Heartless Summary By Chapter | Marissa Meyer
Published in 2016, this young adult fantasy novel serves as a tragic prequel to the Wonderland stories, immersing readers in the Kingdom of Hearts long before Alice ever tumbled down the rabbit hole.
Meyer, already celebrated for her Lunar Chronicles series, crafts a lush, atmospheric world where magic mingles with courtly expectations and where the line between dreams and nightmares blurs with every page.
The story follows Catherine Pinkerton, the daughter of a Marquess, who wants nothing more than to open a bakery with her best friend and maid, Mary Ann.
But her parents have other plans—they expect her to accept the clumsy but well-meaning King of Hearts, whose proposal looms like a storm cloud over her aspirations.
What follows here is a carefully structured Heartless Summary By Chapter, designed to guide you through Catherine’s descent one piece at a time.
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Book Structure Overview
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Total Chapters | 54 Chapters |
| Prologue | None |
| Epilogue | None (Chapter 54 serves as the narrative conclusion) |
| Narrative Flow | Linear first-person narrative following Catherine Pinkerton from her life as a baker’s daughter through her transformation into the Queen of Hearts |
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Heartless Summary Chapter by Chapter
Spoiler Warning:Â This section contains detailed, chapter-by-chapter plot summaries of the entire novel.
Chapter 1: The Perfection of the Tart
Catherine spends her entire morning baking three lemon tarts from lemons that grew overnight on a magical tree in her bedroom after a vivid dream. The Cheshire Cat appears and mocks her efforts but acknowledges her exceptional skill as a baker.
Catherine hopes the King of Hearts will recognize her as the best baker in the kingdom, which would help her and Mary Ann launch their dream bakery.
She confesses to Cheshire that her dream involved a beautiful boy in an orchard who seemed to have something of hers.
Suddenly, she realizes she is late for the King’s ball and rushes to get ready, leaving her tarts behind.
Key Moment:Â Catherine confesses that the lemons for her perfect tarts sprouted from a dream-tree that grew in her bedroom overnight.
Chapter 2: Dreams of Business
Mary Ann and Abigail help Catherine clean up and dress for the ball while gossiping about rumors of a new court joker in the kingdom. Mary Ann reveals that a prime storefront on Main Street is becoming vacant, fueling their plans for the bakery.
Catherine worries her mother will never approve of her entering business, especially with a servant as her partner. Her mother, the Marchioness, enters in high excitement and forces Cath into a tight red velvet gown.
The Marchioness insists tonight is very special and makes Mary Ann tighten Cath’s corset to an agonizing twenty-two inches.
Key Moment:Â Catherine and Mary Ann identify the perfect location for their future bakery: the retiring cobbler’s shop on Main Street.
Chapter 3: The Black-and-White Ball
The Pinkerton family arrives at the ball, and Catherine is mortified to realize she is the only person wearing red at a black-and-white themed party.
Her friend Margaret Mearle immediately criticizes the dress, while the rude Jack, Knave of Hearts, insults her beauty.
The King of Hearts arrives and singles out Catherine, requesting the first dance with her. During the dance, the King reveals his obsession with her treats and hints at a deep personal affection for her.
Catherine feels only exhaustion and relief when the dance finally ends.
Key Moment:Â Catherine realizes her mother intentionally dressed her in red to ensure she was noticeable to the King, who singles her out immediately.
Chapter 4: The Joker’s Debut
The ballroom is plunged into darkness as the new Joker, Jest, makes a dramatic entrance from a chandelier high above the crowd. He poses a riddle about ravens and writing desks before showering the crowd with confetti and performing impossible magic tricks.
He pulls the White Rabbit out of the Knave’s hat and gifts him a gold pocket watch. Cath is mesmerized by the Joker, and they share a brief, knowing look before he transforms into a raven and vanishes.
The crowd is left buzzing with excitement about the performance.
Key Moment:Â Jest makes his debut, performs impossible magic, and winks at Catherine, establishing an immediate mysterious connection.
Chapter 5: Encounters at the Feast
The guests obsess over Jest’s performance while Catherine, starving from her tight corset, heads to the feasting table for food. She chats with Mary Ann about potential bakery recipes like salted caramel tortes.
She is introduced to the hulking Sir Peter Peter and his sickly wife, Lady Peter, who won a pumpkin-eating contest. Sir Peter is rude and intimidating, while Lady Peter seems ill and desperate for pumpkin pasties.
The interaction leaves Catherine feeling uneasy and angry at Peter’s treatment of his wife.
Key Moment:Â Catherine meets Sir Peter and his sickly wife, noticing Lady Peter’s unnatural craving for pumpkin and Peter’s menacing behavior.
Chapter 6: A Proposal Interrupted
Cheshire appears and informs Catherine that the Knave has eaten all her lemon tarts, which the King also enjoyed. He shares rumors about Jest’s mysterious arrival at the palace and shocks Cath by revealing the King has chosen a bride.
Catherine realizes with horror that she is the intended bride just as the King begins his announcement to the crowd. Panicking, she begs Cheshire for a distraction; he complies by appearing on Margaret Mearle’s head, causing a scene.
Catherine flees into the rose gardens to escape the proposal entirely.
Key Moment:Â Catherine realizes the King is about to propose to her and flees the ballroom in a state of panic.
Chapter 7: The Joker in the Garden
Catherine faints in the garden from lack of air and food and wakes up to Jest twirling a rose over her face. They engage in witty, intimate banter, and Jest shares a chocolate with her to help her recover.
Catherine admits she dreamed about him, though she teases him by calling the dream dull. Jest reveals he knew the King intended to propose to a lord’s daughter and suspects it is her.
Before she leaves in a carriage, Jest magically retrieves her severed corset laces from his hat, allowing her to breathe freely.
Key Moment:Â Jest magically removes Catherine’s corset laces to save her from fainting, a shockingly intimate act that seals their bond.
Chapter 8: The Shadow of the Jabberwock
Cath wakes the next morning to find white roses growing on her bed and realizes she dreamed of Jest again during the night. Her parents burst in, overjoyed that she is safe after a terrifying Jabberwock attack hit the castle.
Two courtiers were taken by the beast during the chaos following her departure from the ball. Her mother is furious that Cath missed the proposal and insists she apologize to the King immediately.
Catherine tells Mary Ann she cannot marry the King because she wants romance, passion, and the bakery.
Key Moment:Â The Kingdom is thrown into terror by a Jabberwock attack, which occurred at the castle just after Catherine fled.
Chapter 9: Seeking the Storefront
Catherine and Mary Ann visit the cobbler’s shop, envisioning their future bakery with turquoise walls and peach curtains. The cobbler, Mr. Caterpillar, reveals the building is actually owned by the Duke of Tuskany.
They visit the Duke’s estate, where they find him wounded from the recent Jabberwock attack. Catherine pitches her bakery idea, but the Duke is hesitant to lease to her without her father’s approval.
In exchange for considering the lease, the Duke asks Cath to put in a good word for him with Margaret Mearle, whom he fancies.
Key Moment:Â Catherine makes a secret deal with the Duke of Tuskany to help him woo Margaret in exchange for the bakery storefront.
Chapter 10: Nightmares and Almond Biscuits
Catherine spends days in the kitchen baking rose macarons for the King, though she feels like a fraud doing so. She finds herself constantly daydreaming about Jest and his impossible nature throughout her work.
Cheshire appears and confirms that the two courtiers taken by the Jabberwock were found dead—only shreds of cardstock remained. He also reveals the Duke was heroic, stepping between Margaret and the beast during the attack.
Cheshire warns her that ignoring the monster is the way of Hearts, but monsters happen in nightmares, not dreams.
Key Moment:Â Cheshire reveals the grim fate of the missing courtiers and warns Catherine that the Jabberwock is a nightmare that cannot be ignored.
Chapter 11: The Garden Party Encounter
At the King’s garden party, Catherine searches for Jest but encounters Margaret, who is still obsessing over her trauma and the Jabberwock.
Catherine spots the Duke and tries to facilitate a meeting, but the interaction is awkward and Margaret is rude to him.
Jest arrives and charms the crowd with music, eventually making eye contact with Catherine that leaves her breathless. Margaret’s fascinator magically blooms into a lush yellow rose, which the Duke finds captivating.
Jest interrupts their group, flirting with the ladies and subtly mocking the Duke’s humble heroism.
Key Moment:Â Jest makes a public appearance at the garden party and uses his charm to pull Catherine into his orbit once again.
Chapter 12: A Courtship Foundation
Jest summons Catherine to a private courtyard where the King is waiting for her arrival. The King skip-skips beside her, talking of trivialities while Cath feels the weight of her unwanted macarons.
They find Jest performing card tricks for a young gardener, and the King insists Jest entertain them both. Jest plays a flute melody so beautiful it brings Catherine to tears; he dedicates it to her specifically.
To Catherine’s relief, Jest advises the King that a long courtship is the foundation of a happy marriage, delaying a proposal.
Key Moment:Â Jest cleverly uses his influence as a royal advisor to convince the King to delay his marriage proposal in favor of a courtship.
Chapter 13: Competitive Croquet
The group begins a chaotic game of croquet with live flamingos as mallets and hedgehogs as balls. Jest teases Catherine about the King’s affection, but she insists the King is not truly in love with her.
Jack, the Knave, behaves rudely toward Catherine, jealous of her attention from the Joker. Catherine becomes intensely competitive, determined to beat Jest after he suggests she should just marry the King.
She makes a picture-perfect shot, knocking Jest’s hedgehog wildly off course and handing the win to the King.
Key Moment:Â Catherine intentionally sabotages Jest’s croquet game to hand the victory to the King, fueled by frustration and hidden attraction.
Chapter 14: Family Disappointment
During a peppery dinner at home, Catherine’s mother is distraught that the King didn’t propose during the tea party. Cath lies, saying she forgot to give him the macarons she baked for him.
Her father tries to be supportive, but her mother remains obsessed with the crown for her daughter. Cath attempts to finally tell them about her bakery plans, mentioning the cobbler’s storefront opportunity.
She is interrupted by the arrival of the King himself at their front door unexpectedly.
Key Moment:Â Catherine attempts to tell her parents about her bakery dream but is interrupted by a surprise late-night visit from the King.
Chapter 15: The Official Courtship
The King, accompanied by his entourage and a silent Jest, enters the Pinkerton parlour to make an announcement. Catherine braces for a proposal, certain she will have to say yes to please her parents.
However, following Jest’s earlier advice, the King asks only for the honor of a courtship instead. Catherine’s parents are stunned but grant their blessing, and Cath agrees, relieved to have more time.
Throughout the exchange, Cath and Jest share intense, unspoken looks across the room.
Key Moment:Â The King officially requests to court Catherine, following Jest’s advice, which buys Catherine temporary freedom from immediate marriage.
Chapter 16: A Window and a Rose
Catherine retreats to her room, unhappy with the official courtship and the public scrutiny it will bring. Mary Ann tries to comfort her, but Cath finds a single white rose on her windowsill instead.
She discovers Raven and Jest outside in the lemon tree near her window. Jest admits the courtship idea was his way of helping her avoid a marriage proposal she didn’t want.
He asks if she is in love with someone else, and though she says no, their mutual attraction is palpable. Jest invites her to a real tea party.
Key Moment:Â Jest visits Catherine’s bedroom window at night, revealing he orchestrated the courtship to protect her and inviting her to a real tea party.
Chapter 17: Into the Crossroads
Against her better judgment, Catherine agrees to leave with Jest for the night’s adventure. He uses a magical black lace parasol from his hat to float them safely down from her balcony.
Jest takes her hand and leads her to the Crossroads, a shifting hall of doors that connects all corners of the kingdom. They pass through a hollow tree into a forest meadow containing Hatta’s travelling hat shop.
Catherine is anxious but curious as they approach the mad tea party waiting for them.
Key Moment:Â Catherine sneaks out of her house with Jest and enters the magical Crossroads for the first time.
Chapter 18: The Mad Tea Party Begins
Catherine enters Hatta’s millinery, which is filled with the scent of tea and the sound of off-key singing from within. She meets Hatta, the silver-haired hatter with violet eyes, and a collection of animals including a March Hare and a Dormouse.
Hatta is skeptical of Catherine’s status as a lady and treats Jest with a mix of affection and mockery. Jest performs a mesmerizing twinkle twinkle little bat trick that involves a cyclone of bats.
He vanishes during the trick, leaving Catherine alone with the taunting Hatta.
Key Moment:Â Catherine meets Hatta and witnesses Jest’s Little Bat magic, which ends with his sudden disappearance.
Chapter 19: The Baker’s Performance
Jest reappears at the table, and the party continues with guests performing various talents for entertainment. Hatta pressures Catherine to perform, mocking her for taking entertainment without giving any back.
Cath chooses a white cooking bonnet from the wall and decides to share her rose macarons with the group. The guests are enchanted by the taste, and Hatta finally accepts her presence at the table.
Suddenly, the shop is rocked by the Jabberwock, who is clawing at the roof above them.
Key Moment:Â Catherine wins over the mad tea party guests with her rose macarons, but the celebration is cut short by a Jabberwock attack.
Chapter 20: The Battle in the Meadow
The Jabberwock shatters a window and attempts to enter the shop to reach them. Hatta organizes a distraction so the guests can run for the safety of the Crossroads.
Catherine and the Turtle fall behind, and the monster dives directly toward them. Catherine bravely jabs the Turtle with a stick to force him to move faster to safety.
As the beast lunges for her, the Lion heroically throws himself in front of Catherine to protect her.
Key Moment:Â The Lion is snatched and carried away by the Jabberwock while saving Catherine’s life.
Chapter 21: Secrets of Chess
A devastated Catherine is returned to the Crossroads by Jest and Hatta after the attack. Jest walks her home, and Catherine confesses that her ingredients speak to her when she bakes.
Jest reveals a massive secret: he and Raven are not men or birds, but Rooks from the land of Chess. They were sent by the White Queen on a mission to end an ancient war between the kingdoms.
Jest helps Catherine climb back into her window, and they share a moment of intense longing before she tells him they cannot see each other again.
Key Moment:Â Jest reveals his true identity as a Rook from Chess and explains his secret mission to Catherine.
Chapter 22: Betrayal and Dreams
Mary Ann discovers Catherine at her window in her mud-stained dress from the night before. Catherine finally tells Mary Ann everything about the tea party and her growing feelings for Jest.
Mary Ann is terrified of the scandal but suggests that if Cath truly loves Jest, maybe they can still find a way. However, Mary Ann is skeptical that Jest’s intentions are purely romantic rather than financial.
Catherine remains determined to focus on the bakery but realizes she must eventually face the King.
Key Moment:Â Catherine confesses her love for Jest to Mary Ann, unaware that her friend’s practical fears will soon lead to betrayal.
Chapter 23: The King’s Wooing
The King’s courtship begins with an overwhelming flood of red flowers and jewelry delivered daily. Catherine receives a particularly appalling gift: a lock of the King’s hair with a bad poem attached.
She realizes that Jest is likely the one writing the King’s more eloquent letters for him. A secret note from Jest is tucked inside a King’s letter, asking for more macarons and praising her charm.
Cheshire warns her that no one will buy from her bakery if her reputation is ruined by a scandal with the Joker.
Key Moment:Â Catherine receives a secret love note from Jest hidden inside a formal letter from the King.
Chapter 24: The Stolen Pumpkin
Catherine and Mary Ann visit Sir Peter’s creepy pumpkin patch to get ingredients for an upcoming baking contest. Mary Ann wears a new whimsical bonnet from Hatta’s shop for the occasion.
They encounter a hostile Sir Peter, who refuses to do business with entitled trollops like them. Cath hears a strange scratching and breathing coming from an enormous pumpkin cage nearby.
On their way out, Catherine steals a perfect sugar pie pumpkin from an abandoned corner of the patch.
Key Moment:Â Catherine finds a carousel pony from the Lion’s hat in Sir Peter’s mud, linking him to the Jabberwock.
Chapter 25: The Macaron Hat
The Turtle Days Festival begins on the beach, and Catherine presents a spiced pumpkin cake for the contest. She encounters Hatta, who has set up his shop at the festival grounds.
Hatta gifts her a ridiculous hat that looks exactly like a giant rose macaron. He tells her his family has always been mad as a hatter and that he stays ahead of Time to avoid his fate.
Catherine feels irresistible in the hat, though she is filled with dread about the upcoming dances.
Key Moment:Â Hatta gifts Catherine the magical macaron hat and reveals the dark history of madness in his family.
Chapter 26: Falling in Love
Catherine’s father tells the legend of Rock Turtle Cove while Cath prepares for the dreaded lobster quadrille dance. Jest finds her on the stage and touches her wrist, sending sparks through her arm immediately.
The King arrives, soaking wet and exuberant, and Catherine is forced to ask him to be her dance partner. During the dance, Catherine ignores the King and imagines herself in a secret sea cave with Jest instead.
She finally admits to herself the undeniable truth of her feelings.
Key Moment:Â Amidst the lobster quadrille, Catherine realizes she is completely and hopelessly in love with Jest.
Chapter 27: A Knightly Proposal
Jest rescues Catherine from a crowd of sycophants by using a smoke bomb to create confusion. They hide behind boulders where Jest confesses he is agonizingly jealous of the King.
Catherine promises that she will never accept the King’s proposal when it comes. Jest asks if her father would ever allow a poor joker to court her, but Cath admits they would be mortified.
He jokes about winning a pumpkin-eating contest to be knighted just to be worthy of her.
Key Moment:Â Jest and Catherine confess their mutual obsession, and Catherine promises him she will reject the King.
Chapter 28: The Bias of a King
Mary Ann drags Catherine to the grandstand for the baking contest judging ceremony. The judges, including the King and the Turtle, sample various entries from the contestants.
When they get to Catherine’s pumpkin cake, the King stands and declares that he is biased because the baker is his future bride. Catherine is paralyzed by the public announcement and the crowd’s reaction around her.
The nightmare of being claimed by the King is interrupted by a sudden scream.
Key Moment:Â The King publicly and prematurely announces his engagement to Catherine during the baking contest.
Chapter 29: Birth of the Mock Turtle
The Turtle judge collapses and begins a horrific, bubbling transformation before everyone’s eyes. His head morphs into that of a calf, while his lower limbs become hooves instead.
Catherine tries to help him, but the crowd is paralyzed with fear at the sight. She notices Sir Peter watching her with pure loathing and fury in his eyes.
The creature is left as a Mock Turtle, sobbing and disfigured on the ground.
Key Moment:Â The young Turtle transforms into the Mock Turtle after eating a slice of Catherine’s pumpkin cake.
Chapter 30: The Broken Dream
Catherine returns home and finally begs her parents for her dowry money to open the bakery. Her mother dismisses the idea, calling her an elephant and insisting she will be Queen instead.
Her father is immovable, stating that ladies are not meant to own businesses at all. He threatens to fire Mary Ann if Catherine ever brings up the bakery again to anyone.
Catherine flees to her room in tears, feeling betrayed by her own father.
Key Moment:Â Catherine’s father forbids her from opening a bakery and threatens to dismiss Mary Ann, effectively killing her dream.
Chapter 31: Rejection and Accusations
Catherine goes to Hatta for a business loan, but he is cold and disrespectful toward her. He accuses her of being a fickle girl who is playing with Jest’s heart while aiming for a crown.
Hatta reveals his hats are made from materials from Chess and that they improve people who wear them. He shreds her bakery proposal without even reading it properly.
Hatta suggests that Catherine’s cake is what transformed the Mock Turtle.
Key Moment:Â Hatta rejects Catherine’s business proposal and accuses her of being responsible for the Mock Turtle’s transformation.
Chapter 32: The Lobe Theatre
The King surprises Catherine at her home and invites her to the Lobe Theatre for a production of King Cheer. Jest is present but refuses to look at Catherine, his expression pained throughout.
At the theatre, Catherine encounters a desperate Lady Peter, who begs for more pumpkin cake, saying she will die without it. Lady Peter scratches Catherine’s arms in a craze before Sir Peter drags her away.
In the King’s box, Jest is clearly miserable as the King talks about wanting ten children with Cath.
Key Moment:Â Lady Peter accosts Catherine, revealing her desperate addiction to the cursed pumpkin cake.
Chapter 33: A Martyr’s Prediction
Catherine flees the theatre performance and finds Jest in the lobby waiting for her. He has successfully manipulated Margaret into joining the Duke in his box, doing a final favor for Cath.
Jest is jealous and cold, telling Catherine she has to say yes to the King’s proposal. Catherine asks how he can be so contradictory, professing love while pushing her toward the King.
Their argument is interrupted when the building shakes and the Jabberwock bursts into the lobby.
Key Moment:Â Jest urges Catherine to accept the King’s proposal just before the Jabberwock launches a direct attack on them.
Chapter 34: The Vorpal Sword
The Jabberwock attacks, and Jest and Raven fight it with a wooden sceptre and talons against the beast. Catherine falls down the stairs and breaks her ankle in the chaos of the attack.
Jack sees her but refuses to help, fleeing for his life instead. Raven drops Jest’s hat to Catherine, and she pulls the legendary Vorpal Sword from its depths.
Cath manages to stand on her broken ankle and brandishes the sword at the monster. The Jabberwock is frightened by the blade and flees into the night.
Key Moment:Â Catherine discovers she can wield the Vorpal Sword, a weapon that only royalty should be able to pull from Jest’s hat.
Chapter 35: The Treacle Well
Pain explodes in Catherine’s ankle as the King declares her his brave future queen to everyone. Jest insists on taking her for medical help, using Rook magic to sink them through the theatre floor.
They reappear in a timeless meadow beside the Treacle Well together. Jest gives her treacle to drink, which magically heals her shattered bone instantly.
He pays the Sisters of the well with a tail feather, bells, and a kiss as toll.
Key Moment:Â Jest takes Catherine to the Treacle Well, where she is magically healed but must pay a cryptic toll to the Sisters.
Chapter 36: Stealing a Heart
Jest reveals the Treacle Well is the doorway to Chess and explains the forever war between the Red and White Queens. He confesses his true mission: he was sent to Hearts to find a fierce queen and steal her heart to take back to Chess.
Catherine is devastated, believing their entire relationship was a ruse to fulfill his mission. Jest admits he failed because he fell in love with her and no longer wants her heart for anyone but himself.
Catherine confesses her own love, and they share their first real, passionate kiss in the grass.
Key Moment:Â Jest confesses his mission to steal Catherine’s heart but declares he has chosen her over his duty.
Chapter 37: The Arrest
Catherine and Jest return to the Crossroads, giddy with love, only to be ambushed by palace guards waiting there. Her parents and the King are there; Mary Ann has betrayed their secret to save Catherine.
Jest protects Catherine’s reputation by lying, saying he used a charm to trick her into coming with him. The King is heartbroken and orders Jest to be dealt with immediately.
Before the guards can take him, Jest transforms into a raven and escapes with his companion.
Key Moment:Â Mary Ann betrays Catherine’s secrets, leading to Jest’s arrest and his forced public confession that he bewitched her.
Chapter 38: The Bleeding Hearts
Catherine’s father threatens to disown her if she does not marry the King as expected. She screams at Mary Ann and tells her she never wants to see her again.
Catherine wakes to find a bleeding heart plant growing over her bed, its flowers literally dripping blood. Cheshire informs her that Jest is a wanted criminal and the King is ignoble but miserable.
Catherine realizes her dream of the bakery is dead and her reputation is in tatters. She dresses for the masquerade, donning a tiara and finally accepting her role as a future queen.
Key Moment:Â Catherine discovers the bleeding heart plant in her room, a physical manifestation of her emotional devastation.
Chapter 39: The Masked Request
At the masquerade, Catherine demands to be announced separately as the future Queen of Hearts. She encounters Margaret and the Duke, who are now officially courting; she insults Margaret’s nonsensical morals.
Sir Peter Peter accosts her, demanding to know where the Vorpal Sword is and blaming her for his wife’s condition. A mysterious gentleman in a raven-feather mask interrupts and asks Catherine to dance.
Catherine realizes the stranger is Jest, who has risked everything to return to her.
Key Moment:Â Jest sneaks into the masquerade ball to see Catherine one last time before her official engagement.
Chapter 40: The Choice and the Escape
Jest and Catherine waltz, and she whispers that she is going to accept the King’s proposal. She claims that by becoming Queen, her heart will have the purpose Jest originally sought for his mission.
The King proposes on stage, and Catherine says I will to a cheering crowd. Suddenly, Jest appears in the doorway in his joker’s motley, declaring he has found another way for them to be together.
He asks her what she chooses, and she whispers You before he creates a smoke distraction and carries her away.
Key Moment:Â Catherine accepts the King’s proposal but immediately abandons the throne to flee with Jest.
Chapter 41: The Law of Promotion
Jest takes Catherine to the gardens and explains Raven’s idea: the Law of Promotion in Chess. If Catherine, as a pawn, can make it through enemy territory to the border, she can become a Queen of Chess.
This would allow her to lead them to victory and then live a simple life as a baker with Jest. The guards approach, but Jest uses his Rook magic to transport them back to Hatta’s shop.
They find Cheshire waiting outside, who hints at a scandalous rumor involving Mary Ann and the Jabberwock.
Key Moment:Â Jest proposes a plan for Catherine to become a Queen in Chess through promotion, allowing them a future together.
Chapter 42: The Price of Passage
They find Hatta in his shop, looking disheveled and cynical about their plan. Hatta is skeptical of the queening plan but agrees to guide them across the Looking Glass one last time.
They enter the Sisters’ glen, where Catherine sees the mirror showing the lands of Chess beyond. The Sisters demand payment for passage: a feather from Raven, bells from Jest, and five minutes of Hatta’s time.
Catherine notices the Sisters are now wearing masks of an owl, raccoon, and fox.
Key Moment:Â Hatta agrees to take Catherine and Jest to Chess, and the Sisters collect a heavy toll for their passage.
Chapter 43: Prophecies of Stone
The Sisters show them a wall of stone drawings that depict their futures in detail. One drawing shows Jest’s decapitated body and a hooded executioner with an axe standing over him.
Another shows Catherine on the throne of Hearts, looking cold and ruthless. A third shows Hatta alone and mad at a tea table forever.
The Sisters recite a poem about Peter Peter keeping his wife in a pumpkin shell and catching a maid who meant well.
Key Moment:Â The Sisters reveal horrific prophecies of Jest’s death and Catherine’s ascension as the cold Queen of Hearts.
Chapter 44: The Infinite Maze
Hatta leads them into a hedge maze, which he whistles through while the others are somber from the prophecies. Jest tries to keep Catherine’s spirits up with jokes and flirting, promising her a lifetime of impossible things.
Raven grows annoyed with their flirtations and joins Hatta ahead. They walk for hours in the damp, cold dark, and Catherine fears they are going in circles.
Eventually, they arrive back at the Treacle Well where they started.
Key Moment:Â The group traverses the endless maze, with Jest promising Catherine a lifetime of happiness despite the Sisters’ warnings.
Chapter 45: The Reason to Stay
At the bottom of the well, they find a room full of doors leading back to Hearts. Catherine finds a Drink Me elixir and a hand mirror that acts as the Looking Glass to Chess.
Just as they are about to leave, Catherine hears Mary Ann’s voice screaming from behind a wrought-iron gate. She sees Mary Ann trapped in a giant pumpkin cage and Sir Peter preparing an axe nearby.
Catherine insists on going back to save her friend, promising Jest she will return.
Key Moment:Â Catherine sacrifices her chance to escape to Chess when she hears Mary Ann’s screams coming from the pumpkin patch.
Chapter 46: The Pumpkin Ghouls
Catherine enters the foggy pumpkin patch and finds the ground covered in monstrous footprints everywhere. Mary Ann reveals that Lady Peter is the Jabberwock and that Peter is feeding people to her.
Living pumpkin lanterns warn Catherine to run away before Peter finds her there. Catherine goes to a shed for a tool but is intercepted by Peter instead.
He slams her against a wall, brandishing a gleaming axe in his hands.
Key Moment:Â Catherine learns the truth: Lady Peter is the Jabberwock, and Sir Peter is her murderous keeper.
Chapter 47: The Martyrdom of the Joker
Jest and Hatta arrive to help, and Jest cartwheels through the mud to fight Peter directly. Raven appears in his executioner’s hood to help free Mary Ann from the cage.
The Jabberwock appears, and Catherine retrieves the Vorpal Sword from Jest’s hat to face it. Catherine decapitates the Jabberwock with a single clean cut of the sword.
In the moment of relief, a grieving and furious Peter Peter swings his axe at Jest. Catherine watches in horror as the prophecy comes true: Jest is decapitated.
Key Moment:Â Catherine slays the Jabberwock, only for Peter Peter to murder Jest in the immediate aftermath.
Chapter 48: Frozen Fury
Hatta has to restrain Catherine as she screams and claws at the mud, refusing to leave Jest’s body. She returns to Rock Turtle Cove a hollowed-out shell, refusing to speak or eat anything.
She pleads with Time to turn back the clock, offering to marry any king if Jest could live. Raven informs her that Peter Peter has escaped into the forest nearby.
Catherine’s grief turns into a singular, burning need for vengeance against him.
Key Moment:Â Catherine’s grief transforms into an all-consuming rage and a vow to avenge Jest’s death.
Chapter 49: The Deal for Vengeance
Catherine wakes to the Sisters in her room, who are perched in a new tree of key limes growing there. They tell her they cannot bring Jest back but can offer her vengeance instead.
They reveal Peter Peter is coming to them to escape to Chess through the well. The Sisters demand a toll: the heart of a queen in payment.
Catherine agrees to become Queen if they bring Peter to her for justice.
Key Moment:Â Catherine strikes a dark bargain with the Three Sisters: her heart in exchange for Jest’s killer.
Chapter 50: The Queen’s Acceptance
Catherine sweeps into the throne room dressed in head-to-toe black mourning attire. She apologizes to the King and offers him a key lime pie—the key to his heart.
She demands the wedding happen in three days, and the bumbling King agrees, intimidated and hungry. Catherine begins practicing her new title, feeling her humanity slipping away already.
She feels nothing but cold purpose now.
Key Moment:Â Catherine uses the King’s weakness for treats to force a sudden marriage, securing her power.
Chapter 51: The Last of Catherine
On her wedding day, Catherine orders the royal gardeners to chop down the white rose tree and plant only red ones. She is cruel to Mary Ann, telling her she should have died in the pumpkin patch instead.
Cheshire notes that she is a miserable wretch, but Catherine says she is full to the brim with murder. She tells her parents that things would be different if they had cared about her happiness before.
Raven settles on her shoulder as she prepares to walk the aisle.
Key Moment:Â Catherine officially cuts ties with her past, her friend, and her parents, embracing her role as the heartless Queen.
Chapter 52: The Hatter’s Descent
Catherine visits Hatta’s shop and finds it filled with broken mannequins and chaotic ticking sounds. Hatta has gone mad, realizing he is responsible for the Jabberwock by bringing Chess seeds to Peter’s patch.
Catherine forbids all travel to and from Chess, promising to burn the maze if necessary. Hatta gifts her a crown made of Jabberwock teeth as a token.
He cackles as he realizes he cannot remember the answer to his own riddle.
Key Moment:Â Hatta descends into total madness as Catherine bans all travel between Hearts and Chess.
Chapter 53: The Sisters’ Toll
During a court session, Catherine grants the marriage of Margaret and the Duke, but finds no joy in it. The Three Sisters arrive in the courtroom, dragging a bedraggled Peter Peter in chains behind them.
They announce that the time is now to collect their payment from her. One of the Sisters plunges a knife into Catherine’s chest and removes her heart.
The heart is broken and filled with dust and ash inside.
Key Moment:Â The Three Sisters literally remove Catherine’s broken heart in front of the entire court.
Chapter 54: Off With His Head
Catherine feels nothing—no sorrow, no pain, only a cold, burning rage inside her now. She rejects the jury’s verdict of not guilty for Peter Peter immediately.
She declares herself the ultimate judge and appoints Raven as her official executioner. Peter Peter is terrified as Raven hefts his axe nearby.
Catherine utters her final, iconic command to the court.
Key Moment:Â Catherine sentences Peter Peter to death, concluding her transformation into the ruthless Queen of Hearts.
