YA Pick: Heartless

Heartless
by Marissa Meyer
Feiwel and Friends
2017
449 pages
ISBN: 9781250044655

Heartless is a richly imagined, breathtakingly told story prequel of the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland. Evocative of Carroll's mad romp and "Wicked," Heartless delivers this story to this generation of readers. All the principal characters appear: the Cheshire Cat, Cath (who becomes the Queen of Hearts), the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit and with Meyer's deft ability to tell a tale, live again in this book.

Catherine  wants to open a bakery and sell the best tarts and pastries in all of Hearts, but her mother has other ideas. No high born woman should work in business. The king has his eye on Cath as a wife, but Cath meets and falls under the spell of Jest, a new court jester. There's magic and monsters in this kingdom and enough trouble to keep the young couple apart.

There is no happy ending in this book. We all know Cath turns into the Queen of Hearts, so we are prepared for her wicked behavior. It's interesting to see a villain as a young and innocent teen before life and love wreaks their heart and mind.

For fans of Meyer's The Lunar Chronicles, this is a must read. This is not simply a retelling of Alice in Wonderland; it's a prequel  which means Meyer can imagine anything for young Catherine.

Recommended grade 7-up.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I purchased this book for my library.

Classic Twist Pick: Splintered

Splintered
by A.G.Howard
Amulet
2013
371 pages

View the book trailer here

Magical, enchanting, captivating and mesmerizing, Splintered is a new twist on an old tale. Lewis Carroll wrote about Alice, the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, and a garden tea party he made real for millions of childen.

Generations later, Alyssa is the great, great, great granddaughter of Alice Liddell, the original Alice that Carroll made famous in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa is fearful her family's curse of madness may have finally found her. She has been hearing bugs and plants talk to her for some time but now she's having visions of a dark and mysterious young man who seems to be beckoning her down the rabbithole.

In order to save her own mother's sanity, Alyssa hatches a plan to travel to England, find the fountain that hides the rabbithole and visit Alice's Wonderland. She takes a flashlight and the original text of the book for help. What she doesn't plan for is that her best friend Jeb has followed her and now she's responsible for getting both of them safely through Wonderland and back home.

The original Alice mucked things up in Wonderland and until Alyssa can set things right again, her family curse will never be lifted.

Jeb and Alyssa face monstrous creatures like the octobenus--a weird mutant walrus creature famous for his enormous insatiable appetite, the Mad Hatter--who isn't mad at all but quite a well-respected maker of hats, and a steady stream of Carrollian creatures. Finally, Alyssa meets Morpheus, the dark but fascinating creature who called her to Wonderland. Morpheus agrees to help Alyssa and Jeb and send them both home if Wonderland can be repaired.

What are Morpheus's real intentions? It seems that Wonderland has been corrupted and no one is who they seem to be. Can Alyssa save Jeb and find a way back home? Now that Jeb realizes his true intentions, will he remember Alyssa?

The cover art is both captivating and colorful and sure to draw in legions of teen readers. This one is sure to jump off of store shelves.

Highly, highly recommended grade 7-up. A few kisses. Some Wonderland violence.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.