What I love about Marissa Meyer's retellings is that that don't seem like retellings at all, they're so unique. Every time I read one of her books, it's even better than the last one, her writing and stories just keep on improving. 
 The book centres around Catherine and her life prior to becoming the Queen of Hearts. I thought she was a great character and I felt for her a lot throughout the book. Her forbidden romance with the court jester was really sweet and I loved all the little twists that kept you guessing what would happen. The ending might not have been a happily ever after but it ended perfectly for me, setting things up nicely for Catherine to become the hated queen we all know and love to hate. 
 I'm sad this is only a stand alone, I could definitely read another book about her.