Reviews with content warning for War - Heartless

Reviews tagging 'War'

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

25 reviews

michellebub's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.75

I don’t even remember why I bought this book, but I think it was because of @maditales. First up I want to say that I normally don’t read fantasy or like fantasy set in another world, but vampires, witches and werewolfs don’t count for me. This book was just disappointing. Cathrine the main character was just plain annoying and I understand that Meyer tried to do this “she’s just a normal girl” thing, but it kind of got repetitive. Her only personality trait is that she loves to bake, her maid is her best friend and that she likes Jest.

Her doing something she is not supposed to was like the whole premise of the book. Her being in love with Jest instead of the King and wanting to open a bakery even though she essentially does not know anything about having to work for a living and not a hobby, which honestly seems delusional. So I don’t think she even would have made it even if he would have died. OH, and his death and the entire ending was so abrupt. Suddenly she slayed the jabberwock, Jest was dead and she a bitch. But wait, she actually already was one but then a bigger one.

Now onto Jest, his character was flat. I wanted to like him but I got nearly nothing, CRUMBLES. Was I, just like Cath, supposed to like a man without knowing anything about him? No.
But I have to say, her writing style seemed pretty. Like it totally reminded me of the original Disney Alice in wonderland. But I think it was lost on me.
All in all, Meyer had a great writing style which sadly was not able to cover the lack of spark the book needed, even though it was way too long.
Rated it 2.0 but changed to 1.75

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arieslofi's review against another edition

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dark lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

well! i want to say that the premise is something that i really enjoyed, and it's only its execution that i wasn't an absolute fan of, including some of the writing, though not all. the writing itself felt very "try-hard" with its weird britishifcations that reminded me of 2013 when everyone was obsessed with the uk and everything british (as i mentioned in a previous update), with repetition that happened far too often, not the kind that serves as some sort of writing device (this does happen and i do enjoy it), but the kind that makes you wonder if there was any kind of editing involved in the publication of the book. besides that, the writing isn't too bad and didn't get on my nerves too much, and i actively enjoyed some parts of it.
i really liked the character of mary ann especially, though i'll say cath was neither here nor there and jest completely failed to be compelling to me,

which made his death

kind of pointless to me. speaking of pointless: the romance.
this book could have been really good, personally, if we hadn't had any type of romance involved, only a girl losing her dreams and having to deal with being stuck in a loveless marriage with the king until she snaps. i would even have enjoyed it if there had been romance involved, though differently. if, for example,

instead of jest taking her away and the last 30% happening the way they did, she had, just like before, stuck with the king, a fool (which could have served as a callback in dialogue!) only for jest to come back and her, tired and betrayed, called for his head. he was, after all, a wanted criminal,

it would have worked perfectly, and it was how i was expecting the book to end.
the ending itself felt unsatisfactory to me,

there was no real build-up to this sudden change in her behavior (though we are given a reason) and we only get a glimpse of it some chapters before. i feel like showing her ability to be genuinely evil and ruthless throughout the book would have worked better—even if we kind of get those moments in very small doses, like her stealing from the pumpkin patch and her intensity at playing croquet, although this latter felt more like a "this happens in the original story!" bit.

generally, not a bad book, per se, but it left me wanting a lot more, so i can't say i'm exactly happy with it. the premise is much better than the execution itself, though it only goes south around 70% of the book for me.

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abby_can_read's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

📱
This was a book that I enjoyed reading. I think Meyer's writing style is more fairytale inspired than fairytale retelling. I would say this book was a combination of prophecy, romance, Victorian-era gender roles, and the weirdness that can only be found in Wonderland.

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kaziaroo's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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leonormsousa's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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hopelessplatonic's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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torrents's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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hiddeninfantasy's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

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booksanna's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It did not expect this book to instill in me the emotions I felt. I must say the journey of reading this books was one of a painful and rewarding. The magic this book provides is astonishingly horrific. The characters and the wonder of the book creates the most detailed and lively environment. The wording has been beautifully chosen to instigate the impossible of this world. I truly felt mesmerized by this story and it’s majestic world of Hearts. I must say that the first half of the book dragged on, but I felt that the other half well overcompensated for it. It is true that the first half of this story didn’t arise many feelings in me besides boredom. But the build-up to the ending, the conflict, the reveal, was one of the utmost rewarding of all. I feel the upmost gratefulness for myself, for I have read a magical world and with a cruel reality. I am hesitant to recommend this book, as I want to keep it a secret for myself. I must say the less you know of this the more impactful it will be.

Jest was a martyr and one that left such powerful impact on me. His death…. Perhaps it was meant to be. Great book, horrifying to read

Edit, i knocked off 0.25 stars because the beginning was very slow.
Edit 2: it’s been a year and this has become my 5 star book. Worth it

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solouncapitulomas's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

“It is a dangerous thing to unbelieve something only because it frightens you.”

I grew up reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and I have to say this book reached every expectation, I think Lewis would've been proud. Such an amazing writing I could picture myself in Wonderland once again and THE PLOT omg, it left me aching, I knew the ending and dared to hope
(like the fool that I am) damn, I will not be able to hear the word fool every again...thanks Marissa, I will be reading more of your books ma'am bc I do love me some pain.

<a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6SA85E1XbXKpC5NcHeb44T?si=4e7f44275a164984">heartless amazing playlist</a>

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