Warning: This article will contain spoilers for ‘Once Upon a Broken Heart’ by Stephanie Garber.
I absolutely adored Once Upon a Broken Heart. After seeing it trending on TikTok with readers promising an enchanting love story, I decided to purchase the book. Some people may recognize Stephanie Garber as the author of the Caraval book series. Once Upon a Broken Heart is a spinoff that puts a beloved side character, Jacks, in the center of the action. You do not need to read Caraval to understand this book, in fact I actually had no idea it was a spinoff until I read the trilogy! However, there are some Easter eggs and hints to things that happened in the original series that can make it more fun if you read it after.
The story opens with a brokenhearted, rose gold haired heroine named Evangeline Fox. She is a dreamer who believes in fairytales and hopes to find her true love. Evangeline searches for a magical door to find the Prince of Hearts (also known as Jacks), so she can make a deal with him to stop her step-sister’s marriage because she is in love with the groom. In exchange for his work, Evangeline owes him three kisses to other people whenever he chooses. The wedding party is turned to stone, and Evangeline saves them by taking their place. A few months later, the empress offers Evangeline an opportunity to go to the North to meet Prince Apollo who is hosting a ball that will continue until he finds a bride. The makings of an epic love story happen between Apollo and Evangeline, Jacks calls in the kisses during stressful times, and Evangeline makes a life altering realization that she may be the key to opening a mystical room.
The beginning of the book really pulled me in. I was not expecting the protagonist to turn to stone, but it was the beginning of many selfless acts that Evangeline pulls off throughout the book. Some readers may find Evangeline annoying because she is strong in her own right instead of being an assassin or physically strong character, but I think that made her more relatable. Also, it is a young adult series, so I have slightly lower expectations for the characters because they’re not going to act like adults. Jacks seemed to be a mystery, I wasn’t sure what to make of his scheming, but I liked the banter that he and Evangeline had. Jacks is the perfect example of a bad boy falling for the girl. He reminds me a lot of Nikolai from Shadow and Bone and Cardan from the Cruel Prince. I managed to binge read this book during a couple of days. I was on the edge of my seat wanting to know what would happen next, and I was glad to find myself swept away in the magical world.
I would recommend the Once Upon a Broken Heart series by Stephanie Garber to anyone that likes a book with romance, a dash of fairy tales, and a splash of adventure. If you’re looking to purchase the series, you can look for it at your local library, bookstore, or on a Kindle. If you like this book and are looking for more to read, you should check out Caraval by Stephanie Garber, A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, or Heartless by Marissa Meyer.