Title: Once Upon a Broken Heart
Author: Stephanie Garber
Pages: 408
Publication Date: 9/28/21
Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Rating: ♥♥♥♥,25
Synopsis:
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….
Review:
Once again we’re back into Caraval world. A world that is magical, enchanting, mysterious, dark and dangerous. But this time, we’re in The Prince of Hearts’ curse- the main male character-. The Prince of Hearts – Jacks- is nothing but the prince charming to whom you would give your all for a kiss even if it’s your last. Evangeline Fox has stupidly made a deal with Jacks to fix her own broken heart. And as we all know, a heart in pain and decisions are a bad combo that shall lead to grave consquences if one messes with a Fate. However, Evangeline, as naive and too trusty as she is, couldn’t be stopped and the story shall begin.
Characters:
- Evangeline is desperate and broken yet she’s so brave, forgiving, and very very hopeful. She’s just a naive girl with a hopeless romantic personality, and well, she’s quite delusional but would call herself hopeful! She has been surrounded by so many fairy tales that she just wants her life to be like it. Sometimes she acts without thinking that I’m always reminded she’s 18. Other times, she goes full bravado chick on us that I do actually forget she’s 18 xd. This combo doesn’t set well for me. I always love when a character acts their age but develops with the experiences. However, in Evangeline’s case, I felt she has some issues and she is not whom she always claims to be. I actually liked her selflessness and her acceptance of her BAD DECISION. But there’s nothing much interesting to her character besides this.
- Jacks on the other hand is such a vibe! His kiss is deadly. His heart doesn’t beat, and most important he’s heartbroken. He’s so untrustworthy, charming, seductive,mysterious, cocky and toxic to the neck. His first interaction with Evangeline was so funny. I even felt embarrasment on her behalf. I didn’t expect him to be so mean, he went full Regina George on her:
“Now, that was a pathetic speech.” Two slow claps followed.
- The dynamic is so good. Evangeline has hot and cold feelings for him. Jacks is being Regina all the way to the end but he doesn’t miss the chance to be the cocky hottie he is.
“Do you want to be a vampire?”
“No,”Jacks spat. “I don’t want to be a vampire, but I want to bite you.”
Plot and world-building:
Once upon a Broken Heart explores a part of the Caraval universe that was hitherto only mentioned in passing: the North. Full of magic and shrouded in legends , the North makes for an amazing backdrop and enhances the fairytale feel of the story. Garber’s is a born storyteller and an amazing writer that weaves words in an engaging and easy to understand manner. She paced the story perfectly that ensured to not let the reader’s interest lessen.
Alternative Covers
Quotes:
“Heroes don’t get happy endings. They give them to other people.”
“I believe there are far more possibilities than happily ever after or tragedy. Every story has the potential for infinite endings.”
“Hope is a difficult thing to kill, just a spark of it can start a fire.”
“Regret was the worst.
Regret was sour and bitter, and it tasted so close to the truth she had to fight sinking into it.”
