋

Just finished the audiobook today! It was awesome I loved how everything came together. Sad ending even though I knew she would eventually become the red queen, but still great 😍 I loved all the characters!! Great review!

Hailey I love your new style of reviews! I love hearing your in depth spoilers and thoughts!

I love the spoilery discussion!!

This is a great review!! I'm so jealous that you have the white cover!!! Heartless did not disappoint and I need to reread it soon. I'm actually rereading the lunar chronicles now and Marissa Meyer is such an amazing writer!! can't wait for renegades!!

I just finished Heartless an hour ago and I’m in p a i n

yay, new video! I just ordered HEARTLESS and I am so excited. love you Hails💖

I am currently reading Heartless and I am really enjoying it so far 😊

I really like the new style of your videos. I don´t unterstand why most of the booktubers do just nonspoiler reviews and nothing more. It´s like doing just half of the job. I can´t imagine making videos without discussing the book. What was good, what surprise me, whether I understand something right etc. So I´m happy your videos gonna be different :)

I loved how Cath ended up, personality wise. Sooooo good.

I watched the spoiler free review, stopped, went back to finishing the book -- I stopped just short of the oncoming transformation before -- then finished the video. MY HEART... IT ACHES.

I need to re-take this out from the library or buy it because I read most of it but then there were a lot of reserves on it from the library because I took it out when it was fairly new. I didn't end up finishing it because I had exams the month when I read it. However I already know the sad thing that happens at the end because I accidentally saw a spoiler but I really need to finish it.

This book hurt. But it was beautifully done. I absolutely LOVE my girl Marissa.

Can't wait to read Heartless... I stop at first because i wasn't in the mood but the way your review is .. I will pick it up this month

i want the book because it is so beautiful!!! but i listened on audible bc i can't find book! 😔 the audible is good tho!

Am I the only one who actually didn't know Cath was going to become the queen of hearts

people in the comment section pls stop spoiling in the comments, i was looking through the comments to see other people's opinion of it, but now i am forever spoiled and i haven't even started with the book yet. please im begging you guys stop spoiling in the comments.

BEEN WAITING FOR THIS SINCE FOREVEEERRRRRRRRRRR!! Lots of love Hailey!!!

Ok cool! I wasn't sure if I would like this but I will check it out now!!

I loved this book. The thing is had NO IDEA it was a retailing !!! I had no idea it was a prequel to the red queen's story omg. I mean i understood it while reading but omd the end !!!!!!!

There should be real guys like jest😔

my heart after reading this book is in pieces .......the man she loves the most....the only man she has ever loved DIES like WHHYYYYYYYYYYY