And so we’ve reached the end of Evangeline and Jack’s love story in Stephanie Garber’s A Curse for True Love. Will it be a happy ending for the pair? Or will the doomed lovers suffer the curses at work in this tale? Spoilers ahead if you have not started the Once Upon a Broken Heart series.
Evangeline wakes up to find that her dreams have come true. She can’t remember exactly how she got here, but Evangeline quickly learns that she’s married to Prince Apollo, and the kingdom is in celebration after his miraculous return from death. All as it should be, but Evangeline feels likesomething is not right. Prince Apollo has declared that Lord Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, is responsible for Apollo’s near-death and Evangeline’s missing memories. A manhunt begins for Jacks, and while Apollo begins to fray at the seams, Evangeline will push beyond the lavish constraints of her castle prison to seek out what is truly missing in her heart.
I’m going to be honest. I read the Once Upon a Broken Heart series for Jacks. Ever since I met him in Garber’s Caraval series, I rooted for this apple-eating bastard with my whole soul. Jacks captivates me. He’s a tortured anti-hero with a pinch of that gooey, sweet, cinnamon roll center. He’s full of anguish and can be cruel as hell, but I live for all the little moments I get to see his tough facade crack. It’s addictive. No one can anticipate how hard his outer shell will be at any given moment, so you never know if he’s trying to help or hurt a situation. I love this because it keeps me on my toes, and I constantly second-guess his words and actions. He just makes for a super fun character to follow in this series, and it definitely gave way to many twists, turns, and heartbreak.
One of my favorite themes of A Curse for True Love and the series overall is that anyone can be monstrous. Jacks has been problematic (in all the best ways possible) from day one. But so have so many of the people in Evangeline’s story. She’s really the only one pure of heart in the group, because everyone around her displays both kindness and cruelty. She is like this beacon of sunshine, and it makes everyone around her look way more mischievous and cagey. Garber has characters with good intentions doing bad things, and they also do good things that are warped by manipulation. No one has a spotless record, and it makes it a very fun and interesting read for anyone who loves morally gray characters because you never know who is going to show up and how they’re going to play out in Evangeline’s story. Spoiler: They love to help Evangeline, and they also love to help themselves.
My biggest issue with the final book in this series is that several major plot points just fade away and are forgotten by the end. Fairy tales can be brief and mysterious, but there were several well-established plot lines that went absolutely nowhere. Parts feel a little rushed, especially toward the end, and I was left feeling dissatisfied with the loose threads. Even the main arc’s culmination happens so quickly, I think I was in a state of shock when it ended. Ultimately, I’m happy with where the story goes, but I would have liked to have had my curiosity satisfied with the other plots, so it did not sully Garber’s ending with my many questions.
If you’ve made it this far in the Once Upon a Broken Heart series, you’ll want to know how this love story ends. Evangeline and Jacks are a pair worth fighting for, even if your heart gets bruised in the process.
A Curse for True Love – 9.0/10
-Brandee
