*WARNING- the following contains spoilers
The pain I felt when I finished this book was insurmountable. I do believe it is almost at Book Thief level when taking in the amount of sadness I felt upon completion. However, I can safely say I have NO REGRETS, because this book was ✨amazing✨. Let me tell you, this was probably the best retelling I have ever read. Marissa Meyer is such a good writer and she was really spot-on when furthering Wonderland; I can clearly envision the scenery and even the time period this takes place in (Victorian Era I believe). Often when I was reading this I was reminded of the Disney movie classic that I probably haven’t watched in five years, and it made me want to launch Disney+ and get to bingeing every time I turned the page. I will say though, it was a little hard to imagine the things Meyers really didn’t explain well most likely because she assumed we already knew what was happening. And if you’re a hard core Alice in Wonderland fan you probably wouldn’t have any problem with this, but like I said I have not seen that movie (or read Lewis Carrol’s story) in A WHILE so it was a little hard to navigate. What I thought was cool was how modern and relatable the characters are, even though they talk so much differently than we do nowadays (a phrase that stood out to me was: By the bye) I still found myself connecting with the main character, Cath fairly often, as well as Hatta and Cheshire 😂. I remember feeling engaged in this book from the start. My first thoughts were: ok this is a cute fairytale book, and I really liked the new perspective on the Queen of Hearts. Obviously my thoughts altered as the book progressed, so much so that I wanted to throw the book at points. (Unfortunately I was in a classroom). What I mean by that is the book was not light and fluffy anymore. When I try to pinpoint events where things started to go downhill I think this would be the timeline:
Jest takes Cath away from the theater and people assume he has kidnapped her.
Mary Ann literally RATS him out for going to a tea party with Cath and he almost gets arrested.
Cath and Jest run away
Cath goes through the wrong door
And we know what happens from there 😭
On another note, can we talk about how cute the literal one moment Cath and Jest get together without people ruining everything is?
I was speechless when I heard Jest had come to steal her heart, because the wordplay was absolutely perfect. I was a little mad at Jest for a while for his original motives, but that feeling quickly disappeared when I understood his new intentions. “You have my heart, Jest. I do not know if you deserve it or not. I can’t tell if you’re a hero or a villain, but it doesn’t seem to matter. Either way, my heart is yours.” 💗
In addition, I enjoyed the sort of mystery that was prevalent throughout the book. Even though I did guess some things I was really shocked by the ending and I liked that Meyer kept us wondering and...on edge. Also, I liked the magic and fairytale vibes I was getting very much.
Ok, now let’s talk about the ending.
Where to begin.
I guess I knew what was going to happen, but had dug the truth far into the recesses of my brain and refused to acknowledge it until I had already gotten too involved and attached. After all, I have seen Alice and Wonderland. I guess I was just hoping for the happy ending we all know and love. Unfortunately, I did not get that. I wanted Cath to go through the mirror so bad, to run away from the cringe-worthy King and parents who don’t want her to be happy and live a new life with Jest. Forget the Jabberwock, Mary Ann, Cheshire, everyone, and go own your bakery in Chess. But no. Instead, she went through the door she KNEW would disrupt her plans. The door that would ruin EVERYTHING, and not just hers, but also her friend’s lives. And here everyone thinks Hatta is mad. I was reading this at school and for half the day all I felt was dread. And then Jest died, and it was the saddest thing ever. And though Cath got her revenge and beheaded Peter Peter, he was not the only one to blame. Don’t get me wrong, I DESPISE him, like with a passion, but here is a list of everyone at fault:
Peter Peter- for swinging the ax
Hatta- for bringing magic pumpkin seeds to Hearts and selling a dangerous bonnet to Mary Ann
Mary Ann- for ratting out Jest, therefore making him a criminal and causing this whole episode to happen, and for going to the stupid pumpkin patch ALONE like girl-
Her parents- for putting too much pressure on her to marry the King
Cath- for going through the wrong door. Seriously like leave Mary Ann to die, she’s the reason this all happened!
Jest- for following Cath (but lemme make this clear he is not to blame due to the fact that he was under influence)
The ending was heartbreaking; the character development so strong I didn’t even recognize Cath, the sweet baker, who had become the heartless Queen Catherine.
Favorite quotes:
“It is a dangerous thing to unbelieve something only because it frightens you.”
“Sometimes your heart is the only thing worth listening to.”
“One to be a murderer. One to be a Martyr. One to be a Monarch. One to go Mad”
“To be all right implies an impossible phase. We hope for mostly right on the best of our days.”
“Impossible is my specialty.”
“Over everything, I choose you”
“Stuff and nonsense. Nonsense and stuff and much of a muchness and nonsense all over again. We are all mad here, don't you know?”
“Her mother sneered. “Then you are a fool.”
“Good. I’ve become rather fond of fools.”
♤“She is a rose, Jest. Lovely on the eyes, yes, but such thorns are not to be ignored.”♤
So now you can see that I am clearly traumatized by this book. In other words, 10/10 recommend. Seriously, what are you doing go read it right now.
Right now I’m reading Cinder, which is also by Marissa Meyer, and let’s just say I have high hopes. As always, thanks for reading, and I’ll see ya next post!
This week’s favorite song: Line Without a Hook (feat. mxmtoon) by Ricky Montgomery