I have not read Caraval yet, so this is my first read book by Stephanie Garber, and it made me excited to read Caraval.

Once Upon a Broken a Heart takes place after the ending of the Caraval series. While I think that it can be read without Caraval beforehand, since I had no problems with understanding the story, I need to warn you that it contains SPOILERS for the CARAVAL SERIES. Plus, other readers say that it is better to read Caraval for full understanding of references to a few characters and catching some easter eggs, so I am going to trust them with this even though I was not confused. I guess I am going to compare it to reading Six of Crows without reading the three Grisha books. Anyway, it got me interested in the world and Jacks's story.

I enjoyed all the characters. She is strong and adventurous, yet gentle, kind and optimistic. Some could say she is a bit naive, but she was never annoying. At least not in my eyes. She is a fun and likeable character. I enjoyed her development throughout the story.

Jacks aka The Prince of Hearts, who is one of the Fates, definitely got my attention. I think he is a fascinating character and I need to read more about him and what he has been through. I’d love to see more of the other Fates in future books, and I am excited to see what I'll learn about them in Caraval.

I loved Evangeline's and Jacks's banter. The chemistry between was... very intriguing. I am curious where the story will take them.

Stephanie Garber’s world-building is incredible. My mum, who has already read Caraval told me that it gave her Alice in the Wonderland vibes, and now I understand why. This world feels magical, enchanting, whimsical and very fairytale like. I immediately fell in love with it. I've enjoyed the setting, characters and plot, even though that the ending was quite predictable. I did not trust some characters from the start.

Overall, this was an undeniably gripping and magical story to get lost into. I was hooked from the start and I cannot wait to read more of Stephanie Garber's books. Caraval, get ready for me, because I'm coming... very soon.

By the way, the ending has set up perfectly for a second book, and I am dying to know what Stephanie Garber has in store for us.

Read it if you are looking for:
a touch of fairytale whimsy
dazzling and magical settings
intriguing spells and curses
dangerous deals
a bit of mystery and adventure
elements of romance


A huge thanks to Hodder&Stoughton and NetGalley for an e-ARC to review!

❤ 💔 NEW REVIEW 💔❤

I genuinely can't stress enough how AMAZING this book is, Stephanie Garber has knocked it out of the park.

The story follows Evangeline, she is recovering from the loss of her father when she finds out the boy she is in love with is betrothed to marry another, so she goes in search of the renowned Prince of Hearts, aka Jacks, determined to strike a bargain to stop the wedding.

Stop the wedding he does, but as with all 'Fates' they say one thing a do another, thus begins a magical adventure with Fate's, Princesses, Princes, Witchcraft and vampires, amongst other things. Evangeline takes a journey accompanied y her sister that may ultimately be her downfall - should her fate be realised.

The characters are amazing, there isn't a huge amount of world building, but there is more than enough. I have a real soft spot for Jacks, Evangeline is really naiive, but it works.

This is another magical world that I have now become more invested in than I care to admit and I am gutted I have to wait for the second installment.

A really great budding romance is on the cards, and I am excited to see where this goes.

"The bell hanging outside the curiosity shop knew the human was trouble from the way he moved through the door. Bells have excellent hearing, but this little chime didn't need any particular skill to catch the crude jangle of the gaudy pocket-watch chain at this young man's hip."

With the opening words we're thrown back in the magical fairytale world of Garber. I was looking forward to this book from the moment I found out about it, especially once I'd learned it was a Jacks story, and it certainly doesn't disappoint! I don't want to give too much of the plot away as I know fans of the Caraval series will love this book and will want to see what mischief Jacks is up to on their own.

Evangeline Fox is another fantastic character, I loved how she was strong yet kind...and Jacks is, well, he's the Jacks that we all love from the original trilogy but we get so much more of him in this book. They're joined by a cast of fantastic and strange characters who bring the new world of the North to life.

The story is magical, Garber expands on the stunning fairy tale world we came to love in Caraval, throwing in dark twists and turns and the narrative goes on. If you loved the original books you'll love this new spin off.

Thank you so much to #netgalley and #hodderandstoughton for kindly allowing me to read an E-ARC of this book. I've already got my signed edition on pre-order and can't wait to add it my collection!

I can't fault Stephanie Garber's beautiful, lyrical, writing, but, aside from that, I really struggled with Once a Broken Heart.

Though it felt very similar in atmosphere to Caraval, the plot fell really flat and the pacing felt really off for me. I really struggled through it. I struggled to connect to any of the new characters, and only felt any connection to Jacks because I was familiar with him from the Caraval trilogy. Everything felt super surface level. The new setting was interesting, but there just wasn't enough of it. I'm hopeful that'll come late in the series, though!

It has been said that this can be read without Caraval, and I don't recommend this. There's a lot that ties into the original trilogy with Jacks' backstory and I don't feel it was super well explained in this volume, so you may be confused.

I will probably still continue the series, as I do like Stephanie Garber's writing, and I do recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the Caraval trilogy.

This book was an exciting addition to the caraval universe. I was sucked in from the very start and it was enchanting!

I have to say, you definitely do need to read the caraval trilogy before reading this book to get some necessary background.

I enjoyed the characters, especially Evangeline’s development throughout the story. The twists were unpredictable and thoroughly enjoyable to read!

I also enjoyed that we were introduced to a new environment, the ‘north’. The world building here was fantastic and made me feel as though I was completely immersed.

The ending has set up perfectly for a second book and I CANNOT wait!

A fairytale rich fantasy swamped with curious characters, swaddled in mystery and saturated with magic. This was such an enjoyable read and a welcome antidote to the loss of the Caraval universe.

3.5 stars

"Once Upon a Broken Heart" has a predictable plot, offers almost no character development, and rather obvious twists.

The only reason I'm rating it so highly is that the writing style was really easy to follow and sucked me in from the start.

I'm struggling to really see how this can be classed as YA fantasy. It's more like middle grade and very boring. I couldn't relate to any of the characters, I have absolutely zero care for Evangelines love of Luc? We don't even get a shred of their relationship and I'm apparently supposed to believe she is heart broken. Just seems like poor writing and even the cameo from Scarlett and Tella in the beginning was bad. Suddenly those two lost all sense of personality and barely even felt like the original sisters from the Caraval series. Quite disappointed by this one which is a shame really as I had high hopes but I am honestly too bored to finish it. I also need to add that all the printed letters than the author has put in are completely unreadable on kindle so that kinda ruins the flow a little too!

Once Upon a Broken is an enchanting and captivating story following Evangeline and her quest for true love, except it’s not as simple as she hoped it would be. After making a deal with the famed and deadly Prince of Hearts, she sets out on an adventure beyond her imagination. The book is full of magic, curses, and deals with morally grey characters.

The world is so beautifully illustrated, full of whimsical imagery and magical scenery akin to the Caraval trilogy. Even though it’s not necessary to read Caraval I’d highly encourage that you do. While this is a separate story to the original trilogy, there is a lot of context, especially at the beginning that is briefly mentioned but not explained in detail - as it is featured in the trilogy. As someone who has read the original trilogy, I loved reading all of the mentions of what happened before this book and I feel like it would be a shame to miss it, and be spoiled for it if you haven’t read it yet.

As for the characters, the Prince of Hearts has to be my favourite. Jacks is such an interesting character and I was delighted to see Garber delve deeper into his personality and motives in this book. I love morally grey characters, and Jacks is a perfect reflection of that. His choices are not always orthodox but that is exactly what makes him such a compelling and exciting character. I cannot wait to the sequel to see where the story takes him next. 5/5 stars!

I'm afraid to say I won't be finishing this book or leaving a full review; I hadn't realised it was set in the same world as Caraval which is a series I just did not enjoy and so I have no desire to read another book set in the same world about the same characters. I did read a portion of this book before I decided to DNF and honestly it seemed a lot of telling not showing and I just knew it was not going to be a book that I enjoyed.

Thank you so much for my review copy of Once Upon A Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber. This has been on my radar since I first heard about it last year. I thoroughly enjoyed the Caraval series and Scarlett and Donatella are my favourite characters. We are reunited in Valenda where the events of Caraval takes place. This time we follow Evangeline and Marisol, who are step sisters. Evangeline finds out that Marisol is to marry the love of her life Luc, and the adventure starsts there. There are references to what happened in the Caraval series but I do not think it is essential to the book ( although saying that It is quite useful to know the backstory). Jacks returns and is as devilish as ever. I loved the whimsical magic and curiosities present in this book. I love being whisked away into this world. Amazing book , I loved every minute of it and I will be rereading again when the book comes out.

"Hereos dont get happy endings. They give them to other people. Is that what you really want?"


Wow! I read I caraval series a few months ago and I LOVED the world and the fates especially. It wasnt one of my favourite series but I have a feeling this may be.

The story picks up right where caraval ended so I I reccomend reading the series before picking this up because otherwise theres some major spoilers involved.

The story follows evangeline fox after she makes a deal with the jacks to stop her stepsister from marrying the love of her life. Despite all the warnings shes grown up with about never making deals with Fates, she does so anyway with the hope that maybe jacks will take pity on her.

I loved the characters in this. The fates were my favourite part of caraval series and Jacks is just as interesting and exciting as before (if not more so because he is still facing the consequences of his actions). Even evangeline was brilliant- she was naive and optimistic enough to make some questionable decisions but it was never annoying or unbelievable.

Obviously, the world building is once again brilliant, Garber has had the chance to really explore the world by now, but we're given a completely different place and were transported to the north, a place of magic only mentioned in the past series. If anything, I found this world building even better with the magic being a part of the country, rather than just a part of the games.

Garber's writing is superb. It was brilliantly fast paced, so much so that I read the whole book in one sitting because I was so hooked. And the action was exciting while the romance was burning slowly but surely.

Garber dedicates this book to all those who's made a bad decision because of a broken heart but I'd like to think evangeline made the perfect decision in choosing to make a deal with Jacks

Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder &Stoughton for the ARC of this book.

If you'd liked the Caraval series then you'd like Once Upon a Broken Heart. It's a sweet, whimsical book set in the same fairytale-scape of Caraval. I found parts predictable.but, honestly, I really didn't mind! This was genuinely a lovely read and it was fun to have a stronger focus on Jacks.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an eARC of Once Upon a Broken Heart in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love the Caraval series, so I had high expectations for this novel set in the same world - and it delivered on on all accounts.
Jacks and Evangeline squaring off was entertaining, there was banter and tension there, and they were simply brilliantly matched. Both characters make mistakes and move in morally grey territory, and we'd definitely do well as readers to remember to never trust a Fate. There are lots of new dimensions to the world building, and the magic system is brilliantly crafted. Once Upon a Broken Heart has 'the potential for infinite endings', with plot twists I didn't see coming. Now to wait for the beautiful editions I have pre-ordered...

Wow, wow, WOW.

That’s all I can think right now after devouring Once Upon A Broken Heart. WOW!

I really enjoyed the Caraval trilogy - a lot. My favourite character was none other than the Prince Of Hearts himself. But after reading Once Upon A Broken heart, I am thoroughly obsessed with Jacks (how can you not) but I think this book is Stephanie’s best work yet.

Set in the north, this world of mystery and magic has been woven with The Fates - from our prince of hearts to poison to chaos. The mayhem created by Fates in physical form is addictive, and makes for the perfect book binge.

I LOVED the rich character development, the flaws (who doesn’t want to be loved), but most of all - Jacks. Jacks, jacks, jacks. He might be my ultimate book boyfriend - and I don’t say that lightly.

Once Upon A Broken Heart is, in my opinion, the best book of 2021. If you haven’t read Caraval, start now, get a sense of the world and the characters. The Fates need you ready for this release.

5 stars!

So.......I inhaled this book. Like inhaled. I don't often say this but if I could give this book a million stars, I would!

Evangeline makes a bargain with a fate......and what happens is.....just magical!

'It didn’t just feel like the start of something, it felt like the start of everything.'

And as a Jacks lover I can tell you that he is everything!

This book is filled with magic, intrigue, suspense and gives you all the feels! The angst I felt about Evangeline and Jacks was off the charts! 

I really can't say more at this time about the plot but I impore you all to preorder, buy and read the heck out of this because you will not regret it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me early access to this book!

I would like to start off by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It just won’t become a favourite that I would re-read.

Another thing I’d point out is that if you haven’t read the Caraval series, reading this first will spoil the plot of the Caraval series, so if you would like to read that, start there first - and then read Once Upon a Broken Heart.

I really liked Jacks - he’s definitely my favourite character in this book. Some of the other characters lacked depth for me, and I couldn’t get emotionally invested with them.

The story was fast paced, and given how short this book is, quite a lot happened! I’m not sure how I feel about the vampire part, as I’m not a big fan of vampire stories.

It was also quite easy to tell that Marisol was jealous and against Evangeline, so I wasn’t surprised when that was revealed.

As I said, despite the little things I couldn’t get along with here and there, I did very much enjoy this book. It kept me entertained and turning the pages, it was a fun read and I finished it in a day.

I am unfortunately not a fan of the UK cover - looks quite childish to me, like a middlegrade book, rather than YA. The US cover is better in my opinion. I am however very much looking forward to seeing what Fairyloot does to this book in October!

A huge thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this eArc to review!

Oh my GOODNESS! This is a masterpiece. If you liked caraval and want to see some more content then please give this a go!! I genuinely cannot recommend this enough.

I immediately ordered 2 copies after reading this haha!!

I did really read ARCs til this year, I’ve read a few now and the only problem with them is that now I have to wait even longer for the sequel and the sequel of this, is definitely one I’m eager to read.
Once Upon a Broken Heart broke my heart. The Prince of Hearts is one of my favourite characters from the Caravel world, and to see him so heavily featured in the story is wonderful.
We follow the story of Evangeline, a young girl with rose gold hair and a broken heart. She loses the love of the life to someone very close to her, and decides praying to the Prince of Hearts, whose kiss is deadly, is the only way to save their love.
And as this story is over 300 pages, it clearly doesn’t work as Evangeline hopes, taking her on a wild journey with fates, betrayal, magical arches and a whole lot of cursed stories.
We meet many great characters, some not so great characters and a lot of people willing to do anything for love. We also get to meet fates that were hardly mentioned, if at all, in the Caravel series. I would really just love to meet all the fates in so much detail.
I cannot wait for this book to get out in the world. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I have.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hodderscape for gifting me this earc.

The book immediately begins very intriguing. I really love it when a story starts with a bang, and in my opinion that's exactly the start that once upon a broken heart has. I was immersed the second I began reading, which is often a good sign!

Wanting to read every spare second I have isn't something that occurs with every book I read. I really liked how brave Evangeline was in the beginning and made me immediately wonder if she might be the one for Jacks.

This story kind of gives me a Cinderella vs Alice in wonderland vibe and I absolutely love it! It's such an easy and fun read. It drawed me in and didn't let me go. I felt the joy, heartbreak & awkwardness which Evangeline went through. The writing is impeccable! It also makes me wonder why I haven't read a single book from Stephanie before. Like what was I thinking?

This is the kind of fairytale like story you can get lost in while reading, but also when you put the book aside. Amazing!

I was halfway through when I felt like I might have found my favourite 2021 book! Do I still feel that way after finishing it? ABSOLUTELY! Now the waiting begins for the second book and honestly? That's going to be one tough ride!

Thank you so much for this opportunity to read the ARC. It was an honor!