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A review by shaun_trinh
Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Okayyyy I have now seen what this story has been laced with for so many people to be riding so hard for this book. I was a little wary for the first third of the story with how down bad Evangeline was for the throwaway male love interest and that just made me have a lot of second-hand embarrassment while reading, but once we got moving across the seas we got some MEAT to actually read.
The mystery, murder, slow-burn, and betrayal was all great. Despite the crux of this story being all about love, I really enjoyed how the love/romance aspect naturally fed into all the other moving parts of the story that helped make it a breeze to get through. I loooooooooove when I feel like I can easily read through a story and not spend 5 years just to get through 100 pages. While a romance, this book does a really good job a working in the mystery aspect of what Jacks wants and how all the other Fates play into what's happening too and around Evangeline. The story was immersive but didn't let that drag you down while reading.
While Tiberius didn't feel all that threatening or imposing as enemy, I enjoyed that the book circled back to who the main focus for all Evangeline's problems was, Jacks. The constant second guessing and betrayals on where Evangeline stood with Jacks really kept me hooked in and I like how the story kept both of their core characters by the end of the book. Evangeline is still a highly sympathetic, fairytale driven girl, but she isn't nearly naive as she was before and recognizes what love should actually feel and look like. Jacks while seemingly has grown more humane and fond of Evangeline, is still pursuing what he wants and is still willing to use whoever he needs to achieve it. That's what makes the ending so fun and exciting.
The mystery, murder, slow-burn, and betrayal was all great. Despite the crux of this story being all about love, I really enjoyed how the love/romance aspect naturally fed into all the other moving parts of the story that helped make it a breeze to get through. I loooooooooove when I feel like I can easily read through a story and not spend 5 years just to get through 100 pages. While a romance, this book does a really good job a working in the mystery aspect of what Jacks wants and how all the other Fates play into what's happening too and around Evangeline. The story was immersive but didn't let that drag you down while reading.
While Tiberius didn't feel all that threatening or imposing as enemy, I enjoyed that the book circled back to who the main focus for all Evangeline's problems was, Jacks. The constant second guessing and betrayals on where Evangeline stood with Jacks really kept me hooked in and I like how the story kept both of their core characters by the end of the book. Evangeline is still a highly sympathetic, fairytale driven girl, but she isn't nearly naive as she was before and recognizes what love should actually feel and look like. Jacks while seemingly has grown more humane and fond of Evangeline, is still pursuing what he wants and is still willing to use whoever he needs to achieve it. That's what makes the ending so fun and exciting.