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Title: OUABH series
Author: Stephanie Garber
Genre: Fantasy, romance, ya
Length: Trilogy
Rating: 4.7/5
"Once upon a time, a girl who believed in fairytales stole the heart of a prince who had sworn to never love." ― Stephanie Garber, Once Upon a Broken Heart
Craving a genuine enemies-to-lovers story? One filled with hate and betrayal? Looking for something that keeps you on your toes? Don't forget the "never destined for a happy ending" part—but with gorgeous dresses thrown in. If so, this book is for you. "Once Upon a Broken Heart" by Stephanie Garber draws readers into a fairy tale, but not a Disney story—no, a fairy tale more akin to the Brothers Grimm. However, after writing about books I recommend that are dark-themed, it's time for a book that's a bit more light-hearted.
Summary
Evangeline has believed in happy endings for as long as she can remember. But her dreams shatter when the love of her life is about to marry her stepsister. Determined to find her own happy ending, she visits the church of the Fortuna Jacks, the Prince of Hearts—better called the Prince of Broken Hearts.— There, Evangeline strikes a deal with the charismatic but wicked prince, promising him three kisses, whenever and with whomever he wants, in exchange for stopping the wedding.
“I don't know if I can fix your broken heart, but you can take mine because it's already yours.” ― Stephanie Garber, Once Upon a Broken Heart
That's all the information you need before diving into this story. The rest is better explored—and will shock you—on its own.
My Thoughts
This trilogy—and I know I always say this—holds a special place in my heart. When I was 16 years old, I fell in love with Stephanie Garber's Caraval (also very worth checking out). It's a series set in the same world as OUABH, with a bit more of Jacks thrown in. For the full experience, I'd suggest reading Caraval before OUABH, but either way is fine.
Reading OUABH when I was 19 and had gotten back into reading felt like stepping into a warm bath. The story had the same magical feeling as Caraval, and the first chapter was told from the POV of a doorbell—which was amazingly done and really captures the magical feeling of the book.
When the last book of the trilogy was announced, I didn't hesitate to pre-order the Waterstones special edition. That’s how much I liked the books, that I even wanted a special edition, despite the 10 euro’s in shipping costs to The Netherlands. When it arrived, I picked up the other two books in the series and reread those before fully diving into the grand finale.
And let me tell you, I loved it. The story keeps you on your toes until the very end. It's highly entertaining, and Garber's writing is truly magical.
“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.”― Stephanie Garber, Once Upon a Broken Heart
My Rating
I gave the first book a 4.5 after a reread. The story was very well written, and I was highly entertained. However, the second book in this trilogy was even better. I ended up giving that book five stars, even after a reread—a rating I don't throw around lightly. This trilogy features a perfectly executed slow-burn enemies-to-lovers plot, probably the reason I ended up loving it so much. The last book of the series also deserved a very high rating, a 4.5 as well. The ending was epic, but the second book still holds a special place in my heart. This is quite remarkable, as usually the second book ends up with the lowest rating. Look at my review of the Poppy War for example.
In short: A great magical world to escape to and a fantastic trilogy to read. I really loved it! Want to escape to more magical places? As Travars to red London!
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