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A review by plsnotanotherdamselindistress
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I am intrigued by the storyline and am considering reading the next book to see if I was right regarding my assumptions...BUT...I did feel like the characters lacked depth...
because even though the fMC is constantly described as a romantic and why she is that way she seems rather emotionless at times which may be because of the third person narrator who can make it hard to relate or feel with the MC...
on the topic of the third person narrator...
If this narrator has to be the choice don't give your fMC a name like Evangeline, beautiful name, but the min. 3 times per pages she is referred to as Evangeline absolutely destroys the reading flow. At least give her a nickname...honestly if the fMC would be referred to as Eve/Eva for at least half if the time it would cut down the number of pages to probably 350.
It also honestly felt like this book was only an introduction as we don't get much worldbuilding or explanations regarding anything geographical, political or societal in this fantasy world but for it simply being an introduction to the characters it lacks the deeply getting to know the characters.
Also what was that plottwist at the end? It felt completely forced the way it was constructed (there really were ways to make it not as frustrating or frustrating in a good way as in I want to continue reading)
What I did like:
- morally grey and imperfect(thus maybe less relatable) MCs
- a nice slowburn
because even though the fMC is constantly described as a romantic and why she is that way she seems rather emotionless at times which may be because of the third person narrator who can make it hard to relate or feel with the MC...
on the topic of the third person narrator...
If this narrator has to be the choice don't give your fMC a name like Evangeline, beautiful name, but the min. 3 times per pages she is referred to as Evangeline absolutely destroys the reading flow. At least give her a nickname...honestly if the fMC would be referred to as Eve/Eva for at least half if the time it would cut down the number of pages to probably 350.
It also honestly felt like this book was only an introduction as we don't get much worldbuilding or explanations regarding anything geographical, political or societal in this fantasy world but for it simply being an introduction to the characters it lacks the deeply getting to know the characters.
What I did like:
- morally grey and imperfect(thus maybe less relatable) MCs
- a nice slowburn
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Sexual harassment