Reviews with content warning for Violence - Once Upon a Broken Heart

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

55 reviews

lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Third reread (October 2023): 4.5 Stars*
Second reread (September 2022): 4.5 stars*
Stephanie Garber has long been one of my favorite authors. I was entirely mesmerized by the Caraval trilogy, and I knew that I would love this spinoff series just as much.
"Once Upon a Broken Heart" follows Evangeline, an orphaned young lady who is willing to do anything for love. Her longtime, secret love is set to marry her stepsister, so Evangeline decides to make a deal with a fate in order to stop the wedding. She decides the Prince of Hearts will be the most sympathetic to her plight, and in exchange for stopping the wedding, she agrees to kiss three people of his choosing. Evangeline soon discovers that she has bit off more than she can chew as she finds herself on an epic adventure to fulfill her end of the bargain and find her true love.
I was so excited to pick up this book because I found Jacks to be this immensely interesting and complicated character in the Caraval world. I loved getting to read more from him and see him interact with more characters. I also think Stephanie Garber really stepped up her writing game and has really honed in on her craft in this new series. Although I felt like Caraval was well-written, I think this new series shows Stephanie growing as a writer and really fleshing out her characters, as well as building a beautiful and enchanting world. Evangeline is a powerful, kickass woman and I loved reading from her perspective. Despite seeing the worst in people, she is always so willing to give people the benefit of the doubt. I LOVED that despite her difficult life, she is not jaded, AND she still wants to believe in true love. I did think the plotline that she had to kiss three people of Jacks choosing was a little cringy and juvenile, but I suppose it does make sense given that Jacks is the Prince of Hearts.
This book read a little younger YA than I was expecting, but I still really loved it, and I am so ready to see where this story goes in book two.

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bookishpaula's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

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dianaschmidty's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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laurajeangrace's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

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katvou's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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rockyroadbutch's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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currantcat's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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karapillar's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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frantically's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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livinginbetweenthepages's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

*WARNING: This review contains spoilers!*

“But hope is a difficult thing to kill, just a spark of it can start a fire.”

A few years ago I have read the entire Caraval series, which I absolutely loved. It was so lovely and magical to be back in the world Stephanie Garber has created, but now in another part of it, namely the Magnificent North. The world-building is amazing, and I loved the snowy setting and to travel through this place alongside the characters: from the Curiosity Shop to Fortuna Castle, Wolf Hall, the place where Chaos and the vampires roam around, and Jacks' place. Especially the latter I enjoyed very much. It gave an extra glimpse of Jacks, for example with what books he had sitting on his bookshelf. It felt almost private. I also found the little dragons adorable! Can I have one too? Furthermore, I loved the new information of history, like that of the prophecy, arches, the fates and the royal family and the magical system we got to explore in Once Upon a Broken Heart which wasn't shown yet in the world of Caraval. I liked trying to solve the mystery (which I was trying very hard to do so while annotating) together with Evangeline. I absolutely adored getting a glimpse of some of the old characters, like Scarlett, Donatella and most of all, Jacks, the Prince of Hearts. I found it very nice to be able to get to know him a bit better: his past, motives, character, and thoughts. Even though he can be so cruel, manipulative, wicked, sly, and mischievous, and although I hated the nicknames he gave for Evangeline (Little Fox and pet) I can't help but fall in love with him more and more. He is just a very loveable villain, how cruel he might be. However, I would have loved to learn even more about him. How did he grow up, for example? Just a little more depth I was longing for. I also loved the symbolism behind Evangeline's rose gold hair and that of Jacks' blue locks.

“The fates weren't dangerous because they were evil; the fates were dangerous because they couldn't tell the difference between evil and good.”

Then I also loved meeting Evangeline. I adore her bravery, kindness, and empathy. She made some not so smart and very naive decisions, and some of her actions were so naive and not understandable as well, like how she didn't act when her beloved family's shop was closed, or how she didn't try to stop the prophecy, goes back to the castle alone without a proper plan besides the potion and all she could think of was wanting love and a happy ever after along the way, which sometimes made me close my eyes in question. She just went along with so many things. But for some decisions, I understood where they and some of her actions were coming from, no matter how naive they might seem. She is not the perfect girl as the prophecy, newspaper (I loved reading those parts), and people portray her as she makes mistakes, but that doesn't mean she isn't brave and doesn't deserve to be understood to be forgiven for her actions. I actually liked her naivete sometimes, for it also makes her feel more human and innocent. I thought it so well done how Stephanie let us introduce her to the reader, by slowly getting to know her past, then her in the present moment, and what the future could bring if the prophecy about the girl with the rose gold hair is true. I also very much liked LuLu in this story. I had so much empathy for her, and I found her so delightful. However, in Finale, she is portrayed as cruel, while in this one, there is not a single trace of that shown here. I can't quite understand that and would have liked to learn about the development, as I found this quite confusing. I now think that I missed some depth in more of the characters, for example, that of Luc or Chaos. The chemistry between Jacks and Evangeline was amazing, and I actually loved it even more that there was barely true romance in the book yet. I could still feel the tension and attraction lingering in the air and growing stronger and stronger. Jacks' tight, protective hold on Evangeline's waist while having to hold her for 24 hours, or when their attraction towards each other grew in the cemetery, even though that was it, it was enough for now. It was still, I won't call it romantic, but, terrifically captivating, and hot. Especially in the crypt. I found it interesting to see Jacks' mask fall a bit off, by him slowly beginning to care, and even worry about Evangeline. The plot was, besides some big flaws, good and enchanting as well, and not even spoken of the plot twists that I didn't see coming which made me gasp and let my mouth drop open. I didn't expect Chaos the be the guard or that Apollo was still alive, for instance. About the flaws, some examples: it was very repetitive and similar to the Caraval series (although It didn't bother me very much at the moment of reading it). Some moments didn't make sense at all, like why does Scarlett want to send a stranger to the North while she has learned not to believe everything that is shown to her, that Jacks gets angry with a single insult by Evangeline when she mentions him as a coward while he is known as not caring for such things and being ice cold in comparison with the raging Fallen Star, how Jacks tells Evangeline he can only have control over three or four people's minds, while in Legendary, he freezes a whole ballroom, how can it be so that he can speak in Evangeline's mind? The shift of tone when Marisol hears Evangeline wanted to end her marriage while first, she was so sorry for her, and the part with the vampires. I did love the latter, but the reader barely gets to know how come there are vampires in this world which have never mentioned vampires before. I didn't mind it being in the book itself, I just would have loved to learn more about the history of it all. There are also so many things briefly told, but not explained. Then there were some moments in the plot that made me a bit mad, like when Jacks mocks Evangeline for her being content with only having kissed Luc and when she says Luc is an excellent kisser, he says ''How do you know if you have nothing to compare it with?'' Which is of course how Jacks is. But then she has to kiss three people in the rest of the book, from one she even enjoyed. This was just one of the many examples. However, I found the book lovely nonetheless. The story reads like an enchantment to me, with lots of enjoyable drama. And how I loved the ball, different potions, and the unique dresses.

''Secret ballrooms were built for it in forests where fallen stars had once landed, leaving everything laced with bits of enchantment.''

I couldn't stop flipping the pages, and I stayed awake late in the night to finish the story. The story reads fast. Stephanie describes everything in so many details and imaginary which makes every scent, like apples and poison, sight, thought, touch, and feeling come alive.

''It was the feel of candlelight twilight, paper dust caught in the air, and rows and rows of unusual books on crooked shelves.''

Her storytelling is truly magical. And what a cliffhanger! I can't help but wonder about who is behind the wolf attack, how Apollo will react when he will be woken up and wonder who opened the door, and what this is going to mean for the rest of the story. And how the story is going to follow in general. I can't wait for the sequel. And I hope Jacks gets the one true love he deserves, and I so hope it is not going to be Tella, who broke his heart and shattered it to pieces. I am left with so many questions, and I hope they will be answered very soon. I am torn between the fact that so many things just don't make sense at all and aren't explained well enough, and between very much loving the book in the meanwhile as well. The book is described as a fairytale, and I wonder if that perhaps tries to hide away what was is lacking. Although I also understand why it is mentioned as a fairytale, I still found it magical and lovely with its enchanting writing and world-building, characters, the potential of love, mysteries and the magic system. If I only listen to my mind, it tells me to rate the story 3 stars, but I simply can't. I find it also important to listen to my heart, and I can't ignore the feeling of adoration for the story and how much I enjoyed it and could escape and dream in it, and am longing to return to the North, which is why I rate Once Upon a Broken Stars with 3.75 stars.

“I believe there are far more possibilities than happily ever after or tragedy. Every story has the potential for infinite endings.”

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