Scan barcode
caitlyndblunt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Grief, Blood, Death, and Murder
Minor: Torture and Vomit
snowiceblackfruit77's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Cursing, Blood, Murder, Stalking, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Infidelity
chelbelle122's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Death, Murder, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
klsreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Confinement, Toxic relationship, Death, Murder, Blood, Violence, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Animal death, and Child death
Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, Grief, and Sexual content
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The third book in the ONCE UPON A BROKEN HEART trilogy, continuing the story of Evangeline Fox and Jacks the Prince of Hearts.
I read this one in a single day, and had a fantastic time. It wasn’t my favorite in the trilogy (that honor definitely goes to BALLAD, which I ADORED), but it was fun and fast paced and I loved the ending. Evangeline and Jacks definitely have my heart and are taking spots as a favorite fantasy couple for me.
I did feel like some aspects of the ending were a bit rushed (and there were a few answers I wanted and never got) but all in all I HIGHLY recommend this trilogy (though it should be read after CARAVAL) and can’t wait to see what Stephanie Garber writes next!
CW: Violence/blood/injury; kidnapping/emotional abuse/gaslighting
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, and Blood
chi__'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Violence
booksandstardust's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Death, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Blood, Gaslighting, and Violence
Moderate: Dementia, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
melina_30's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
There are so many loose ends and unanswered questions at the end of the book that it surprised me how fast the story ended.
I also found the many Apollo POVs a bit annoying especially when there were only about 3 Jacks POVs... Some of them didn't add much to the story and could have easily been told from Evangelines POV. It felt like Jacks wasn't really part of the story anymore...
The first two books felt like we were building up to something big and I was anticipating how Garber would resolve the problem about Jacks kiss being lethal.
Moreover, it was a bit disappointing how it seemed like the valors were nothing special (?). There was so much build up to how miraculous this family was and in this book they just seemed like your average people that just wanted to love a normal life ? I would have loved to see more of them and their powers!
Also why did it seem like Chaos was a tame pet rather that a murderous vampire? I was almost scared of him im the last book so why did he seem so harmless in this one?
Overall I loved the series and this third book was a fast and easy read. I was really immersed in the story and I loved the little details like the dragons, the trees, the concept of the hunt and the forest, the story curse giving everything a twist (although it seemed to have a stronger impact in the earlier books) and the idea of having two kinds of hearts.
Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Toxic friendship and Gaslighting
annamay1021's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Blood
Moderate: Suicide
tourmaline1703's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
In this book, we get to see more of the Magnificent North and get to delve deeper into its history. It felt like we really built off what we learnt in the other books and added to its magic. I'm still a bit confused on how the curses work and why some were lifted and some weren't but, I loved the way the magic system was added to in this novel.
As always, Stephanie Garber's writing is wonderful. It's so easy to get into and the descriptions are beautiful. I love the way she brings the characters' emotions to life, especially their anger, and I think the multi-POV really showed this contrast off.
I did find the plot a bit awkwardly paced and hard to follow at times. I don't know if I was just being a bit vague at times but it felt like I had no clue what was going on at all for the first half of the book. However, as the novel progressed, things started clearing up and the twists towards the end were brilliant. Despite not quite understanding what was going on, I still enjoyed it.
It's very safe to say I misjudged one of our protagonists massively and it led to a lot of confusion at the start. I was very confused by their actions but turns out, I just overestimated them. I loved the multi-POV and I think it really added to the characters, and helped understand their motives much better. This book has made me actually like Jacks now, I still don't fully trust him but I do really like him as a character now.
Therefore, despite all my confusion, I really enjoyed this book and it was a great end to the series!
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, and Blood