About the Book
Long before she was the terror of Wonderland, 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.
Book Links
My Thoughts
Wonderland retelling? Uhm, yes, please! That’s why I am *finally* getting around to reading this, and anyone with an out-of-control TBR will understand why it’s taken so long to get to this. Although, I almost gave up on this near the halfway mark. Catherine is one of the worst characters I have met in fiction, and she’s so awful that it makes it really hard to care about what is going on in her world.
Here she is, stringing along a man because she’s too scared to speak up. Hello! You don’t have to defy your parents to tell the person they hope you’ll marry that you’re not into this. Instead, she spends so much time ignoring him and leading him on that it makes her a garbage person. Especially because the man her parents want her to marry is a good man. He’s a bit clueless and unaware of the games she’s playing, which is even worse.
But… I am here giving it three stars for a reason. Because of the potential, she has in who she could become. Even knowing the outcome, because we all know the story, there is still potential. Catherine is much more tolerable as a mean person than the person we’ve had to suffer through for most of the book. It was in the last 1/4 of the book that I found enjoyment, and I am glad I stuck with it. I enjoyed the other characters so much more than Catherine. Jest, Raven, and Hatta all brought so much more to the table in their unlikely roles; they ultimately saved the book. I’m so late to the game reading this, but I’m glad I finally did.
Rae's Reading Lounge 
I’m glad you stuck with it. It’s tough to do with such a terrible character.
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