Once Upon A Broken Heart is such a beautifully written fantasy. The world-building is outstanding. The story is well written with an enchanting storyline and well-developed characters that engage from start to finish. The world is atmospheric and feels real with vivid descriptions and rich imagery. Stephanie Garber has earned herself a spot on my auto-buy authors list. I cannot get enough. Highly recommended. Be sure to check out Once Upon A Broken Heart today.

WOW, a fantasy love story that I couldn't get enough of!

Magical, romantic, colourful, and uses some familiar tropes but without being cliched, which was great. Stephanie Gerber creates such a full world with her beautiful prose. I'm going to read the Caraval series next, I think! Thank you for the chance to review this book.

such a beautiful novel with Stephanie Garber’s writing. The book was so intriguing and enchanting for this world. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I read Stephanie Garber's 'Once Upon a Broken Heart' and never has a book ending made me more shocked than this one.

But I won't spoil it!

This is a colourful, exciting book, packed full of magic that turns well known romance and fairy story tropes on its head, that - importantly - don't push too much into cliché territory. Garber's world building was something that I really enjoyed, particularly the focus on the different types of Fates and their abilities. Jax as the Prince of Hearts was my favourite - a delightfully complex character, who I'm really looking forward to seeing more of.

However, whilst I usually adore romance fantasy novels, the main characters did start to grate on me towards the end. Everyone is stunning in this world! A young woman with unusual pink hair and linked to a prophecy that has the power to change the world! It's all very neat. ...Perhaps this is because I like my characters with more warts and flaws and have been exposed to too many 'gritty' fantasy novels.

Parts of this book could have gone into more depth about certain areas of the world I felt it simply glossed over, but knowing that there is a sequel in 'The Ballad of Neverafter', I shall seek out the answers with baited breath.

I will say that Garber does a wonderful job of misdirecting the reader. Just when you think you've guessed where the plot might be going, she pulls the rug out from underneath your feet. And I'd happily be shocked over and over again.

LOVED THIS TO PIECES

I am very upset with myself that I didn't read this for over a year of owning it. An absolute fairytale delight. I enjoyed this even more than Caraval and enjoyed the amazing tension and banter between Evangeline and Jacks.

Jacks. I love you. I can't wait to see him slowly come undone for Evangeline. I am now extremely scared and excited to read The Ballad of Never After because WHY IS EVERYONE CRYING?

When Evangeline Fox learns that the love of her life is about to marry someone else, she is convinced that he's been cursed and tracks down the legendary Prince of Hearts.
As a Fate, the Prince of Hearts, Jacks, has magical abilities and a reputation of having deadly kisses.
Jacks agrees to stop the wedding in exchange for three kisses and Evangeline soon learns that Jacks has plans for her that could change the world.

Having only read Caraval previously by the author, I was intrigued by this new series, especially as the blurb intrigued me.
Evangeline was a likeable character, and I could understand why she was willing to make a deal with Jacks to stop Luc - her boyfriend's - wedding given that she had lost everyone else she loved. Yet, while I did like Evangeline, I don't feel that I fully connected with her or any of the other characters.
It wasn't until I read other reviews for this book that I realised it was set in the same world as the Caraval series and that some of the characters from those books were in this one.
The setting was interesting, and I liked the magic and parts of the North that were shown/described.
The plot was fairly interesting and held my attention, but I wasn't gripped and did guess a couple of things that happened.
I am slightly disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more, but it was easy enough to read.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

After falling head over heels for the Caraval series, I couldn't wait to see what Stephanie was going to do next.

Set during the closing events pf Finale, Evangeline Fox has her heart broken by the man she loves. She seeks help from The Prince of Hearts, Jacks, notorious for exacting a high price for his deals. Devastated after the deal goes wrong, Evangeline jumps at the chance when the ruling queen asks her to travel to The Magnificent North, a wild and magical land.
And so we enter a world of magic, mystery and opulence, beautifully portrayed to ensnare the senses and leave you captivated. But when the crown prince dies, and Evangeline is the main suspect, she must risk everything to clear her name, solve the mystery, and avenge the prince. But with only the most devious Fate to help her, Evangeline faces a world of unknown dangers.

I loved the level of descriptive writing once again inherent in Stephanie's writing. It sets the scene so well and completely immerses the reader into the densely magical and sparkling universe that she has created. The characters are great, seeing Jacks once again is incredible, and I cannot wait to see what happens next!!

Even though i had not read Stephanie's previous series, I was able to understand what was happening in Once Upon A Broken Heart. Once Upon a Broken Heart was a really enjoyable and great fantasy book and will defiantly explore the other works by Stephanie.

I really liked the Caraval series by Stephanie Garber series when it was released, and this book is written in the same vein. Unfortunately I feel like I have outgrown the genre a bit and was ultimately bored.

Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber is the first book in a series following Evangeline Fox after her heart is broken when her love becomes engaged to marry her stepsister. In her desperation to get Luc back, she makes a deal with The Prince of Hearts which sets her off on a completely unforeseen path to the Magnificent North, which will either be her happily ever after or her undoing.
This is an enchanting fairy tale full of twists and turns, magic, true love, danger and intrigue, no one can be trusted or is what they first appear. I raced through this story in a matter of days, it was unputdownable and the perfect book for reading as the nights draw in and the weather turns cold. I can’t wait to read the next instalment to find out what happens next. Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a digital review copy.

This was my first Stephanie Garber book, and I am so glad I gave this one a go! Evangeline is a fantastic character, and all I can say is I need book two!

To stop the wedding of her true love to another, Evangeline Fox strikes a deal with the Prince of Hearts. However, she quickly discovers that a deal with a fate is never straight forward and she is merely a pawn in a much larger game.

Stephanie Garber is fabulous at creating whimsical, romantic fantasy with lots of beautiful gowns, charming suitors, steamy kisses and fairytale curses. It's why she, deservedly, has so many adoring fans.

This type of fantasy isn’t usually what I would gravitate towards, being so romance driven, but I do enjoy spending a few hours with one of Garber's books, getting wrapped up in the dreamy worldbuilding and romantic drama. It’s Garber’s characters more than anything that keep me coming back for more.

Jacks is absolutely the highlight for me, thanks to his mischievous spirit and witty banter. Is he a hero or a villain, or both?! I really appreciate how Garber generally makes all of the characters feel morally grey at times. It’s the perfect way to balance out the sweetness of the frothy dresses and kissing.

I did find the plot a little unfocused and meandering in parts, and the ending weirdly anticlimactic. However, I’m mostly just here for the dreaminess and romance. Both of which were delivered in spades.

While it didn’t rock my world, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Once Upon a Broken Heart to romance lovers that enjoy a quick read in a fantasy setting.

I absolutely devoured this book. Having been a fan since Caraval first released, I know I was going to enjoy this, and boy was I right. Garber has such a great way of writing that allows you to get lost in the world, even if you aren't necessarily the target audience. I admittedly, read the physical whilst listening to the audio, as can't read ebooks anymore, but I felt reading it in tandem added to the experience of enjoyment. I am so flipping excited to get started with Ballad now I've finished this. I gave this 4.5 out of 5 stars.

I am so excited for book 2 - I need fairyloot to hurry up and get them sent off! Back to the Caravel world we go

Having read the Caraval series I was excited to have the opportunity to review Stephanie Garber's new series. While I enjoyed it I don't think it is as good as it's predecessors.

Stephanie clearly expects readers to have a prior understanding of the universe in which the story is set with mentions of characters from Caraval without any context so new readers may miss certain aspects.

The plot is good but didn't immediately grip me however as always Garber's way with words weaves an evocative and spectacular world of magic.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars!

Giving this 3 stars because whilst I enjoyed it, it didn't blow me away nor did it make me feel much.

To me, reading this book felt like when you're listening to a song, waiting for the beat to drop, yet it never does.

Evangeline Fox is helplessly in love with her friend Luc. When she learns that he is due to marry her stepsister, Evangeline makes a deal with Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, in order to stop the wedding. What she didn't expect was that one simple deal would upend her life and lead her down a very dangerous path.

The premise was promising, Jacks could've delivered such an amazing story and yet it felt a little too flat and a little all over the place.

The world is still fascinating, the magic is still interesting, but everything else about this book felt very mild.

Whilst it wasn't my favourite, I can definitely see why people would love it. I'll be picking up the sequel and hopefully will grow more engaged with the story as the series goes on.

I didn’t immediately realise Once Upon A Broken Heart was a follow on in the Caraval universe and it’s been a while since I read that trilogy so possibly elements of this book were wasted on me. While this book seems to rely on the fans of Caraval, it doesn’t necessarily cater for new readers (or people like me who have the memory of a fish). For example Jacks and Donatella, it’s so vaguely brought up and never really properly discussed, because it relies on the reader already knowing, which can isolate some.

Evangeline is likeable enough but also frustrating at times, she knows to be weary, she knows to be careful, she is warned to be careful, but she still does reckless things and doesn’t listen. That said, I did still like her. Jacks, I’m sorry but I don’t get it. I know mean, moody tortured boys with sculpted bone structure is the thing, but I don’t get it, he might be a sweetie buried deep down but the smug, smirk, leaves a path of distraction and misery to mask the pain, it’s just not a trope I find healthy. I would like to know more about Apollo, we only glimpsed who he was briefly but it’s something I would like to explore and see whether he grows when he’s more ‘fleshed out’. Lala too is someone I really enjoyed and needed more of.
I enjoyed getting to know more about the Fates, the world building and the imagery it presented. I do wish the lack of consent during certain moments could be greater condemned or, y’know, just not included - 2 men are forced into romantic situations without any control or consent, and no, Jacks touching Evangeline but not hurting her when he could, not as romantic as it was made to be :/ The reveal at the end is a little obvious, but this isn’t a thriller or a mystery, it’s fantasy, it’s light escapism.

This book is pleasant and I didn’t enjoy it (and yes I have already preordered the sequel) but I will also say that I don’t know if the book was absolutely necessary. Not enough really happens, it feels distorted and a little aimless at times (I mean, vampires? VAMPIRES??), Jacks doesn’t feel any deeper a character, Evangeline, while nice, isn’t anything new. This is a book for Caraval fans but I don’t know if it adds anything to anyone new readers.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review

We begin our story introducing our main character Evangeline. Evangeline has rose gold hair and she finds out that the love of her life, Luke, is soon to be married to her step sister, Marisol. Evangeline believes that Luke would never do this to her as they both felt the same way, she believes he might be under some kind of spell and so she prays to the Prince of Hearts, Jacks, to stop the wedding. He will do so but in exchange she promises him 3 kisses to whomever he chooses at any point in time. She agrees. However when she gets to the wedding venue, all of the wedding party is turned to stone. Distraught by the sight, she gives herself up and drinks from a goblet that will turn her to stone and release those who are stone from the curse. She does so thinking that Luke will find a way to save her but Jack warns her that Heroes don’t get happy endings.

When she is finally cured from this curse, she thinks not a moment has gone by but finds out that Marisol is pleased and Luke is nowhere to be seen. It seems that in turning herself to stone to save everybody else, she has become something of a folk hero. She has become the country’s sweetheart and as such her step mother has turned uncharacteristically nice to her due to the fame that Evangeline has brought upon the family. Evangeline starts to feel guilty however because she was the one that initially turned them all to stone in the first place and now she is being in the spotlight for something she feels awful about.

Evangeline and Marisol eventually catch up with each other and Marisol tells Evangeline that she and Luke tried to marry two weeks after the disaster happened and Luke was mauled by a wolf and has not been the same since. Because of these failures that were known to be her weddings, she is now known as the cursed bride and her reputation follows her wherever she goes.

Due to her new fame, she is invited to court to meet the newly anointed Empress Scarlett Dragna and her sister Princess Donatella. They reveal that they actually have a favour to ask of her. That she might go to the north lands and represent them as Prince Apollo is looking for a Bride. Evangeline agrees, hoping for a new life away from her old one and starts to look forward to a new start. She invites her step sister along feeling guilty about her role in her becoming the cursed bride and hopes that this may be a new start for them both.

When they arrive in the North Lands, the press decide that she is a wildcard in the bid for the Prince's heart. Evangeline is eventually reminded that the North is where the Fates reside but she isn’t too worried about seeing Jack here but alas, he is there and makes it a point to see her. He tells her it is time for her to repay him and that she must kiss the prince but before doing so, he paints her lips with his blood and tells her that it has magic in it, so she must kiss Apollo. Evangeline eventually gets the time to introduce herself to the Prince but he seems very dismissive of her. But she makes it clear that he will give her the time of day and so she kisses him. Prince Apollo ends up kissing her back. Apollo proposes to her the next day.

Jack takes Evangeline to her next kiss, an old matron. Once again, Evangeline has to agree to kiss the old lady on the hand and now the matron is under Jack’s power. He forces her to take them to the vault and show them a particular item. Once the matron shows him what he is looking for, the magic starts to wear off and she immediately snaps at Evangeline that she must be stopped at any means from opening the gates.

Evangeline wants answers to what the kiss does. Jack confirms her suspicion that the kiss makes them love and obsess over her. She worries about her wedding and marriage to Apollo and wonders if he really does love her or if it's magic. She tells him to break the magic but he refuses. He relents though and tells her, once she goes through with it he’ll break the magic but tells her that Apollo will not thank her for doing so and the heartbreak will destroy him.

They get married and after this happens, she goes in search of Jack and tells him to break the magic. He gives her the means to do so with a kiss and reminds her that Apollo will not thank her for this. Evangeline heads to their marriage suite and finds Apollo in bed ready. She takes a drink and finds it very bitter. Upon kissing him, he slowly snaps out of it and yells at her asking what she has done. He kneels over and collapses, feeling his heart she notices it is still and she screams for the guards. The guards burst in and come to the conclusion that she murdered the Prince so she is taken to a cell, her husband is dead and she helped Jacks do it.

Jacks finds her and tells her this was not his doing and that she herself was poisoned as well. Now they must find out a couple of things, the oil that Prince Apollo used, was it poisoned? Who poisoned the decanter full of wine that she drank? and who the real murderer was. They head to the local vampire clan and pay them a visit to see if they can help but they are in the middle of an initiation ceremony. And guess who they find there, Luke, the ex lover of Evangeline and Marisol. It is revealed by Luke that Marisol gave him something to drink and when he did indeed drink it, he became obsessed with her but the true person he loves is Evangeline. He begs Evangeline to let him out of his cage. Evangeline lets him out despite Jack's warnings and Luke goes after her but bites Jack in her stead.

They go to a mausoleum to hide out, and if he can make it till sunrise and not feed, he won’t turn into a vampire. Jack tells Evangeline to leave but she cannot just leave him there. They talk the night through to both get their minds off of things. They make it through the other side and head to Jack’s house where Jack falls asleep. She picks up the morning newspaper and reads that Crown Prince Tiberius has fallen in love with Marisol at first sight and that they were to be married the next day. Evangeline starts to put the pieces together and realises that Marisol used a love potion on both Luke and now Tiberius.

Evangeline failing to wake up Jack, she runs over to the Palace and finds Marisol in her old rooms, and Marisol hides her. They eventually talk and Marisol promises that she had nothing to do with Prince Apollo’s death. Believing her sister, she decides to come clean about what happened with her wedding to Luke and how her and Jack were involved. Marisol loses it and screams for the guards saying that Evangeline admitted to killing Apollo despite Marisol just saying that she would never give her up.

Tiberius takes her in for questioning. Luckily though, Evangeline has an antidote for the love potion and he takes it but in addition to that, it also becomes a truth serum. Tiberius reveals that he knows that she didn’t kill Apollo because he did. He was trying to kill Evangeline and not his brother but now he must find a way to put the blame on her. He is a part of the society that prevents the gates that the matron was talking about from opening. She asks Tiberius for one last thing, not to kill her himself as Apollo would not have wanted it. He calls for the guards but Evangeline asks him to tell the truth about Apollo’s murder, he does so because truth serum and the guards take him away.

Evangeline essentially becomes acting Queen of the North Lands and one of Apollo’s guards tells her that he is not dead but instead in some sort of stasis. He reveals that he had a magician try to pull Apollo’s memories but he could not, meaning that Apollo was still alive. Evangeline comes to the conclusion that this is what Jacks had wanted. He wanted her to become Queen, he planned Apollo’s fake death and made her feel guilt over it. He was responsible for everything that had just happened to her and now she will no longer be his pupper and vows to find a way to save Apollo and get retribution for him.
This book was a great read. I read this via audiobook and I found that the narration really brought me into this world. Having read Stephanie Garber’s previous series, Caraval it was nice to see Scarlett and Donatella even if it was for a short while. I loved that we got a more involved story with Jacks coming out of it. I always knew that Marisol was up to no good and it turns out my instincts were right to not believe a word that she said.

Overall, 4 out of 5 stars.

I loved Stephanie Garber's previous series so I thought I would give this a go, and I really loved it!

The only thing is that the formatting on NetGalley was really off, which made it a little harder to read.

This book was beautifully written, with lyrical descriptions and lots of emotions. The plot was very well structured, and you could see everything coming together in the end. But that cliffhanger! I need the sequel asap