Heartless

From Marissa Meyer, the #1 New York Times–bestselling story of Wonderland's most notorious villain: the Queen of Hearts.

Long before she was the terror of Wonderland—the infamous Queen of Hearts—she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen.

Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. 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 an intense, secret courtship. Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

In her first stand-alone teen novel, the New York Times-bestselling author of the Lunar Chronicles dazzles us with a prequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Praise for Heartless:

“In Heartless, the nonsense that is Wonderland gets a reverential makeover, full of heart and its own idiosyncratic character.” —Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked and After Alice

“What Gregory Maguire did for the Wicked Witch, Meyer does for Lewis Carroll’s Queen of Hearts, tracing her arc from a teen with dreams of owning a bakery into a murderous madwoman.” —People magazine

“Will make readers grin like the Cheshire Cat.” —Common Sense Media

"Jest and Catherine have a playfully clandestine relationship. . . . Meyer’s worldbuilding is extensive and impressive." —Publishers Weekly

“The author’s best fantasy yet. . . . Meyer has woven all the elements of darkness and light, fate and free will, and love and hatred into an unforgettable story of the evolution of the Red Queen from a young girl who dreamed of true love and freedom to a madwoman best remembered for the phrase 'Off with his head.' If you only read one fractured fairy tale this year, make it Heartless. A must-have title.” —School Library Journal, starred review

Praise for Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles series:

#1 New York Times Bestselling Series, USA Today Bestseller, Publishers Weekly Bestseller, National Indie Bestseller

“Marissa Meyer rocks the fractured fairy tale genre.” —The Seattle Times

“Prince Charming among the cyborgs.” —The Wall Street Journal

Don't miss more from Marissa Meyer:

The Lunar Chronicles:
Cinder
Scarlet
Cress
Winter
Stars Above
Fairest

The Wires and Nerve series:
Wires and Nerve: Volume 1
Wires and Nerve: Volume 2

Renegades