Once Upon a Broken Heart - Review

Book Review:
Title: Once Upon a Broken Heart
Author: Stephanie Garber
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
I received an early copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

"Always promise less than you can give, for Fates always take more.
Do not make bargains with more than one Fate.
And, above all, never fall in love with a Fate."

For as long as she can remember, Evangeline Fox has believed in happily ever after. Until she learns that the love of her life is about to marry another, and her dreams are shattered.
Desperate to stop the wedding, and 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 pledged. He has plans for Evangeline, plans that will either end in the greatest happily ever after, or the most exquisite tragedy... 

Once Upon a Broken Heart was a dream.

I don’t think anyone is surprised that I loved this book, given how vocal I’ve been about my love for the Caraval series and of course my favourite morally grey Fate, Jacks, but this book truly was so much fun.

We follow a brand-new character called Evangeline who hasn’t had the easiest of lives thus far – her parents have both unfortunately passed, her stepmother is a little evil, and to top it all off, her lover is marrying another. After experiencing heartbreak after heartbreak and currently at her wits end, she crosses paths with the infamous Prince of Hearts and decides to strike a deal with him to stop the latest heartbreak from occurring.

However, a deal with a Fate is never as simple as it seems, and what ensues sends Evangeline on a journey she never expected but has dreamed about…somewhat.

Given that Jacks is a main character in Once Upon a Broken Heart, this book automatically qualifies for a 5-star rating from me. It’s as simple as that. BUT that wouldn’t be great ‘reviewing’ and actually there is so much more alongside Jacks in this book that makes it such a fantastic read!

I’ve said this in my review for the Caraval books, but Stephanie Garber’s storytelling is exquisite. She lays everything bare on the pages with such immense detail - atmosphere, thoughts, surroundings, etc. - but it’s done in a way where it doesn’t feel unnecessary or excessive because of how enchanting and easy it is to read.

From start to finish there was a strong fairy-tale and whimsical feel, which enhances the magic, but at the same time, there were undertones of danger and mystery making it all that more intriguing.
This is a story that has extravagant descriptions of dresses, a lot of romance (though not in the typical sense) and talks of kissing and true love, but it also has darker hints weaved in about curses, manipulation, betrayal, and death. And as someone who prefers books with a bit of edge and not completely super sweet, the balance was great for a YA fantasy romance (although it’s definitely on the sweeter side).

Evangeline herself was an interesting character – a little naïve and a little too trusting, but also incredibly sweet, kind and curious. Jacks we already know I love – he’s mean, blunt, a little self-centred, but I love how unapologetically authentic he is, and we do actually get to see some different sides to him in this novel (although don’t expect it instantaneously or to be a complete flip of the Jacks we know.) These two from a personality standpoint definitely clash, but that just leads to some great dialogue and interaction. As for side characters, there were a few that I really enjoyed getting to know and I hope that we’ll see more of them in the sequel to help cause some entertaining chaos.

Most of my enjoyment of a book comes from, how fast I was able to get through it, how invested I was in the story, and generally how much I enjoyed reading it, rather than is it the best thing ever written. When I apply that to OUABH Evangeline’s story hits the positive boxes. I flew through it within less than 48 hours, the plot kept me hooked with how crazy it sometimes got, and most importantly, I had a lot of fun reading it.

I can’t really ask for more than that.

So I’m going to end this review how I started it – Once Upon a Broken Heart was a dream. A whimsical, enchanting adventure containing romance, intrigue, prophecies, and everyone’s favourite morally grey fate, Jacks.

(Someone give me the sequel ASAP)

5 Stars
Goodreads