Review – Once Upon a Broken Heart (Once Upon a Broken Heart, Book 1) by Stephanie Garber (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 408 pages
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Release Date: September 28, 2021
ASIN: B08NZCLPL6
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Once Upon a Broken Heart series
Source: Borrowed eBook from Library
Rating: 5/5 stars
“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…”
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Once Upon a Broken Heart series by Garber. This book takes place in the same world as the Caraval series. I borrowed this as an ebook from my library.
Thoughts: I absolutely adored the Caraval series and was so excited to read another series set in that world. I ended up absolutely loving this book, it met all of my expectations!
Evangeline Fox is heart broken when the man she believes to be her true love becomes engaged to her sister. She decides to strike a bargain with Jacks, the Prince of Hearts (also one of the Fates). He will help stop her sister’s wedding if she will give three kisses away at the time and to the people of his choosing. Things get complicated when Evangeline is invited to a festival in the North where the Northern prince chooses his bride.
This is just as beautifully written as Caraval was. The description and settings are absolutely magical and they really come alive for the reader. The characters are all deliciously gray in their morals. Evangeline makes a selfish deal but is not a bad person at heart and spends much of the rest of the book trying to make up for it. Jacks is just as amazing as he was in the first series and I loved getting to know him (and some of the other Fates) better.
This book is full of magic and wonder, deceit and sacrifice, darkness and kindness. It is an amazing read and Garber’s writing style is unique and completely her own and I love it!
My Summary (5/5): Overall I absolutely loved this book and am excited to see where this series goes. I love the magical, decadent, and darkly mysterious world of the Fates. I would highly recommend this if you read and enjoyed Caraval; although I don’t think you need to read the Caraval series to enjoy this book (you do get some background on Jacks in the Caraval series though). I would also recommend this if you enjoy darkly glittering fantasies that explore the idea of true love, magical kisses, and twisting magic.
