Once Upon a Broken Heart book review
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber Series: Once Upon a Broken Heart #1
on September 28, 2021
Genres: Fantasy, YA
Pages: 408
Format: eBook
Goodreads
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...
I wasn’t a massive fan of the Caraval series, and I don’t actually think I finished it, so I wasn’t sure that Once Upon a Broken Heart was going to work for me. There was no need to worry this book drew me in and I was fully invested in the entire plot and couldn’t wait to see how it all ended.
Characters in Once Upon a Broken Heart
I feel like Evangeline had the potential to be a whiny awful female character, but the way the story is constructed makes her actually quite likeable. Throughout Once Upon a Broken Heart we watch as she navigates heartbreak, the Fates and cursed stories, and despite being a normal person she wasn’t completely useless which was an unexpected change. I really enjoyed her growth as a character and just how willing she was to accept the world around her. Her interactions with Jacks also drove the story forward without relying on too much romance and inner angst. She actually became quite a decent character by the end and I ended up rooting for her happy ending.
Jacks was a breath of fresh air all the way through the story, he manages to keep you on your toes to the point where you’re not exactly sure where you stand. Is he a good guy or a bad guy? No one knows and no one tells. I think the deal they make definitely changes the dynamic of the story and it’s something that once again changes the way you look at him. I felt so conflicted because on the one hand I really wanted him to be the good guy and have the romance I could see happening it was always destroyed at the last minute by his behaviour. It was a brilliant set up for a character.
Bad Bits in Once Upon a Broken Heart
For me the only reason Once Upon a Broken Heart didn’t get a 5 star rating was that some of the writing came off as overly simplistic or cliche. I overall enjoyed the fairytale writing style however some of the parts were a little childish compared to other parts of the book and it sometimes jarred me out of the story and plot line. I would have loved for it all to have just felt a little more cohesive and less of the jumping from one drama to drama, I’m a filler kind of girl, especially in this kind of book. The potential would have been out of this world!
Good bits
The whimsical nature of this book blew me away, I loved how it felt like a retelling without actually retelling a story. The introduction to the characters and the world of Once Upon a Broken Heart was really well written and I enjoyed how nothing in this book could be taken at face value. There were so many deals and curses going on that there wasn’t really a spare moment to catch your breath and work out what was going on. It was brilliantly written and put together.
What now?
I have started on the other books in the series and I’m really enjoying where the story seems to be going. I’m not sure that by the end it will be a new favourite but it has definitely been a good ride so far!
Have you read this one? What were your thoughts on the series? Let me know in the comments.
