Once Upon a Broken Heart Review
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
How far would you go for happily ever after?
For as long as she can remember, Evangeline Fox has believed in true love and happy endings... until she learns that the love of her life will marry another.
Desperate to stop the wedding and to heal her wounded heart, Evangeline strikes a deal with the charismatic but wicked Prince of Hearts. In exchange for his help, he asks for three kisses, to be given at the time and place of his choosing.
But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that bargaining with an immortal is a dangerous game—and that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’d pledged. He has plans for Evangeline, plans that will either end in the greatest happily ever after or the most exquisite tragedy...
Stephanie Garber is one of my all-time favorite authors, so it is no surprise that I devoured Once Upon a Broken Heart. Many people wonder if they should read Caraval first, and I would answer yes, one hundred percent. Caraval sets up for the entire world of Once Upon a Broken Heart, and many characters from the original series are in the spin-off series. I found it essential in understanding the plot and world.
The plot follows Evangeline, who prays to the Prince of Hearts to stop the wedding of her one true love, and how she faces the consequences after making a deal with the dangerous Fate. The plot was enticing and magical, similar to the magic of Caraval, instantly drawing me in as I wondered how a sweet, naive girl melts the heart of the stone-cold Jacks and if his protective nature is all an act to get what he wants. At times, I was a bit bored due to the slow pacing, and I felt like nothing significant was happening. However, towards the end of the book, everything accelerated, and one thing after another went wrong for Evangeline. She was constantly bombarded with bad luck, and I nearly thought that a Fate had placed a curse on her!
The worldbuilding was not as extensive as Caraval, so it may be lacking if you read Once Upon a Broken Heart first. However, with my knowledge, I was able to weave together a beautiful, colorful, magical world full of enchanting stories, empresses, magical apples, and princesses. The entire setting of the story felt like stepping into a fairytale, enveloped in pastels. I will die on the hill that Stephanie Garber is a queen at worldbuilding and magical worlds.
I enjoyed the characters because they were all so diverse and different from one another, with distinct characteristics and varied backgrounds and species. I fell in love with many of the characters, perhaps even the ones I wasn’t supposed to, such as Jacks. The Prince of Hearts is a character filled to the brim with swoon-worthy words, charm, swagger, and chaos, while wrapped in veiled manipulation, as every step brings him closer to his ultimate goal. Evangeline was like a breath of fresh air. She wasn’t like many female characters who are overly stubborn and independent. She was a damsel in distress, and she was perfectly content with being one. She was a naive and hopeless romantic who yearned for nothing more than to find love, yet often found herself in terrible situations. Together, Jacks and Evangeline were a perfect match. Every scene with them was thick with so much tension that you could cut it with a knife. Jacks has a mouth on him, and he loves seeing his Little Fox react to his enchanting words.
This book is for dreamers who seek more in their lives, especially love, and are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve it. The plot twists were not the best, as I often found myself predicting them; however, it was a light and whimsical read that I would recommend to anyone looking for a good time.
Written by Carlie Renee
