Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Once Upon a Broken Heart

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

132 reviews

wookiebear's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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m4rtt4's review against another edition

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adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

The beginning was promising, but then the story felt dragging, and all of a sudden there was this action-packed ending where too much happened yet it felt too convenient as most of the loose ends were given a little too perfect resolution. I really liked the world and its vibes, but I wish the story didn't read so much like a childrens' book — I do know that this is YA, it's not supposed to be as 'serious' as 'adult' books, but most of the YA I've read hasn't felt like this, even the first Harry Potter was way better in that sense and it's supposed to be for literal children.

I never understood why Evangeline was so deeply in love with Luc, their (past) relationship wasn't explained nearly as much as it should have. Also the 'unnecessary' guys (others than Jacks) were taken care of a little too conveniently — I mean, could you maybe have resolved the unspoken relationship issues by some other way than killing off Apollo and making Luc become a vampire? Yes, you don't have to think about a guy if he's a literal monster or doesn't exist anymore, but having them discuss things deeply with Evangeline would have helped this book reach the (emotional) maturity it so desperately needed.

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nabaraditi's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

2.0

I was into the book till 60% and wanted to give like 3stars but then I got bored and pretty much skimmed through the last 70% of the book. I soooooooo wanted to like this book. But around 60% it put me in a slump.
The premise was fun and interesting and fresh. But the things that I could guess very early on.
I think the reason why I'm not a fan of this book is because it was a bit childish for me. And there are stuff in the book that are like very stereotypical and I rolled by eyes at it.

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bookshelvesandbookcorners07's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted medium-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

4.25

Very fairytale vibes

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hq_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

This was great - I loved Jacks in the Caraval series so I’m so excited to continue this series. This was really fast-paced, like Garber's other novels, the plot kicks in really early and it's all systems go! Once again, she's created a really magical atmosphere throughout the storyline and worldbuilding.

This has great enemies to lovers potential. The sexual tension between Jacks and Evangeline built up slowly throughout the book and I cannot wait to see what happens next. I'm also intrigued to see if Chaos plays more of a role as I felt there was something significant between him and Evangeline as well.

Every time I picked up the book I kept wanting to read the next chapter. The plot is not predictable either - I genuinely have no idea what to expect in the next book. It did end on a cliffhanger so as soon as it's pay day, I will be purchasing the next book!

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