Title: Once Upon a Broken Heart
Author: Stephanie Garber
Publisher:  Hodder & Stoughton
Page Count: 384
Published: 30th September 2021
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult

TL;DR:

Loved – Extremely easy to read and the injection of Garber vibes we’ve all been waiting for.

I wish I had one of those memory neuralyzers thingymabobbers from Men in Black so I could zap my face and relive this book over and over. It’s been a long time coming, but pals – it’s worth waiting for. Our favourite heart terrorist is back and Jacks is here to ruffle everything up. Here’s what you’re in for:

✨ JACKS IS BACK 💔
✨ One happily every after that’s about to go tits up
✨ A deal with a fate
✨ A good ol’ fashioned betrayal

🍎 BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER 🍎
This is set in the Caraval world and whilst you don’t have to have read them to know what the hell is going on, it will definitely help. There are a LOT of references that’ll scoot right over your head otherwise.

And with that out of the way, meet your new gal Evangeline Fox. She’s a carefree, goldeny-pink haired babe whose whole world gets turned up on its arse when her dad dies. Her fiancé has suddenly decided to marry her step-sister (hello Cinderella vibes), her shop of curiosities gets sold off and she’s made a deal with a fate. The latter putting her in quite the pickle.

Now entangled with the Prince of Hearts and his kisses, Ms Fox is off on a wild adventure of betrayal, a hint of the magical world and, uh… weird arches?

It’s really hard not to gush about this book and spoil everything so I’ll keep it short. The characters are beautifully moulded into the world and you quickly feel a bit of a bestie vibe coming off Evangeline with her typically human traits. You’ll be left with a weird sense of intrigue that draws you into Jacks. And you’ll be thrown into a world etched in magic (although not as much as I’d like – I’m greedy) alongside the introduction of a few other, uh, species for good measure.

Whilst it’s fantastic, it comes with a few wee downsides:
1. This is a fast-paced book – blink and you’ll miss something important to try to keep up. There were definitely a few times that I got a little bit lost and had to scramble my way back.
2. This is 100% a set-up book and left FAR TOO MANY questions at the end. I love a good series, but there was like 7 questions left hanging and I cannot deal. Pls give me answers or the next book. Happy with either. Ta.

If you loved the Caraval series, you’re going to be in for a bangin’ good time. If it wasn’t your jam, then you might wanna stay off the hype-train for this one.

I mean I imagine you’ve already got Once Upon a Broken Heart ordered, but just in case you haven’t, it lands on shelves on the 30th September 2021.