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A review by lovelymisanthrope
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent and Violence