A truly magical young adult fantasy trilogy
If you're looking for a trilogy that'll help you escape the real world, finding yourself in another full of magic, star-crossed lovers, a turning and twisting storyline, this one's for you.
With all three books being around 400 pages long and written so amazingly well, it's also an easy one to get through. I personally devoured each book in 2-3 days. They're the kind of books you can't wait to finish, yet don't want to end.
More about the story (including spoilers!) below.
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Once Upon a Broken Heart characters
One aspect that makes this trilogy so great is the characters and the relationships they have, the way they interact with each other.
Our main character is Evangeline Fox, who grew up in her father's shop selling all kinds of oddities and curiosities. Paired with her mother's stories from her homeland, the Magnificent North, she's been enamoured by magic and stories ever since she was a child.
Evangeline has this attitude of wondering about "what could be" instead of being afraid of "what could go wrong". Her mother taught her that stories have the possibility of infinite endings and that drives her in every situation as she's looking for her happily ever after.
It's really interesting to see Evangeline's character develop throughout the books. She starts out as this rather naive girl, who believes in love at first sight. Even then she's a good person at heart, which she proves with the incident at Luc's wedding.
But later on we get to see her strength in her determination, how she will do absolutely everything to accomplish her goals. We see her lose that naivity, become more cunning, and get better at judging people.
"I no longer thing love is a guarantee of victory or of happily ever after. But I think it's a reason to fight for those things. I know my attempt to save Jacks could end up in a fiery explosion, but I'd rather go up in flames with him than watch while he burns."
Then we have Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, an immortal Fate that Evangeline makes a bargain with at the beginning of the book. We quickly find out (as he tells us and Evangeline explicitly) that he is cruel and arrogant, and will do absolutely everything to get what he wants, which it to open the Valory Arch.
Yet at the same time through all the gestures and actions of his we really start to see another side of him. Which just makes things complicated, because as the story goes on, his actions keep making us doubt our own judgements. One page you start to like him, the other you're seething as he betrays Evangeline.
But as the story goes on, you can really see how he cares for for her and just keeps up this facade because he's trying to convince himself too about the opposite. Watching this internal warring of Jacks, and especially his "slip ups" where he can't help himself is one of the best parts of this book.
Along with when he's Jacks of the Hollow. How could you not melt when he says:
"I mean... It's just one night. In the morning, you can forget it. You can go back to pretending you don't like me, and I can pretend that I don't care. But for tonight, let me pretend you're mine."
And of course, Prince Apollo Acadian, whom Evangeline promptly gets engaged and married to in the first book. Now he's the one who makes it all the more complicated. Major spoilers coming, so stop reading, if you don't want to find out.
The first we see him, he looks like a haughty and arrogant prince, whom Evangeline only approaches because Jacks makes her to. As she kisses Apollo, he falls madly in love -and we just feel a little bad for him. Because poor prince got cursed and it's not true love. We're wondering alongside Evangeline about the what if: what if the curse disappeared and they got to know each other? Would they still fall in love? Would he be Evangeline's happily ever after?
But then poor Apollo gets cursed again and again. We feel for him as Evangeline is fighting to wake him from his suspended state, and as he's hunting her because of the archer's curse after. While we secretly root for Evangeline and Jacks, we're thinking with her: Apollo is her husband, and they never got a true chance. Maybe he's the one, her prince, her true love. If only they could give it a real try.
Seeing Apollo fight the curse, show how he loves her and doesn't want to hurt her only strengthens that feelings. There were times I was confused and couldn't make up my mind on whom I wanted to win Evangeline's heart. Probably until the second half of "The Ballad of Never After".
The story & romance of OUABH
As I just mentioned, for a long time, there are two possibilities for romance warring with each other: Apollo the prince & Evangeline, or Jacks, whom she shouldn't want, whose kiss could kill her, and his Little Fox.
Apollo seems like the right choice on paper for a long time. He's the nice prince, who loves her despite all the curses, who could give her the typical storybook happy ending. But even before the twist at the end of The Ballad of Never After, his connection to Evangeline feels like nothing compared to the sparks and tension of Eva and Jacks.
With Jacks, they're drawn to each other like moths to a flame. It's adorable to watch them fight it, to pretend they don't like each other and they don't care. To say it's not right and they cannot be, when they both obviously want the other so so bad.
With his kiss being supposedly deadly for her, making it so that they really can't slip up, makes it all the more intense. Knowing all that it's no wonder we all swoon every time Jacks calls her "Little Fox". 🦊
The second book (The Ballad of Never After) was probably my favourite of the three, as it gave us the most scenes with the two of them, when it really unfolded. I know the most high-stake part were in the third book, but with Jacks and Evangeline getting so little time interacting in this way and being together, it fell a little short compared to the others.
The world-building in Once Upon a Broken Heart
Apart from Jacks and his Little Fox and the entertaining storyline, it's the world building that makes these books really special. And truly magical.
We spend the majority of the time in the Magnificient North, which teems with magic.
There are arches that portal you to other places, potions, a story curse that affects books and stories orally told. Scrolls go up in flame as you read them, tiny dragons make you caramel apples, and you get to attend balls in castles. There are vampires and inns where time stops, protection cuffs, and magical stones -and all the little things you could possibly imagine in a world that truly feels like a fairy-tale.
The world building is done masterfully: it sweeps you off your feet and sucks you in, without confusing info dumps. It's effortless effortless and magical.
Basic info about the OUABH trilogy
Once Upon a Broken Heart
Author: Stephanie Garber
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Tropes: The chosen one, Powerful artifacts, Unlikely allies
Publication date: September 28, 2021
Edition I read: Paperback
Pages: 403
My rating: 4.5/5
Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60718856-once-upon-a-broken-heart
The Ballad of Never After
Publication date: September 13, 2022
Edition I read: Paperback
Pages: 416
My rating: 5/5
Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59821845-the-ballad-of-never-after
A Curse for True Love
Publication date: October 24, 2023
Edition I read: Kindle
Pages: 336
My rating: 5/5
Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64783855-a-curse-for-true-love
And in case you were wondering...
Will Jack and Evangeline end up together?
Yes, after all the twists and turns, Eva and Jacks do end up together at the end of A Curse for True Love. We never find out, what the apples were for though.