Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber: FAQ (2024 Edition)

Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber is a fiction fantasy book and New York Times bestseller.

I have gathered some of the frequently asked questions about this book and have tried to answer them as best as possible.

I hope you enjoy reading these, and I hope this post answers some questions you may have about this book!

Is Once Upon a Broken Heart related to Caraval?

Once upon a broken heart is set in a period after the conclusion of Finale, the third book in the Caraval series.

It follows the ending of Finale and also brings back a few of the characters from the Caraval series.

However, it is possible to read this book without having read the Caraval series.

The spoilers for the other books are minimal.

But the story feels more natural if you read it after finishing all 3 books from the Caraval series.

Is Once Upon a Broken Heart YA?

Once Upon a Broken Heart is a young adult fantasy book.

The main character, Evangeline, is also a teenager, as is the case of the main characters in the Caraval books. The reading style also matches the descriptions of a young adult book.

It’s an easy-to-read style, with no extremes in subjects like violence and sex.

This also matches with the age and experience of the main characters and makes it more relatable to readers from the intended age group.

Is Once Upon a Broken Heart a standalone or a series/does it have a sequel?

Once Upon a Broken Heart is the first book of a series. The author, Stephanie Garber, announced that the series will be at least 2 books, but maybe even 3.

So we have to wait and see how many books will follow. As of the date of publishing this article, the title of the second book is The Ballad of Never After with an expected publication date of September 13, 2022.

Is Legend in Once Upon a Broken Heart?

No, Legend isn’t present in Once Upon a Broken Heart. There are a few references to him and what happened in the Caraval series.

When does Once Upon a Broken Heart take place?

The story takes place in a fantasy world. It’s not quite like our world, but still has a lot of similarities to the real world.

The story starts with Evangeline.

She is trying to stop the wedding between her stepsister and the boy she is in love with.

These events take place at the same time as the conclusion of Finale. So there is a little overlap in the time it takes place and the last book.

It then fast-forwards a few days and continues after the end of Finale.

Of course, because the story doesn’t take place in our world, it’s not possible to put a time or year to it in the same way we count time or years.

What is the plot summary of Once Upon a Broken Heart?

Once Upon a Broken Heart is about a girl named Evangeline.

She is secretly in love with a boy.

But one day he claims to marry her stepsister.

Evangeline is sure that someone put a spell on him. She goes to find Jacks, a Fate, to help her win him back.

But when making a deal with a Fate, you never know what might happen.

When everything goes wrong, Evangeline ends up as a statue.

Another Fate saves her and people see her as a savior.

She is sent to the North to attend the party for prince Apollo.

There she once again meets Jacks.

He interferes with prince Apollo and his choice for a wife.

After Apollo dies, Evangeline becomes a suspect.

And together with Jacks she tries to find out what really happened to Apollo.

But she can’t be sure who she can trust.

What is the book order for the once upon a broken heart series?

Once upon a broken heart is the first part of a new series.

As of the date of publishing, we don’t know for sure yet how many parts there will be in the series or what the names are.

So if you start with this book, the rest will soon follow.

What are the chapters in Once Upon a Broken Heart?

The book is set up in different parts.

Within these parts, there are several numbered chapters.

Part 1 is called The tale of Evangeline Fox.

It has a total of 10 chapters.

Part 2 is called The magnificent North.

This part is longer than part 1 and contains chapters 11 through 36.

Part 3 is called Chaos.

This is the last part and contains chapters 37 through 54.

Once Upon a Broken Heart Ending Explained

Once Upon a Broken Heart is set in a semi-fantasy world where fantastical creatures known as the fates once roamed the streets and dazzled people with magic. Now, most of those fates are gone, and only a few remain.

The ending of the book is pretty open.

It leaves a lot of room for the next story.

[SPOILER ALERT]

We are not sure who really is responsible for the death of Apollo.

Evangeline is starting to have doubts about Jacks and we as the readers don’t know what will happen next.

It isn’t a real happy ending, but then again it isn’t a true ending at all.

The small cliffhanger will make the readers want to know more as soon as possible.

This Book on Fairyloot

There are many special editions available of Once Upon a Broken Heart.

One of these editions is the Fairyloot edition.

Fairyloot is a UK-based book box company.

They work together with young adult writers and publishers to curate a box fitting to a theme.

Every monthly box contains a unique edition of the book of the month.

The alterations to the book can vary.

Alterations in the past have contained different covers or colors.

But they may also contain artwork on the inside of the dusk jacket and art on the naked hardcover.

Sprayed or stenciled edges can be found on every book. This way each book featured in the boxes is a true special edition.

Once upon a broken heart was featured in the October 2021 Fairyloot box.

The book contains the UK version of the cover.

The original cover has a lot of blue and purple color tones.

And the Fairyloot edition contains more pink color tones.

The edges are also a bright pink with stenciled images of a broken heart, a fox and some arrows.

The reverse dusk jacket contains beautiful artwork by the artist rosiethorns88.

The bare hardcover contains an image of an archer and a fox as well as the words “the ballad of the archer and the fox”.

This is a reference to a storybook mentioned in the book. It is a beautiful edition of the book.

More about the Owlcrate Edition

Like Fairyloot, Owlcrate has a special edition made of Once Upon a Broken Heart.

Owlcrate is a US-based book box company.

Thus, they used the US cover from Once Upon a Broken Heart.

This cover is very different from the UK version.

The original UK version has a black cover with a pink ornamental heart while the Owlcrate version has the same pink heart, but with a white cover.

On the bare hardcover you will find the following quote from the book: “Every story has the potential for infinite endings”.

More About the Indigo Edition

Indigo also has an exclusive edition of Once Upon a Broken Heart.

It includes a bonus epilogue and even an interview between two of the characters.

It has the US cover, but instead of the black background, it has a pink background.

Once Upon a Broken Heart Hidden Cover

There are 4 hidden covers for the UK first edition as well as for the Waterstones signed edition.

These hidden covers feature images of a fox, a book, an arrow, and a potion bottle.

The fox symbolizes Evangeline Fox as well as The Ballad of the Archer and the Fox.

The potion bottle stands for the potion Evangeline takes at the start of the book.

And the arrow also symbolizes The Ballad of the Archer and the Fox.

Speaking of The Ballad of the Archer and the Fox, an interesting aspect of this novel is that books are a very important part of the story. There are storybooks, books about the Fates, and others mentioned within the story that have important meanings.

The Fox

The fox is a subject that comes up in this story a few times.

The main character’s name is Evangeline Fox.

This is the first reference to the fox. Evangeline’s mother is from the North.

There they have special stories. However, it is hard to remember some of the stories and their endings.

They say this is because of the magic in the North.

One of those stories is The Archer and the Fox.

This is one of Evangeline’s favorite stories, but she never got to hear its ending.
As mentioned above, on the first editions of the UK Once Once Upon a Broken Heart books, there were four hidden covers. And on one of those images is a fox, further emphasizing the importance of this symbol for book.

Is Once Upon a Broken Heart about Jacks?

At least in part, yes it is.

Jacks is one of the main characters in this story.

He also played a big part in Legendary and Finale. But in Once Upon a Broken Heart he has a larger part to play.

And, as a result, the reader gets to know him a lot better.

Evangeline

The story follows Evangeline.

She is the main character and plays a very important part in everything that happens.

She asks Jacks for help when the boy she loves is getting married but forgets that it is never wise to make a deal with a fate.

Jacks and Evangeline

As said before, the main characters in this story are Evangeline and Jacks.

Evangeline is the protagonist, and we follow her through the story.

However, Jacks has an important role to play in Evangeline’s adventures.

In Legendary and Finale, Jacks wasn’t exactly the protagonist. That said Once Upon a Broken Heart, we don’t know if he is good or bad. We are left wondering why he did some of the things he did.

But we also hope he might be the love interest for Evangeline. We have to wait to see what the next book(s) will bring us.

Apollo

Apollo is the prince of the North. Before he can become the king, he needs to marry someone.

[SPOILER ALERTS BELOW]

That someone ends up being Evangeline.

This may or may not have happened with the help of some magic, but the reader isn’t sure.

Regardless, he soon wants to make Evangeline his wife.

However, on the wedding night, Apollo dies in his bed, and Evangeline becomes the primary suspect.

Marisol

Marisol is Evangeline’s stepsister.

After the tragedy that happened on her wedding day, Evangeline takes Marisol with her to the North.

Marisol plays a very important part in this story.

She starts out as a side character, but soon she takes on a bigger part in the story. Without giving away too much, it is safe to say that Marisol is a part of the reason Evangeline’s story has such a rocky start.

Books like Once Upon a Brokent Heart

There are a few books and series you will enjoy if you liked Once upon a broken heart. I will list a few:

• The Caraval series by Stephanie Garber. As mentioned above, you don’t have to read these books first. But even if you started with Once Upon a Brokent Heart, you wil still love Caraval.
• Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer. This is the first part in a new series by Brigid Kemmerer. It is a true fantasy story with a prince, a girl, and a country in war with itself.
• Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco. Kingdom of the Wicked and Kingdom of the Cursed are already out in this series. It’s a fantasy series about witches and demons. With a lot of magic and some romance too, it is a series you don’t want to miss.
• The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. This trilogy follows a human girl, trapped in the Fairy world. She has to deal with a cruel boy, an evil stepfather, and a court that is about to collapse. This story has everything you want in a fantasy novel.

Conclusion

I hope this article has answered some of your questions about this book.

And if you have a question I didn’t cover in this post, feel free to let me know in the comments below!

Written by Kimberly