First things first: THANK YOU to Hodder for sending me an eARC of this amazing book in exchange for a review. I spent half a day screaming when my request got accepted, and then spent the rest of the day reading it so… thank you!
Evangeline has always believed in true love, fairytales and happily ever afters, but her world is turned completely upside down when she discovers that Luc, the love of her life, is engaged to someone else. Convinced that her love’s betrayal is the result of a curse or magic, she runs to the Prince of Hearts – the mysterious Jacks – and begs him to stop the wedding.
But Evangeline soon realises that you should never make a deal with a Fate, as one small agreement with Jacks sets her life on a whole new path, full of danger, betrayal and dark magic.
Caraval is one of my favourite series’ and I’ve had Once Upon a Broken Heart preordered since last year so my hopes were incredibly high, but it lived up to all of my expectations and more. Evangeline was a great protagonist, with a great combination of selflessness, determination and intelligence, without being needlessly reckless like a lot of YA fantasy protagonists are. She was so easy to root for all the way through and I really think she’s one of the most entertaining protagonists I’ve read this year. Jacks was, as expected, the fascinating character that I remember him being, although I definitely loved him more this time around. He was unpredictable all the time and so consistent with his character in Caraval that it was easy to get sucked back into his story almost immediately.
Stephanie Garber’s world-building is incredible, and her writing never fails to impress me. Every setting felt both real and magical, from the little trinket shop to Wolf Hall, and the story that combined them all was a fast-paced quest with elements of romance, fantasy and adventure that kept me hooked from the very first page. I read this entire book in one sitting because I genuinely couldn’t put it down, and even though I finished it over a month ago now, it’s still completely stuck in my head, in the same way that all of her books so far have been.
I genuinely loved every aspect of this book, from the protagonists, to the story, to the setting, and I’m already desperate to read the next book in the series. Once Upon a Broken Heart is absolutely a new favourite for me, and I’ll definitely be telling every fantasy-lover I know to read it.
Rating: 5/5
RARELY IN REALITY 
Wow, CONGRATS ON AN ARC OF OUABH!! So jealous. Glad you liked it! ❤️
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Thank you! Honestly can’t believe I got lucky enough!😅
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Do you think readers need to read the original series before this book, or could they just go straight into this one?
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You can definitely read this one without the original series! It contains some pretty major spoilers though so if you plan on reading the other books at all, I’d suggest reading the Caraval series first😊
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Wow, this sounds like an incredible story! I’m going to save this and check it out sometime. I need to dive a little bit more into fantasy. 😀 I enjoyed reading your review, it’s very well written.
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Thank you! I can’t recommend this enough, so hope you enjoy it if you decide to give it a read☺️
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Great review! Can’t wait to read this one!
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Thank you! I hope you love it☺️
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Omg I was screaming too when I got mine. Can’t wait to read it. I am so excited!
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Ahh I hope you love it as much as I did! Would love to hear what you think😊
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Hmm, I’m a big fantasy fan so I’ll probably check it out. I already have an insanely huge TBR list though so it might take a while, but I’ll get there, I promise! I also have just started a website where I post book reviews. Please check it out if you have the time, thanks and hope you’re having a great day! 🤩
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