On Nov. 8, Macmillan released Marissa Meyer’s newest fairytale retelling. Her origin story of the Queen of Hearts is dark, beautiful and heartbreaking.

Cath’s noble parents are pushing her to court the King of Hearts whom she finds ridiculous. Her dream is to open a bakery with her best friend and maid, Mary Ann. With her baking skills and Mary Ann’s head for numbers, they’re sure to be a hit … if they can just find a backer to rent the space they need. Amidst pushing towards her dream and fending off the King’s advances, Cath falls in love with the court jester and fights off the Jabberwock. How will her story end? Sadly, we all know what she becomes.

This was the second Marissa Meyer novel I’d read and it’s definitely my favorite of the two. I’m a die-hard Alice fan and this novel gives more backstory to one of my most beloved tales. The silliness of Wonderland is here, but many of the characters have what seems to be a smarter head on their shoulders. Watching Cath become the cold and crazy Queen of Hearts is difficult. You want so much for her life to work out, but the world has other plans. The story is engaging and works in a bit of a mystery to keep you guessing. I absolutely loved it.

If you or your teen like villain origin tales or fairytale retellings, you’ll enjoy this book. It’s dark like Grimm’s stories, but the hearts of the characters truly shine. Pick up a copy today and make some sense of the insane antics of the Queen of Hearts.