The world that Stephanie Garber created for Caraval and Once Upon a Broken Heart is truly magical. Reading this book felt like I walked into a dream. I loved the fact that this is the same world, but just a different part of it. I also loved how it ties into the Caraval storyline, right at the beginning. It was really well done. The cameo appearances from the "old" characters were also a nice connection to the first trilogy, I just wish they stayed a bit longer!

Evangeline as a character is interesting, but my favorite in this book was Jacks. While reading Caraval I couldn't understand why was everyone so obsessed with him, because to me he was just.. meh? I don't really know how to describe it, but he wasn't anything special to me. In this book, knowing what he goes through in the trilogy, it made me more sympathetic to him and I actually liked him a lot more now. I lived for his moments with Evangeline!

The ending caught me off guard a bit, because I expected to get a little more answers and perhaps a confrontation in the last scene, but it is intriguing enough for me to want to read the second book.

I love this book so much! Caraval is one of my favorite series, and I have always loved Jacks..so I couldn’t wait to continue his story!! He’s just the perfect morally grey character that you shouldn’t like but can’t help it! He’s charming, handsome, brutally honest and 100% dangerous, and I hope Stephanie Garber keeps on writing books with him! Evangeline is great main character too! She’s lost a lot and still continues to have hope and see the best in people. The story was magical and I just loved the world that Stephanie created! I can’t wait to see what’s next for Evangeline and Jacks!

I always seem to have a hard time with Stephanie Garber's books. A lot about the way the characters are written in her Caraval series and now in Once Upon a Broken Heart really get under my skin. But the premise itself and the fact that it's usually a light hearted fluffy reading experience always make me curious to pick up her work.

I was kind of hoping for maybe a bit more progression in the writing in terms of character especially but that's the area where it still falls down for me.
Evangeline's naivete and gullible nature just drove me up the wall. It became far too repetitive after the fifth or sixth time she trusted someone who she realistically knew she shouldn't. It makes me not feel for her character as a reader and it reads as being ridiculous to the point of stupid.

The things I did like about this book were that it's a nice break from the grim dark fantasy that I usually pick up. It's very whimsical in style and prose so if you're a fan of Alice in Wonderland or its many subsequent retellings, I think you'd probably enjoy picking this up.

It's a more light, fluffy, fairy tale type of fantasy story, there really isn't much description of world building and there were a lot of plot conveniences and tropes that, as an avid fantasy reader, became too repetitive. Perhaps more suited to someone who's just starting out with fantasy that also enjoys heavy romance aspects stories.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the world it was set in and the characters were wonderful.

I hadn't realised that some of the characters in the story were from the Caravel series, which I've not read, but I don't think that that marred my enjoyment of it at all.

This was fairytale-esque with such great world building and I'm really looking forward to the next in the series. If you like your books with a bit of magic, a bit of romance and a good dose of fantasy, then this is for you.

I could not put this down and ended up devouring it in one sitting. It’s well written, with well-developed characters and world building. If you liked Caraval, you will not be disappointed with this amazing book.

My only complaint is the time I have to wait for the next book. A big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this eArc to review.

An absolutely stunning read. Full of intrigue and adventure you definitely won’t be disappointed.
A must have for any collection.

I love this book!

From the opening line -
"The bell hanging outside the curiosity shop knew the human was trouble from the way he moved through the door." - to the ending that snuck up on me and left me eager for more, Once Upon a Broken Heart is an absolute delight.

I could talk a lot about Evangeline (adorable, unsure, brave and foolish - in all the best ways!)and Jacks (brooding, dangerous, obviously bad for you - but since when did you listen!) and Marisol (kind and sweet despite her mothers best efforts...but that streak, ooof!), oddities and curses and magic and fates, but honestly, just read it!

Don't come looking for spoilers in the reviews, buy the book, read the book, love the book. That is all!

5 ⭐'s

If you're looking for your next obsession, then may I introduce you to OUABH? The setting is absolutely enchanting and the characters will steal your heart, especially the devastating Jacks. The wait for book 2 is going to be brutal.

✨I believe there are far more possibilities than happily ever after or tragedy. Every story has the potential for infinite endings✨
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🍎 Once Upon A Broken Heart 🍏 by @stephanie_garber
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Thank you @hodderstoughton accepting me to review an ebook copy via @netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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My Thoughts….
I honestly loved this whimsical book. It’s my first time reading this authors work, I do have her Caraval trilogy waiting on my never ending TBR pile and after reading OUaBH I’m eager to read Caraval.
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I adore fairytales and this one was captivating, twisty and deliciously modern. Great characters and plots, a cliff hanger ending. Jack is such an interesting character. I definitely got the Once Upon Time TV series vibes!!
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Rating this 5 stars because it has everything I love in a YA fantasy fairytale and I’m so excited for the next book.
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The only thing I’m not keen on is the UK dust cover, it is slowly growing on me but I wish the UK had the same cover as the US as it’s absolutely stunning, though the UK naked hardback is beautiful and I’m so pleased I preordered a signed copy from @waterstones I sadly didn’t get the one I wanted 🦊 but happy with the one I received 🏹

kes
Sadly, the anticipation for this book got the better of me. Whilst I was blown away by the Caraval trilogy, I didn't feel the same about the first instalment of Garber's new series. Caraval was a book like no other, I was completely enamoured with every detail on each page, however, I felt Once Upon A Broken Heart lacked the same sense of magic and mystery. The story felt almost surface level, there wasn't much depth or exploration despite there being numerous occasions for Garber to do so. Whilst I wouldn't say that this book was predictable, yet I do think that there were certain twists that were expected. In certain instances, there was no other way the narrative was going to go, you knew what the next turn would be, therefore, removing that feeling of surprise or joy. I often get this feeling when reading a novel in the middle of a series, but I've never came across an initial work in a series suffering from middle book syndrome. Perhaps there are bigger and better things to come (I hope...!)

Final thoughts
If you long for adventure, magic and deathly twists of fate then look no further as Once Upon A Broken Heart will be the perfect book for you. My advice to all readers would be to read this book with an open mind and open heart. Don't long for the same feelings and lure that came with Caraval as you may be disappointed...

Thank you to NetGalley, Hodder and Stoughton and Stephanie Garber for allowing me to review this book prior to publication.

I can't handle a main character with this level of stupidity. why the hell is she trying to bargain for a man that clearly doesn't love her? I mean yes it was the blurb so that's on me for starting this book. But I honestly was hoping there was more to this, or maybe the reasoning could convince me. But nah this heroines is just too stupid. It's a shame though because I liked Jacks and I wanted so badly to love this book.

Had to request this as soon as I saw it! I loved the caravan series! If you loved the Caraval series you will love this. It is very magical, enchanting, and has a lovely heroine full of hope and positivity. Nice change from the assassin-bad-girl-murderer trope common in YA.

Stephanie Garber has an utterly beautiful writing style that kept me captivated the whole way through. I found the story a bit slow to start, but was soon after hooked.

Thank you Stephanie Garber & Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC via Netgalley. Because of your generosity, I have left an honest review. I have never read Caraval, but after reading Once Upon a Broken Heart, I am hooked.

A good villain is always a pleasure to read and Jacks is witty, funny, and unpredictable. I was sucked into the story after being in a reading slump and I ordered the Barns & Noble version as soon as it was available. It came the other day (I had it shipped to the UK) and it is BEAUTIFUL.

If you are looking for a book with lots of twists and turns, this is it! I was captivated from the beginning, the world-building was amazing, I mean blood-suckingly enchanting.. if you know, you know!

It's hard to explain this book without giving anything away, I hate a spoiler but I can honestly say I devoured this in one sitting and was so sad when I was nearing the end. A big shout out to the way Stephanie writes!! The way she explains things really keeps you on your toes and you can imagine yourself there in the book.

All in all, I would give the book 5 stars because I absolutely loved it! I would advise making sure you have a clear schedule before starting this because you are in for a wild ride from start to finish.

"Please, Evangeline, let me stay." He wrapped his other arm around her and held onto her like a promise he intended to keep. The way he touched her was soft and reverent and full of all the comfort she'd missed so much."

2.75/5🌟

Evangeline Fox made a deal with the Prince of Hearts to stop the wedding of the love of her life to her stepsister in exchange for three kisses anytime and anywhere.

Once Upon A Broken Heart is whimsical with gorgeous prose and a magical setting.

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆𝒅
- Stephanie Garber's writing style is beautiful and lyrical
- vivid descriptions, fairytale-like setting
- fascinating world and the magic system is interesting
- lovely cover

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆𝒅
- Evangeline, I find her gullible and too caught up in her own world. She's 17 but her actions are more suited to someone younger, say 13 or 14. She makes a lot of stupid choices which is just exhausting.
- the book is being pitched about Jacks but it's more on Evangeline. This poses a dilemma since I picked it up because of him.
- I can't find the plot.

Overall, this was an entertaining read but not for me.

Thank you so much Hodder and Stoughton and Netgalley for the DRC. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

The cover and the synopsis of this book got my attention and by the end of it the story kept me hooked.
This books was wonderful written in terms of story and character.
Hands down this is my favourite book of the year and I don’t why it took me so much time to read.
It has magic, badass main characters and so much betrayal.
Can’t wait for the second book.

Stephanie Garber is the reason I read so many fantasy novels. Until a few years ago, I read mostly crime and women’s fiction and then I stumbled upon the Caraval series and I fell in love with this magic world of games and fantasy, bargains and fates and I became addicted to Stephanie’s writing style. Since then, I started reading more and more fantasy books, often because of Stephanie Garber’s recommendations on Instagram.

Once Upon A Broken Heart is her new novel after the Caraval series, set in the same world (although, you can still easily read it if you haven’t read Caraval), with new characters and a couple of old acquaintances, most notably Jacks, the Prince of Hearts.

“He looked like a bad decision some unfortunate person was about to make. His midnight-blue hair was unruly, and his sable half cape was rakishly crooked, hanging over one shoulder to reveal a partially buttoned, smoke-gray doublet.”

The protagonist of Once Upon A Broken Heart is Evangeline Fox. She and Luc are in love, about to announce their engagement when, instead, he announces his wedding to another woman. She knows that Luc loves her, but he refuses to see her. The only way to stop the wedding is to make a bargain with the Prince of Hearts, even though she knows that you should never make a bargain with a Fate, especially when that Fate is Jacks.

“Even if you never want to see Jacks again, you’ll gravitate toward him until you fulfill the deal you’ve made with him. But if you desire a chance to happiness, fight the pull – Jacks will only lead to your destruction.”

Evangeline stops the wedding, but at a cost, and then she travels to the mysterious and magnificent North her mother used to tell her about as the ambassador for the Meridian Empire where, once again, her life becomes entangled with Jacks.

We had to wait two years for a new novel by Stephanie Garber, but it was worth it. Addictive, intriguing, and hard to put down, Once Upon A Broken Heart proves, once again, that Stephanie Garber is a master storyteller. The characters are incredible and engaging and I am delighted that Jacks finally got his own story to tell. Evangeline is a fantastic, smart, and witty heroine and I can’t wait to see what is coming up next for her in the sequel.

Once Upon A Broken Heart is a must-read, an enchanting and riveting story set in a fantastic world of fairytales, curses, bargains, elixirs, and romance that I couldn’t put down!

Thank you to netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Going into this book, I was already a Caraval fan and was looking forward to more content on Jacks and the events after the end of Finale, as well as a general expansion of the Caraval world. Although it has taken me a bit of time to get into it, it was an enjoyable and light read. I also really like the fairytale style of Garber's writing.

Aside from Jacks there are some other familiar characters from the previous series, but our focus for this novel is on Evangeline, who becomes desperate enough to make a deal with the Prince of Hearts in exchange for 3 kisses - the time and recipient all in his control. This sets off a chain of events where Evangeline must decide who to truly trust when she is sent to the North; the home of all of her parents' stories.

This time there is no 'game' sort of set up, however the feeling is very much the same, magic, excitement, mystery and the general feeling of being part of something bigger. Evangeline is caught up in a web of things happening around her, very similar to the style within Caraval, and there are many unknowns that draw you through the story.

I wondered too if I would gel with the MC after Scarlett and Tella previously, but I actually really liked Evangeline. She is imperfect, flawed yet curious and interesting, and her dynamic with Jacks was very intriguing from the start.

My favourite thing in this book was definitely the magic of the North, I felt like this was really well captured.

I have docked a star or two because of the ending. Now, I love a cliff-hanger, and it has definitely made me want to read the next book, however I feel like we were rushed through Evangeline's piecing together of the events in the story at the end of the book. My opinion is that there weren't necessarily enough clues throughout to draw us to the same conclusions naturally. It felt a bit like 'this must be what has happened because of x and y'. I also felt that it was a bit of abrupt ending as the pace was starting to pick back up.

This being said, I did still enjoy it and think that Caraval fans will definitely not be disappointed.

Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this book as much as i thought i would. I really loved Caraval but this just didn't didn't enjoy this. I think it's because i just didn't like the MC so i couldn't feel invested. The plot was really interesting when it first started but then it started to drag and we were told rather than shown so much that i lost interest.

I loved the Caraval series so to have another book set in this world was me sold.
I really enjoyed this and loved the dynamic between Jacks and Evangeline. Their friendship was written so well and the banter between them was on point . I found that the book flowed so well and I loved we got to see more of the Fates (Lala was fantastic and so sassy, I love her).
I found that my only problem with this book is I wanted more Jacks (but hey don’t we all), I loved that we got to see a little behind the facade that he puts up and a hint of his feelings regarding Donatella.
Overall I think I gave the book a solid 4⭐️‘s, and I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book .