From Ali Hazelwood’s grumpy-sunshine romances to the wonderful Peeta Mellark, there have been a multitude of beautifully written characters I’ve read. Yet one character shines above the rest as the best character ever: the Prince of Hearts (AKA Jacks of the Hallow) from Stephanie Garber’s Caraval and A Curse For True Love Series.Â
I’ll be honest: Jacks is not a good person, but that’s what makes him an amazing character. He is the villain at first, but as his heart softens, you’ll realize that his mischievousness is just a mask to push people away.,
Unlike Coriolanus Snow, from The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Jacks has a reason to be the villain. He is cursed so that only the girl who could never love him could survive his kiss. That so happens to be Donatella.
Jacks believes Donatella survived because she was his one true love, so when she rejects him, he decides to mind-control her. Yeah… not his best moment because Donatella and her sister force Jacks to retreat to the Magnificent North.
In A Curse For True Love, Evangeline and Jacks meet when she strikes a deal with him; he stops her “true love” from marrying her stepsister in exchange for three kisses. Harmless, right? Wrong. Jacks causes the whole wedding party to turn to stone.
As the selfless heroine, Evangeline sacrifices herself for the wedding party. Several chapters later, she reunites with Jacks in the Magnificent North. There, they uncover secrets and embark on perilous quests, including traveling into a vampire’s den and saving Evangeline from a freezing river.
During their time at the vampire’s den, Jacks momentarily turns into a vampire. He must hold himself back from attacking Evangeline, and does so with his sheer love towards her. If Jacks was the true villain, would he have tried so hard to keep Evangeline safe?Â
Jacks holds himself back from loving Evangeline because he doesn’t want to hurt her. He tries to push her away with his nasty attitude and cruel tricks because if he doesn’t, she will die. Yet he still yearns to be with her.
At the end of Garber’s A Curse For True Love Series, Jacks reverses time to save Evangeline. When she dies via vampire bite, he uses his one wish, his greatest desire that he spent centuries harboring, for her to be alive. Now tell me of any fictional or real man that would do what Jacks did… I’m waiting.
(I know Coriolanus Snow wouldn’t turn back time for Lucy.)
Throughout Stephanie Garber’s stories, Jacks helps both Donatella and Evangeline rebel against the villains. Without him, neither girl would know how to destroy the true villains of their stories. In Donatella’s case, Jacks helps her acquire artifacts and secrets that kill a Fate. In the Magnificent North, Jacks fights to control his feelings for Evangeline to keep her safe.
Jacks’s internal turmoil, which he projects as villainy, draws the reader further into his story. His longing to be loved outshines other book boyfriends because every other character can kiss their love. If Jacks kisses Evangeline, she will die, leaving Jacks to love her from the sidelines.