A review by daiinty
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

2.0

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

this book has a lot of hype around it, so that’s why it’s been on my tbr for quite some time. while there were aspects of the book i enjoyed, i don’t really see where the hype comes from. this is a very silly book, which often can be an aspect of similar books that i enjoy, but for me the silliness lacked substance and made it hard for me to take anything seriously when the plot demanded seriousness. i feel like it was trying to attempt something in the same vein of india holton’s Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels series, but didn’t quite achieve that. i get that this is YA, but i’ve read plenty to YA that didn’t infantilize itself. 

SPOILERS:

there were some lazy plot devices in my opinion. for instance, at the very beginning out FMC is turned to stone and we miss six weeks of huge events like this week of terror and apparently a regicide and transition of power in the north? we just completely miss all of that. i also think had the book started with more of evangeline and luke’s relationship i would have cared more about them and evangeline’s heartbreak. similarly, i think her and apollo’s relationship should have been more developed. i know he was under a spell, but again i would have cared more when he “died”. the world building also felt pretty lackluster to me. one thing i did enjoy was the like reveal in the den of vampires, but i doubt i will be reading on to find out anything else that happens to his character. also, marisol is a sniveling bitch, but her character was confusing. 

overall, the story was cute, but i feel like it would have been really good had the characters and plot been more well developed. unless i hear something particularly interesting i won’t likely be continuing with the series.