Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber, a spin-off series from Caraval, follows Evangeline Fox whose utter desperation leads her to knock on a magical door to make a dangerous bargain with a Fate, the Prince of Hearts, for true love that changes her story forever. The problem? She doesn’t know if she’ll get the happy ending she always dreamed of, and an unexpected journey to the Magnificent North brings her face to face with Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, who is tangled up in a prophecy with Evangeline at the center. Every choice she has to make has a chance to either push away her happy ending or bring it closer leading to the ultimate question: How far are you willing to go for a happy ending?

The plot is classic Stephanie Garber- whimsy, secretive, full of twists. It’s a Fairytale of its own with elements like prophesies, secret doors, curses, dangerous bargains, mysterious archways, and poisoned kisses (literally). The pacing is brilliant and the writing is quite fluid, you will start it and before you know it you are halfway through the book, it’s entrancing in that sense. I loved how she tied up all loose ends without any loopholes and can’t believe how much story she immaculately packed into this book.

This series takes place in the same world as Caraval but focuses on Evangeline, a completely new character, and Jacks, a side character from the series. If you haven’t read the Caraval series before or didn’t finish it, and you have plans to, then I’d suggest you don’t read this until you’ve finished that, because it does spoil the very ending of the series. If you have no interest in reading Caraval, then I think you can still comfortably enjoy this, but there will be references to Jacks and Tella among other things.

Jacks was my favorite character in the Caraval trilogy, and he was my favorite character in this book. He is a little different in this book, but it makes sense if you think back to the way that trilogy ended. That being said, he’s still Jacks: cold demeanor, witty, untrustworthy at times, and irresistible. I’ll always welcome more Jacks dialogue and energy. I loved getting to know him a little better, even though he is still a mystery in many ways. He is the epitome of a morally grey character. Even when you think he is redeeming himself you are wrong. He has an agenda and that is his goal. “He was terrible. There was no other word to describe him—except maybe heartless or depraved or rotten. The way Jacks seemed to enjoy pain was absolutely staggering. The apple in his hand probably possessed more sympathy than he did. This was not the same young man who’d practically bled heartbreak all over the knave of his church. Something inside of him was broken.” Jacks is a very complex character with so many layers that it’s impossible to know if he will be the villain or the love interest even after finishing the book. He is neither good nor bad but acts according to his own rules and codes (without really considering he’s doing wrong), which makes him even more interesting. I have never read another character like him.

I picked this up for Jacks, but I was pleasantly surprised by Evangeline. I think she’s a very relatable character, and it was easy for me to love her. She makes mistakes, and she can be impulsive at times, but she’s honest and tries to do what’s right. She is not a fighter, she is not ruthless, she is not the underdog that rises from nothing. She is a girl who believes in infinite happy endings, and oddities and is curious about what is going on around her. She is what a 17-year-old should be and more. The most interesting part of the book for me was seeing how Jacks’s cynical nature influences Evangeline’s endless romanticism. She is a firm believer in true love, and his supposed one true love didn’t choose him. They are complete opposites and contradict each other in every way, but their dynamic works beautifully.

Stephanie Garber’s writing is ornate at times, but it’s perfect for this type of story. There’s magic and curses; princes and princesses; and of course the best Fate of all: Jacks. The way the author builds this world completely transported me into a fairytale landscape with sharp edges. Every time a secret was revealed, I was surprised and wanted to know more. I loved my time reading this book, and I adored the main characters. Her descriptions were immaculate and made reading this book so much more enjoyable. “He was still indescribably breathtaking, but it was all the tragic beauty of a sky where every single star was falling. His hair was a storm of broken gold. His eyes were a mess of silver and blue.”

I read this book in one sitting, and then immediately picked up the second one, The Ballad of Never After. It is definitely one of the best fantasy books I have ever read, and I cannot recommend it enough. Everything from the magic system to the characters to the writing style makes Once Upon a Broken Heart truly enchanting.