Catherine, a talented baker and the belle of Wonderland, is the object of the King of Hearts’ desires. She has big dreams of opening a bakery with her friend, but is stunned by her mother’s discouragement, who can’t understand why Catherine would rather open a bakery than be the next Queen of Hearts. And though the king’s infatuation is flattering, Catherine finds herself falling in love with Jest, a court jester. In fear of offending the King and disappointing her parents, she finds herself entering a secret relationship with Jest, hoping to defy the path set before her and claim her own destiny—but fate has other plans.
As a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland (seriously, I have a tattoo planned), I am super excited to read this story. I have always been fascinated by the magical and nonsensical world, and other similar stories such as Coraline, Spirited Away, Labyrinth, and The Wizard of Oz. I love reading any stories revolving around the universe as well. I recently read Alice by Christina Henry—a much darker retelling of the tale, and I’ve been looking forward to a lighter version. I absolutely love the Queen of Hearts as a character, and I’m excited to read into her backstory in this prequel. Though I am hesitant since the events take place before her evil era, so I’m assuming there’s an unhappy ending for Catherine.
Evangeline Fox is a hopeless romantic who has always believed in the power of true love and happy endings—that is until she finds out that the love of her life is set to marry her step-sister. Heartbroken, Evangeline seeks help from the Prince of Hearts, an immortal who is known for fixing broken hearts. Evangeline finds herself completely hopeless, and out of desperation, decides to partake in a deal with the prince—three kisses to be given at any time and place of his choosing, and in exchange he promises to grant her wish and save her happy ending. But once the wedding is stopped, Evangeline finds that striking deals with immortals can lead to dire consequences that could sabotage her happily ever after. She attempts to bargain with the prince and finds herself on a journey to complete her tasks in hopes of gaining freedom.
I’ve been wanting to read this for a while, and I’m a fanatic for fairy tale-esque and whimsical stories, so I’m really hoping to enjoy picking this one up. I’ve heard great things about the romance and the universe, and feel pretty left out since I’m finally deciding to read it long after its release.
Published in 1951, Catcher in the Rye is well known for challenging traditional social values of the 1950’s-60’s. It’s a story about teenage rebellion that follows Holden Caulfield’s expulsion from Pencey Prep near Christmas break. He heads to New York and seeks spontaneity in his encounters with strangers as he wanders through the city. While traversing this crisis in his life, he connects with his sister, Phoebe, the only person who understands his desire not to grow so quickly into adulthood. The novel navigates grief, authenticity, and the protection of innocence.
Not as on theme with the other two, but I found the story interesting; I like reading stories that rebel against traditional values. Holden Caulfield uses the term “phony” as a label for adults to poke fun at adulthood, believing it to be insincere and disconnected from genuine human emotion. The idea of being considered a “phony” as someone who’s in their early twenties trying to navigate life and adulthood is intriguing as someone who also fears the responsibilities and serious nature of adulthood. I think sometimes we enter weird places and stages of our lives and need reminders to just live, and I’m hoping that this will be just that.
I can’t wait to finally read these stories and find much more to add to my list!
Anasofia Alejandro, Pine Reads Review Writer