Stephanie Garber built a devoted readership with the Caraval trilogy, and Once Upon a Broken Heart is the beginning of a new chapter in that universe — same world, new protagonist, and a central figure who has haunted the edges of the Caraval books long enough to warrant his own story. Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, is finally center stage. He is exactly as magnetic and infuriating as promised.
Evangeline Fox and the Deal She Shouldn’t Make
Evangeline is a girl who believes in love stories. She has grown up in her family’s shop, surrounded by fairy tales, and she has shaped her sense of self around romantic belief rather than cynicism. When the boy she loves is about to marry someone else, and a god of heartbreak offers to help her stop the wedding in exchange for three small kisses at times of his choosing, she says yes.
Garber establishes Evangeline’s voice quickly and well. She is warm and impulsive and not stupid — she knows the deal is dangerous, she makes it anyway, and she spends the novel learning what dangerous actually means in this world. Her romantic idealism is both her most endearing quality and the lever that makes her vulnerable, and Garber handles that dynamic with real care.
Jacks: The Prince of Hearts, Fully Rendered
Jacks has always been most interesting as a figure slightly out of frame, and Once Upon a Broken Heart is the book that steps closer. He is a Fate — an ancient being for whom human emotion is a kind of weather to be observed and occasionally directed. He is also, unmistakably, not indifferent to Evangeline in ways he seems to find annoying.
The push-and-pull between them is the engine of the novel, and Garber writes it with the same lush, charged quality that characterized the Caraval romance. Jacks is not a good person, and the book does not ask readers to pretend otherwise. The appeal is in watching Evangeline navigate someone whose moral calculus is genuinely alien while still being legible as a kind of feeling.
The Caraval Universe Expands
The world-building that has gone into this series is evident in how naturally the new setting unfolds. A royal wedding, an ancient prophecy, a game being played by forces whose rules Evangeline can only partially see — Garber layers these elements with her characteristic atmospheric flair. The world has a fairy-tale heightened quality that is entirely her own.
Why YA Readers Will Love This
Caraval readers will find the things they loved about that series here — the immersive atmosphere, the romantic tension that keeps you reading long past when you planned to stop, the sense of a world where enchantment is genuinely enchanting. Once Upon a Broken Heart also introduces something slightly darker: Jacks is a more morally complex figure than Julian Marrero, and the stakes feel different.
For readers who want their fantasy with lush romanticism and a healthy dose of “I know this person is probably bad for me but I can’t look away,” this series is exactly right. The sequel cannot arrive fast enough.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Once Upon a Broken Heart about? Evangeline Fox makes a deal with Jacks, the Prince of Hearts — a Fate and ancient being — to stop the wedding of the boy she loves, in exchange for three kisses at times of his choosing. What begins as a desperate romantic gambit becomes something far more dangerous, and Evangeline spends the novel learning what ‘dangerous’ actually means in the Caraval universe.
Who is Jacks and what makes him a compelling character? Jacks is a Fate — an ancient being for whom human emotion is ‘a kind of weather to be observed and occasionally directed.’ He is ’not a good person, and the book does not ask readers to pretend otherwise.’ The appeal is described as watching Evangeline navigate someone whose moral calculus is ‘genuinely alien while still being legible as a kind of feeling.’ He is ‘unmistakably, not indifferent to Evangeline in ways he seems to find annoying.’
How does Evangeline Fox compare to Scarlett and Tella from the Caraval trilogy? Evangeline is a girl who believes in love stories and has shaped her sense of self around romantic belief. The review describes her voice as established ‘quickly and well’ — she is ‘warm and impulsive and not stupid.’ Her romantic idealism is ‘both her most endearing quality and the lever that makes her vulnerable,’ and Garber handles that dynamic with real care.
How does Once Upon a Broken Heart fit within the Caraval universe? The novel begins a new chapter in the Caraval universe — same world, new protagonist — featuring Jacks, who ‘haunted the edges of the Caraval books long enough to warrant his own story.’ Caraval readers will find ’the things they loved about that series here — the immersive atmosphere, the romantic tension, the sense of a world where enchantment is genuinely enchanting.’
Who is the target reader for Once Upon a Broken Heart? The review recommends it for readers who want ‘fantasy with lush romanticism and a healthy dose of I know this person is probably bad for me but I can’t look away.’ It is positioned slightly darker than the original Caraval trilogy, with Jacks described as ‘a more morally complex figure than Julian Marrero’ from those books.
Further Reading from Authoritative Sources
- Stephanie Garber — Wikipedia’s Stephanie Garber article provides biographical context and the full bibliography of the Caraval universe, helping readers understand how Once Upon a Broken Heart relates to the trilogy that preceded it and what the broader series looks like.
- Caraval universe — Wikipedia’s Caraval article gives new readers the series context and world overview needed to understand what Once Upon a Broken Heart is expanding upon, allowing them to decide whether to start with the Caraval trilogy first.
