5 stars of happiness for the return of Jacks and the introduction to Evangeline in Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber!
"The Fates weren't dangerous because they were evil; the Fates were dangerous because they couldn't tell the difference between good and evil."
Synopsis:
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’s pledged. And he has plans for Evangeline that will either end in the greatest happily ever after, or the most exquisite tragedy…
I was so happy to be back in the magical world of Caraval! It might not be Caraval, but it's Caraval adjacent, and I loved this initial intro glimpse into the Magnificient North! One of my besties somehow got an extra copy of the stunning Owlcrate special edition and she sent it to me! It's a gorgeous edition that just enhances the excitement and anticipation of this story.
"She'd seen Jacks from far away, but this close was different. He was a thousand cuts happening all at once. Devastation made of hair as blue as cracked glass that would delightedly cut her."
At first, I was worried I wouldn't enjoy this book as much as the Caraval trilogy because there wouldn't be any of Legend's magic, but that wasn't the case at all. Just getting more of Jacks was worth it. I mean I realize he's more of an anti-hero (or perhaps a straight-up villain??), but let's face it...I would fall for him just as much as all the other unlucky ladies to have kissed him and not been his one true love. Magic, snark, and a devastatingly handsome face? I'd be doomed.
Given the title of the book, I thought Jacks would be more front and center throughout the entire book, but Evangeline makes a wonderful central character. Is she a little naive and foolish? Yes. She's also obsessed with finding true love and her happily ever after, but do you know what she's not? Annoying. At least I don't find her annoying. Her optimism on love evolves but doesn't shatter. She's brave and she wants to see the best in people. Plus, she's secretly magical? Intrigue. Out of Scarlett, Tella, and Evangeline, I do believe Evangeline is my favorite. I'm hoping that Evangeline is another one true love for Jacks. I'd love some steamy moments between the two. As someone who believes there's more than one person out there you could be happy with, I'd love this to be a twist. Maybe it's Jacks who decides whose his true love and he hasn't realized that yet?
When our Prince of Hearts first reveals
his true self to Evangeline in his temple, he is eating a snow-white apple with bloodred flesh. Later on, his blood is described as having gold flecks in it. Normally I try and find a specific dish mentioned in the book to use for the review, but with the description of the white apples, immediately my mind went to red velvet cake. The vibrant red of the cake with the snowy white of the cream cheese frosting is a perfect representation of Jacks' apple. The gold flecks in his blood were a great excuse to use the last bit of edible gold leaf I had. My cake didn't turn out as red as I would have liked even though I used a lot of red gel food coloring. Next time I think I need to invest in a more professional-grade food coloring. Luckily, the cake was still delicious, and really, what wouldn't you eat cream cheese frosting on?
Thanks for stopping by!
-Kim
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