Heartless
Author: Marissa Meyer
Originally published: 2016
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★
written by: Tina Nguyen | date: 4th July, 2026
“But also, I sometimes pretend that it’s me, instead of him. I suggest he do the things that I would do, if I were… deserving of you.”
“You mean, if you were nobility.”
You know what the saddest thing about this book was? I could actually count how many times Catherine and Jest kissed, but I canNOT count the times they yearned for each other. ‘Heartless’ by Marissa Meyer not only portrayed a deeply yearning love between a daughter of a nobleman and a poor joker, but also challenged my thoughts of the whole purpose of chasing dreams and trying to escape the things that I fear the most; because what if there was a fate that was sealed for me and decided everything that must happen in my life at one point, and there was no way of changing it.
Catherine was a soon-to-be Queen of Hearts who always dreamt of opening her own bakery with her friend, who was also her personal housemaid – Mary Ann. Cath’s family’s plan for her to become the Queen of Hearts was already annoying for her right from the start. Still, the arranged marriage became something unacceptable, exhausting, and bothersome for Catherine after she fell for Jest – her soon-to-be husband’s joker. Following that were a bunch of eventful moments in the book, with every single character having an impact and making significant contributions to the plot of ‘Heartless’.
I think about the ending all the time. At one point, Jest said to Catherine:
“Another girl with a heart like yours? She doesn’t exist, not here in Hearts, I’m sure of it.”
But little did he know, losing him was the reason that pushed Catherine to be a cruel, tyrannical, and heartless Queen even before she gave her heart away to the girls in the Treacle Well. Like a burst of anger that took over all of her, like the utter resentment that she forever held for Mary Ann, her parents, the King of Hearts, and every moment that led her to the throne but not an ordinary life with her lover.
Meyer did an immaculate job on the world-building for this book. I love how eventful it was, and there was not a single detail that was redundant and unimportant; everything was foreshadowing for major plot twists and explanations later on. Not to spoil anything, but if you want a fantasy/romantasy book with such a detailed storyline, rich world-building, and a gut-wrenching crying session because of the ending, then ‘Heartless’ is definitely the one for you.
“Do be careful, Sir Joker,” she said, remembering Hatta’s riddle. “A heart, once stolen, can never be taken back.”