Not gonna lie, the vampire section of this book is kind of tempting me to look into vampire books even though I've refused outright up until this point...


I read Once Upon a Broken Heart several years ago, but never finished the series because I didn't enjoy it as much as I did the original Caraval series. Since it's gotten popular within the online book community, I've been meaning to reread it for a while. I think I still prefer Caraval, but the rest of the series still has the potential to change that opinion, and it's already really close in terms of enjoyment (Caraval just had slightly higher stakes). I also really enjoy the worldbuilding of the Magnificent North; it reminded me a lot of Marissa Meyer's Heartless, but also it just nailed the fairytale vibes in general. And, like I said earlier, I know the vampires were a kind of random addition to such a pastel/soft feeling world - and maybe it's just the reading mood I'm in -but I kind of want to try vampires again.

After Evangeline Fox makes a deal with Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, to stop her lover's wedding to her stepsister, she becomes indebted to him in the form of 3 kisses. But Fates are cruel and have games far more complex than Evangeline understands, and so she is quickly embroiled in the political world of the North. I would say the plot begins as a mix of romance and politics, but there's a level of mystery incorporated about halfway through that really caught my attention and had me read 2/3 of this in one sitting. It's a bit lower stakes than Caraval - at least in my opinion, and only in this book so far - but the ending was very fast-paced, and overall, the story and world draw you in from the beginning. I vaguely remember being fooled by plot twists the first time I read this, so the fact that I called them this time right before they happened doesn't mean much, given I've read this before, albeit 2 years ago. I'm also excited to continue the series and actually get to book 3 this time so I can know how it ends.

I really enjoyed the dynamics between the characters of this book. Marisol reminded me a lot of Catherine from Heartless, probably because they both like baking. I don't really have any strong opinions on her or Tiberius, but I'm assuming they'll be more relevant later on (I remember nothing about book 2 in the slightest). The same goes for Luc: he intrigues me and I hope he returns. I remember not liking Lala the first time I read this, but I really liked her on this read-through, and her friendship with Evangeline is super fun. I also didn't have opinions on Chaos during my first read-through, but I want more page-time for him as well. Evangeline and Jacks though? Their dynamic is the reason this series is popular. Jacks is a character that I still have mixed feelings about because sometimes he really gives me the ick, but other times I adore him. His banter with Evangeline gives me life, and their reluctant allyship was probably one of my favorite parts of the book. I also really like Evangeline. She's a protagonist who isn't afraid to reach out to others for help, she's curious about the world of the North, and she cares deeply for others. Sometimes it's nice to have a break from morally grey assassin protagonists, and that's why I like Evangeline so much. (Also, for some reason, as I write this now, Jacks and Evangeline are kind of reminding me of Nick and Judy from Zootopia in terms of vibes, and I can't explain it). Edit: I forgot Apollo, and y'know what? That says everything it needs to about what his character means to me.

Once Upon a Broken Heart delves deeper into the world established by the Caraval series while mixing romance and mystery, amazing banter, and entertaining characters to create a "fairytale" aesthetic story perfect for fantasy readers who need a break from all the grit and darkness.

4/5