Once Upon a Broken Heart (Once Upon a Broken Heart, #1)

by Stephanie Garber

From the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Caraval series, the first book in a new series about love, curses, and the lengths that people will go to for happily ever after.

Evangeline Fox was raised in her beloved father's curiosity shop, where she grew up on legends about immortals, like the tragic Prince of Hearts. She knows his powers are mythic, his kiss is worth dying for, and that bargains with him rarely end well.

But when Evangeline learns that the love of her life is about to marry another, she becomes desperate enough to offer the Prince of Hearts whatever he wants in exchange for his help to stop the wedding. The prince only asks for three kisses. But after Evangeline's first promised kiss, she learns that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she'd pledged. And he has plans for Evangeline that will either end in the greatest happily ever after, or the most exquisite tragedy...

• ISBN13: 9781529370539
• Publish Date: 30 September 2021 (first published 28 September 2021)
• Publish Status: Forthcoming
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Hodder & Stoughton
• Edition: Signed Ed
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English
• Special: Signed

Reviews

[mhintofg]

3.8 ⭐

[Joni Reads]

The storytelling. The characters. The world building.
I loved everything about this book!

Even though Jacks is unbearably arrogant he is that morally grey "villain" that you can't help but love.

Evangeline is sweet and curious and naive and I was frustrated by the naivety while also rooting for her.

Could not stand Marisol and was highly suspicious of her throughout the entire book. The question of whether she was good or evil kept me wondering throughout the whole book.

I finished this earlier today and I keep thinking about the story. I NEED more. I feel like I'm still totally swept up in the world and the story that I have to keep reminding myself that I finished the book and there is no more to read until September!

I immediately ran to Netgalley and requested the ARC but I'm sure it's not an easy one to be approved for. I can always hope though!

Definitely cannot wait for The Ballad of Never After!

[Quirky Cat]

2021 has been a fantastic year for new series from some of my favorites! And it seems like that trend just keeps on rolling. Once Upon a Broken Heart is the first in a series of the same name by Stephanie Garber. While it is technically a standalone novel, I would caution readers to read her Caraval series first, as the events there become relevant.

Evangeline Fox believes in love – but she never imagined she'd become the center of a romantic fairytale. When the love of her life announced he would marry another – she knew that a horrible spell must have been cast upon him.

In an attempt to free her beloved of the curse, Evangeline found herself at the heart of a fairytale come to life. As with any fairytale, that fact came with plenty of heartbreak, anguish, and danger.

“Heroes don't get happy endings. They give them to other people.”

I can tell you with complete honestly that I never dared hope to see a sequel to the Caraval series. Not that I'm going to complain! Once Upon a Broken Heart is a new series set in the same world, though I once again feel that readers should check out the primary series first (relevant plots and characters galore!).

I was lucky enough to get one of my favorite renditions of this cover (the OwlCrate one), though it was VERY difficult deciding which one I wanted to go with, as all of the variant editions are stunning!

The thing I love the most about this series is the whimsical nature, all of which gets mixed up into a daring tale full of love and adventure. I mean, really, what else could fans possibly ask for? Oh right, the reappearance of a fan favorite! That would do it.

“Hope is a difficult thing to kill, just a spark of it can start a fire.”

So, did this first novel live up to my expectations set by the first trilogy? Absolutely! I might even say that I'm enjoying the story more, but as I haven't seen the ending (yet), that probably is a risk to say. Either way, I'm enchanted by Evangeline and her story and cannot wait to see the rest of it unfold.

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[writehollydavis]

3.5/5. I couldn't get into this as much as I wanted to, although it did pick up for me with all the reveals near the end. Still, I couldn't feel connected to Evangeline, the Prince of Hearts, Apollo, really any of the characters. The writing was still strong, however, and I kept reading to find out what was going to happen.

[ambiancereads]

I have been on the hunt for one of those beautiful fantasy novels that just makes you happy and THIS IS IT! I loved it, I loved every bit of it. Its whimsical and beautiful yet a tad dark which is what I adore. The plot and the characters are amazing. I couldn't put this one down, I ended up binge reading it within a day. The plot twist is great! I will be the first in line to grab book two of this series.