50 YA Books We Want Adapted to the Big or Small Screen

Cover to Heartless by Marissa Meyer. Image via publisher Feiwel & Friends

43. Heartless

Marissa Meyer, like Libba Bray, has multiple appearances on this list, but we’ll start with her release from last year: Heartless, which is a stand-alone novel according to its linked Goodreads novel. Granted, a book that references Alice in Wonderland might be a tough sell after what happened with Alice Through the Looking Glass at the box office in 2016, but hey, this book isn’t about Alice. (Also, there probably wouldn’t be any Johnny Depp involved.)

No, this book is about Catherine, who really just wants to be a baker even if she’s supposed to accept the hand of the King of Hearts in marriage. Besides, there’s a new Joker in town: Jest (we’re sure you see the joke and don’t need us to point it out for you), and he’s far more to Cath’s liking. Unfortunately, his relationship with her is not to Cath’s parents’ liking.

Oh, by the way, did we mention that this book is meant to be an origin story for none other than the Queen of Hearts? You know, the lady who likes to demand that heads roll whenever she’s even mildly displeased?

Yeah. In the Culturess review, we mentioned that a “sense of inevitability” is present in the story, since it’s tough not to see where things are going. However, despite that, Meyer’s story has some twists and turns, and in the right hands, it could turn out very well indeed.