Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Synopsis
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES • This darkly captivating novel reveals the madness behind one of Disney’s most dangerous villains: the Queen of Hearts. She missed the days of wonder. But those days were long past. All that remained was the anger. You may think you know the story of the Queen of Hearts, the bloodthirsty tyrant known for seeing red. Surely you’ve heard of the young girl Alice, who fell through the rabbit hole to a place called Wonderland, and how she defeated its villainous ruler in order to find her way back home. But have you ever wondered about the Queen’s own first day in Wonderland? Did she encounter the same wonders—and horrors—as Alice? Are the laws of the land her royal decree—or a desperate attempt to bring order to a place that refuses to make sense? And why is she so angry? It may be hard to answer, with any certainty, questions about a world created from the broken shards of others. In the end, it all comes down to a woman fighting against the darkness within, and her unlikely friendship with a little white rabbit.
Is Heartbroken: A Tale of the Angry Queen (Villains) appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 13 and up.
This villain origin story explores the Queen of Hearts' descent into madness with moderate fantasy violence and dark psychological themes. The narrative examines mental illness and anger in a sympathetic but intense way.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, no sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include mental illness, anger issues, and violence (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Teens who love Disney villain retellings will enjoy discovering how the Queen of Hearts became the tyrant we know, with Wonderland's surreal landscape and a surprising friendship.