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Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber Review: A Lush, Perilous Fairy-Tale Fantasy
Once Upon a Broken Heart is the first novel in Stephanie Garber's #1 New York Times bestselling series of the same name, published by Flatiron Books on September 28, 2021. It follows Evangeline Fox, a young woman who strikes a dangerous bargain with the Prince of Hearts — a fickle, immortal Fate — in a desperate bid to stop the man she loves from marrying her stepsister. Kirkus Reviews praised it as "a lushly written story with an intriguing heart" while also noting uneven world-building, making it a compelling but imperfect opening to a four-book series aimed at readers aged 13–18.
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for
Readers aged 13–18 who love romantasy with fairy-tale architecture, morally ambiguous leads, and high emotional stakes — especially fans of Garber's Caraval trilogy ready to explore more of that world through a fresh protagonist.
Worth it if
You're drawn to lushly atmospheric YA fantasy built around dangerous bargains, the Fates as a mythological system, and a Cinderella-adjacent heroine whose naïve idealism is tested by genuine darkness — and you're willing to grant a series opener some world-building patience.
Skip if
You prioritise tight, fully realised world-building from page one and deep ensemble character development, as Kirkus Reviews cautions that the fantasy elements beyond the Fates system are haphazardly incorporated and the large cast doesn't receive enough individual attention in this first instalment.
What readers & critics say
Kirkus Reviews awards a "GET IT" verdict, calling it "lushly written" with "an intriguing heart" and praising its well-rounded themes of love, family, and hope, while cautioning that the writing style can become overly verbose and the broader fantasy world-building is haphazardly incorporated. Bookish Wayfarer describes it as "a dazzling fantasy replete with intriguing characters, romance, and a captivating plot," and Wornpages and Ink highlights the world as one of extremes, crediting Garber with thoughtful and meticulous world-building.
“A lushly written story with an intriguing heart.”
— Kirkus ReviewsLook inside the book
Preview the actual pages, via Google BooksOnce Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber is Trending
BookTok Is Buzzing About Once Upon a Broken Heart Right Now
Stephanie Garber's fantasy romance is having a real moment on BookTok, with readers swapping reading order guides, spice-level breakdowns, and even unboxing videos for a new pink edition. If you've been seeing it pop up on your feed, you're not imagining it.
Once Upon a Broken Heart has been all over BookTok lately, and it's not just one thing driving it — it's a whole wave of content. Readers are posting reading order guides to help newcomers navigate Garber's interconnected Caraval and Broken Heart series without spoilers, debating where the book lands on the spice scale (short answer: it's pretty clean), and unboxing a new pink hardcover edition that's giving fans a reason to finally finish the series.
The timing makes sense. Romantasy is still one of the most talked-about genres on BookTok, and Garber sits comfortably in that space alongside names like Sarah J. Maas and Cassandra Clare. Once Upon a Broken Heart keeps showing up in recommendation roundups as a great entry point — especially for readers who want the swoony fantasy romance experience without a lot of explicit content. That's a genuinely useful niche, and BookTok has noticed.
If you're thinking about picking it up, it's worth knowing that the first book is more of a slow build — the magical world is lush and the romance is compelling, but pacing can be uneven. Still, fans say the series rewards patience, and with the new hardcovers out, now's a good time to start.
In This Review
- What Works & What Doesn't
- What the Book Is and What It Contains
- Significance and Place in Garber's Body of Work
- Strengths: Atmosphere, Theme, and Plot Construction
- Limitations: World-Building and Prose Consistency
- Who This Book Is For
What Works & What Doesn't
What Works
- Opening entry in a #1 New York Times bestselling series with demonstrated broad readership appeal
- Kirkus Reviews awards a 'GET IT' verdict, praising its lush prose and well-rounded themes of love, story, family, and hope
- The Fates-as-religion magical system adds distinctive mythological texture to the world
- Plot delivers genuine surprises and a morally complex central bargain with high emotional stakes
- Expands Garber's established Caraval universe into new territory, offering both familiar atmosphere and fresh narrative ground
What Doesn't
- Kirkus Reviews notes the writing style fluctuates, at times becoming overly verbose and confusing in its layering of sensory detail
- Fantasy world-building beyond the Fates system is described by Kirkus as haphazardly incorporated, lacking the cohesion to fully ground the narrative
- The large cast, while curiosity-piquing, does not receive enough individual development in this first installment
What the Book Is and What It Contains
Significance and Place in Garber's Body of Work
Strengths: Atmosphere, Theme, and Plot Construction
Limitations: World-Building and Prose Consistency
Who This Book Is For
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources & Further Reading
The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.
- Cited in this review
- 1
us.macmillan.com
- 2
bookishwayfarer.com
- 3
- Further reading
- 4
Stephanie Garber, Wikipedia
- 5
kirkusreviews.com
- 6
quillsandpages.com
- 7
utopia-state-of-mind.com
- 8
- 9
thetypedwriter.com
- 10
thestorysanctuary.com
- 11
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