Member Review

Spellbindingly dazzling and undeniably addictive, Once Upon A Broken Heart takes all the magical grandeur of Caraval;adds a touch of fairytale whimsy and romance that will leave you speechless—it’s magnificent!

Evangeline Fox has always believed in happily ever after,until she learns the love of her life is about to marry another. Desperate to stop the wedding (and fix her broken heart) she makes a deal with the charmingly Wicked Fate, The Prince Of Hearts. The price of his help is three kisses,to be given at a time and place of his choosing.

But, after her first promised kiss, Evangeline learns that bargaining with immortals is a dangerous game—and The Prince Of Hearts wants far more from her than she pledged. For he has plans, that will either bring Evangeline great happiness or exquisite agony...

I cannot put into words just how incredible this was, I’m honestly speechless, it was that good. I actually really loved Jacks (the Prince Of Hearts) in Legendary and after Finale’s ending I really wanted to see more of him, so having a new series with him is fantastic. I also really liked Evangeline who was almost the perfect mix of Scarlett and Donatella from Caraval (though a little more naive and optimistic than either of them.)

Though Evangeline does have another love interest in this (Prince Apollo of the northern kingdom) I felt more invested in her conversations/time spent with Jacks.The chemistry between them was palpable in all of their interactions,though it’s definitely more of a slow-burn kind of attraction/romance.

A few of the other Fates also make appearances which I enjoyed immensely and I’d love to see more of them (particularly The Unwed Bride) in future books.

The pacing was also incredibly fast —it felt like there was a lot going on; with the many twists,turns and revelations. I did love it, I just wish it was a little longer so I could’ve savoured it more. Though the writing more than made up for it, being as breathtakingly magical as Caraval,but with a more focused narrative. And after that spectacular ending I have more questions than answers;honestly, I just desperately need to get my hands on the sequel ASAP!

Overall this was an undeniably gripping and utterly magical read. I’d definitely recommend to all YA fantasy lovers,magical books or Stephanie Garber.

Also,although this is a spin off series and could be enjoyed without having read Stephanie’s previous books , I feel you’d get the most enjoyment from reading the series since they’re set in the same world as OUABH and this takes place directly after the events of Finale.

Thanks to Hodder&Stoughton and NetGalley for the ARC