ARC, 449 pages
Release Date: November 8, 2016Published by: Feiwel & Friends
Read from: October 6-November 18, 2016Stand-aloneSource: Texas Library AssociationFor fans of: Re-tellings, Romance, Fantasy, YACatherine 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.
*MY THOUGHTS*
I have waited a long time to read this book. As my most anticipated book this year, I’ve been waiting to get to it for a very long time. So glad it didn’t disappoint me. I was really happy with this one.
“Romance. Passion. Love.'”pg. 69
Cath was loved in her home town. She seemed to be one of the most desired and then there was her extra-ordinary baking skills. But the frivolous baking meant nothing for someone meant for royalty. Cath is the “favorite” to have won the King’s heart, but one night she meets someone she’d much rather love instead, Jest. What is a girl to do?
“Fascinating, isn’t it, how often heroic and foolish turn out to be one and the same.'”pg. 92
Ok, let’s start with the romance. Although I knew what this was called and I knew where this was going, I was still completely devastated. I wanted things to be so different for them.. Being honest I wanted something so different for Cath. I thought she was amazing and I was really rooting for her to live her dream. But hoping for these things made the ending so much harder to bear. I hated everyone in that book for what they did to her.
“Sometimes your heart is the only thing worth listening to.'”pg. 257
As for the rest of the characters, I didn’t like any of them. Well, that’s not true. I DID like them in the beginning. But at the end, there was absolutely no one that I liked. TO be honest, I can see why she was acting that way. I would have too. She had no support system and that’s enough to drive anyone crazy.
“She couldn’t stand the idea of crushing her friend’s dreams, not when she was still so new to dreaming.'”pg. 264
A for the rest of the book, I loved it. However, there was a lull in the middle that I think could have been avoided if the book was a bit shorter. It wasn’t boring, just seemed like it was nothing happening. But even with only “stuff and nonsense” Marissa Meyer made it interesting. I can say tha the lull in the middle was for the explosive ending.
“Cling to your belief in your own innocence.'”pg. 276
I’m not personally a huge fan of Alice and Wonderland, but this one was written by my favorite author so I had to give it a try. Hopefully this will help me be more open to other Wonderland things no matter who wrote it. (i.e. the Alice in Zombieland series….)
“They all think you’re a villain.'”pg. 346
This book was so well written it still had me rooting for a different outcome. I really enjoyed reading this and wish I was getting a sequel that showed her after her wrath. I don’t normally find myself rooting for villains, but this one definitely made me want to believe that things would change for her. Even still, I can see me remembering Cath for a long time to come.
Overall, I give this
