Diya Alamuri

I began this book with high hopes and even higher expectations, as one would expect with the amount of hype surrounding this series. But, to my disappointment, Once Upon A Broken Heart just didn't live up to it's hype. Let's start with some positive notes. As a person who hasn't read the Caraval series, the book did a pretty good job of keeping me utterly confused. There were a couple of messy areas where I couldn't figure out what was happening, but mostly, it was fine. I loved the fairy tale magic surrounding this world and adored the enchanted trinkets. The prose was nice, though nothing too remarkable. I was refreshed by Evangiline's old Disney princess-like personality, something I hadn't seen in a while. Now, let's get onto the negative parts. First is Jacks. To me, Jacks felt like a stereotype come to life. He is the epitome of "cold and distant ML with a tragic backstory to make readers sympathize with him" with little to no other personality. Overall, Jacks felt flat and lifeless. On the topic of 2Dness, we have to talk about Evangeline. Character Arcs are essential for me in any media; they make a character more realistic, making me want to root for them. Evangeline had none of that. I appreciated her take on love and happily ever afters and her ability to see the good in everyone, but when it got to the point where she was constantly overseeing things that were extremely obvious and falling for the same traps over and over again, it got redundant and boring. Evangeline had no change from the novel's beginning to the end, making her another flat and 2D character. Another huge part of the book was the lack of explanations. Maybe it's because I didn't read Caraval, but there was so much about the Fates and the prophecy and the society our protagonist's were living in that I wish was explored much more. There were limitless possibilities and ways to surprise me as a reader that were skipped. It was, in my opinion, one of the worst parts of the book. Overall, Once Upon a Broken Heart was a solid two stars. Would I reread it? No. Do I appreciate some of the novel's aspects and the world building? I mean, sure. And will I continue the series? Honestly, probably not.