Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber

The boy she loves is set to marry her stepsister after a whirlwind romance that she never even saw coming. SPOILERS ABOUND, so beware!Įvangeline Fox is distraught. For those of you who have read Caraval, this exists within the same universe and you’ll definitely see (read?) some familiar faces. Just when you think you know what is going to happen, there’s a wrench in the plans. In Once Upon A Broken Heart, the Fates rule all as demigods and humans handle magic as an everyday occurrence. But… only half of that would end up being true and, frankly, I only finished it as fast as possible because I couldn’t put it down. I never expected to feel anything for this book other than dread and a desperate need to finish it as fast as possible. That’s not to say that when I got to this book, I didn’t breath a heavy sigh and say to myself, “Let’s get this over with” before diving in. To say that my TBR has gotten out of control would also be a bit of an understatement, but during this summer vacation, I am making a concerted effort to work my way through the massively long list. But, having immediate buyer’s remorse (or requester’s remorse is more accurate), I immediately relegated it to my TBR where it lingered. I took the plunge and requested the book in Netgalley.

It felt like more of a throwback to the original feel of Caraval and I kind of dug that. However, I was intrigued enough to peruse the summary and it intrigued me.

So when I saw she was coming out with a new series, I was skeptical to say the least. Please take it with a grain of salt.) What I do remember is that I was so disinterested in it that I didn’t even bother to read the third (and final) one in the series – aptly titled, Finale. No longer was it a magical game to be played and won, but a world in turmoil where politics and power went hand in hand in a fight for dominance. Once again, I can’t completely recall why I was let down but I think it had something to do with how the convoluted plot unfolded. So, when the sequel, Legendary came out, I was excited to read it. Her prose is completely engaging and her world building just tugs at the reader’s imagination. What I do remember is that I was immediately drawn into the world of Caraval. I don’t really remember the details of the plot – I read it such a long time ago but from what I can recall, the story is rooted in a world in which the magical circus puts on a magical performance but the performance becomes more and more real as the plot goes along. That being said, I first fell in love with Stephanie Garber when I read her debut novel, Caraval. Fantasy is one of the most popular genres with my students and after years and years of being asked for recommendations, I am certainly a well-read fan now. Specifically, I have read a lot of YA fantasy.

Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber