OwlCrate Unboxing + Heartless Review

This month’s OwlCrate theme was “wonderland”, and it will filled to the brim with all things Alice in Wonderland. It may have been my favorite month so far! As a reminder to those of you who don’t know what OwlCrate is: it is a monthly bookish box subscription that always includes a newly released young adult novel and 3-5 goodies to go along with it!

Just look at all of the goodies in this box! Let’s talk about what was inside:

1. A tea blend created exclusively for OwlCrate by Riddle’s Tea Shoppe. The tea came in a SERIOUSLY CUTE tin, and when you flip the lid over there’s a fantastic image with the Cheshire cat!

2. An elegant little bookmark by Authored Adornments that says “curioser and curioser” on it.

3. A cute magnet designed by Evie Bookish that says “Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.” I love this quote. It is basically my life’s motto and my #1 excuse for reading all the time.

4. A bonus book! This got me all sorts of excited. We got Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland with an adorable cover and a matching bookmark to boot! These were created by Rock Paper Books. This company is totally worth checking out, because they have some seriously fantastic book covers, prints, bookmarks, and more!

5. Last and certainly not least, the book of the month: Heartless by Marissa Meyer! OwlCrate subscribers got a special cover of the book, and it is SO GORGEOUS (the book is also pretty naked! See the photo above: it’s the back and red book!). The book came with a letter from the author as well as a stylish little cardstock square with a quote from the book. See below for my review!

Catherine 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.

This book caught me entirely by surprise! I didn’t know much about it other than that it was set in the Wonderland world.

This is a story about how the Queen of Hearts came to be so evil, and my goodness this story is simply delicious. Something about Meyer’s writing captures the Wonderland world perfectly. The way she describes things makes everything seem so edible and dreamy (even when she’s not talking about baked goods, which happens a lot in this book!). I can only equate it feeling similar to when you’re walking down Main Street in Disneyland. It’s completely immersive.

The story itself seems to start off as a typical young adult fantasy novel with a light romance. You think you know where the story is going but it slowly evolves to become something quite unexpected. The main character, Catharine, starts off as a semi-boring protagonist but in the end exceeds all expectations.

The ending of this book is what really turned it into a winner for me. It delivered so much more than I expected it to, and as a result I can’t wait to pick up Marissa Meyer’s other books (I’ve never read her Lunar Chronicles, so now’s the time!).

 

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good fairytale retelling and anyone who enjoys the Wonderland universe!

Did you get this November’s OwlCrate? What did you think? Have you read Heartless? Did you like it? Have you read any retellings before, and if so, what are you favorites?

A.S. Thornton

A.S. Thornton has evolved from book blogger to author with a particular fondness for writing forbidden love in ancient deserts. When not writing, she’s caring for dogs and cats as a veterinarian. You’ll never find animals at the center of her writing, though, because those fictional worlds don’t have veterinarians and her literal brain can’t accept that the poor critters would be without parasite prevention. Thornton’s debut, DAUGHTER OF THE SALT KING is available wherever books are sold.