Once Upon a Broken Heart

I LOVE this book! My only complaint is that the last book’s ending is lackluster compared to the rest of the series, but it is definitely still worth the read! Stephanie Garber does a spectacular job of making this story feel magical.

This book definitely surprised me. It was nothing that I thought it would be . It was a great twist on “once upon a time” and fantasy . Very whimsical and this author did a great job of incorporating fae characters without going all over the place . She took her time to let us discover each piece of the story. I recommend this book to people who are just getting into fantasy or to people who don’t like extensive world building but still want a piece of it . Great flow, no filler words , and no crazy repetition . This was written in 3rd person . I’m excited for the next read . I docked the point because I never really give 5 stars and I think the beginning of the book was a bit confusing but after the first few chapters I was locked in ❤️

This was fantastical and fun, and also a little bit creepy at times. It’s been a couple years since I actually brought the book, so I went in pretty blind, not remembering much of the premise. So everything felt new and interesting, and each twist came as a genuine surprise to me. In the middle things got a little convoluted, and I thought I might need to jump ship, but I’m really glad that I didn’t. The story ultimately was compelling enough that I was pulled through to the end… Needing to know what was going to happen. And that’s still the vibe with the rest of the series.

I can't believe it took me so long to get to this book! It has been waiting on my shelf for a year and a half. First of all, this book is a fast read. Simply because once you start, you can't put it down. You need to know what happens next, and since the chapters usually end with cliffhangers, you just have to continue. But now for the story... The story has three parts. Each one focuses on a different part of Evangeline's journey. We follow Evangeline Fox, a girl who believes in happily ever after and love at first sight. At least until the love of her life, Luc suddenly decides to marry her stepsister. In desperation, she prays to Prince of Hearts, a Fate, to stop the wedding. To do that, she strikes a deal with him. But the bargains with Fates never end well and aren't without a price. The price, in this case, is three kisses given to the people of Prince of Hearts' choosing at the time and place he decides. This puts in motion a series of events Evangeline never saw coming. The first part - The Tale of Evangeline Fox, focuses on the deal with Jacks, Prince of Hearts, and puts the ground for the story. The second part - The Magnificent North, follows Evangeline on her journey as an ambassador to the kingdom, The Magnificent North, where prince Apollo searches for a bride at the Nocte Neverending ball. It's also where Jacks chooses the first person Evangeline has to kiss. That kiss has unexpected results, and the secrets of The Magnificent North start to unravel for Evangeline. She once again realizes that the deals with Fates aren't simple and without the price. The third part - Chaos, focuses on searching for the truth behind the horrible events from part two. While searching for the answers that can prove her innocence, Evangeline also uncovers the betrayal from more than one person. I loved the dynamic between Evangeline and Jacks. And I can't wait to see how this dynamic changes even more as the story continues in the sequel books. Jacks has to be my favourite character. He's mysterious, full of secrets, handsome, and morally grey. This book is a perfect choice for fans of The Folk of the Air series. The first book in this fast-paced fairytale-like story ends with a cliffhanger! The only reason why I'm happy I waited a year and a half to read this book is that I don't have to wait for the sequel. It came out in autumn, and it's waiting on my shelf. (Because I'm sure I would pull all my hair out if I had to wait for a sequel). I just hope the second book doesn't end with a cliffhanger too. At least the third book comes out in a few months.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Evangeline Fox is a hopeless romantic who bargains with the notorious Prince of Hearts, Jacks, to stop her true love’s wedding. ★ World-building The world building was my favourite part of this story. The setting is incredible. Stephanie Garber makes worlds that feel like magic. The descriptions, the creativity—I was absolutely obsessed with the language she honed in order to make a fairytale real. ★ Characters In an interview, Garber stated “Humans and characters, we’re defined by what we believe.” Jacks and Evangeline are both hard-to-forget characters. You are truly able to see human vulnerability in the dreams and nightmares behind both characters. Evangeline is a hopeless romantic searching for love. In a way, Jacks is too. ★ Stakes Since Evangeline deeply craves a love made for fairytales, it makes sense to see her willing to sacrifice everything on the chance of finding true love. She ‘sells her soul to the devil’ for what she deeply desires, and each page pulled me in deeper. I wanted Evangeline to win! ★ The extra polish Stephanie knows how to add that ✨ extra magic ✨ to her books. It is laced into the language, infused into the characters darkest desires. This is why she is a bestseller. ☆ Plot The plot of this first book felt a bit slow in the beginning and picked up in the middle. I understand it was necessary to start with background context and the consequences of Evangeline’s choices, but some parts of the plot felt slow. From the middle onwards, the pace picked up and then I could not put it down! I highly recommend the read! One of my favourite books because of the setting and, of course, Jacks.

There's secret symbols on the front cover underneath the sleeves that are unique to each book. So fun. Good quality and good story.

Completamente apaixonante e viciante. O Jacks se mostra um bom mala enquanto a Evangeline se mostra uma excelente protagonista. O universo é bem detalhado e você pode ser enganado a cada vírgula. Por mais que o nome soe clichê eu te asseguro, é o contrário kkk. O coração partido vai ser o seu daqui a pouco. Ansiosa para a continuação

Ma fille la choisit en version anglaise pour travailler la langue en même temps. Il s agit d un format broché de très belle qualité.

The story: The writing is very easy to read which is what I enjoyed most about this book but the storyline is all over the place and nothing really makes any sense...there is no world builing and you are kind of just thrown into a story with 0 context, it took me awhile to figure it out...not worth the hype IMO. I'm not going to bother reading the remaining books in this series. Cosmetics: the font used in this book is very small which is unappealing. The cover is only really relevant to a small few lines in the book again, not enough world building to justify this cover. The book arrived damaged which was disappointing.

Got it in great condition!