By Camryn Buckman
The pick of the tulip bed and the rose of the garden.
Once Upon a Broken Heart, commonly abbreviated to OUABH, is a YA novel by Stephanie Garber, author of the Caraval trilogy.
The story follows young Evangeline Fox, a woman travelling to an empire called The Magnificent North to visit her sister.
While there Evangeline encounters Jacks, Prince of Hearts, a charming and cold-hearted stranger who claims he can help her mend her broken heart after she is subjected to a shattering betrayal and her life changes for better or worse in ways she never thought possible.
Eventually, he falls in love with her. However, Jacks has a secret that could very well cost Evangeline her life.
Literally.
Their story is a mix of romance and friendship, mixing emotionally charged scenes with sweet and salty personalities. Evangeline is a kind-hearted protagonist while Jacks is a cold and straightforward love interest which makes them both interesting in their own right.
Jacks is also not the kind of love interest that presents himself as such at first.
With twists at every corner, tooth-rottingly sweet romance combined with sizzling tension and emotional build-up makes for the perfect blend of intriguing and the kind of book that will have you smiling and kicking your feet (while crying).
The world building of the novel throughout makes it easy to follow and be comfortable with scenes and dialogue and slow build-up which present themselves strongly and will have you never wanting to put down the book.
If you love romantasy books with a hint of enemies to lovers and scenes that will have you clutching the pages desperate to know what will happen next, then this is the book for you.
Featured image: The Once Upon a Broken Heart cover and (right) author Stephanie Garber. Photos: Hachette Australia, Rhododendrites/CC/Wikimedia Commons
