A CURSE FOR TRUE LOVE By Stephanie Garber

October 27, 2023 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A CURSE FOR TRUE LOVE By Stephanie GarberA Curse for True Love by Stephanie Garber
Series: Once Upon a Broken Heart #3
Published by Flatiron Books on 10/24/23
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 390
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Evangeline Fox ventured to the Magnificent North in search of her happy ending, and it seems as if she has it. She’s married to a handsome prince and lives in a legendary castle. But Evangeline has no idea of the devastating price she’s paid for this fairytale. She doesn’t know what she has lost, and her husband is determined to make sure she never finds out. . . . but first he must kill Jacks, the Prince of Hearts.

Short and Sweet Review

A Curse for True Love picks up right where The Ballad of Never After left off. Evangeline is awake again and so is Apollo but Evangeline doesn’t have any of her memories, and who knows where Jacks is. Apollo is acting like a dotting husband and comes across as wanting to keep Evangeline safe and while doing so he’s made Jacks public enemy number one.

Evangeline is out main character but in this book we also get the POVs of Apollo and Jacks. Evangeline doesn’t remember a thing but she does know that Apollo’s behavior isn’t right, he’s too overprotective and tries to keep her locked up. When we see what’s going on in Apollo’s view we learn he’s an awful person and the only person he truly cares about is himself. Jacks on the other hand is trying to help Evangeline get away from Apollo and also help her get her memories back. I feel like this book was different from the others because we’re not going all around the magnificent north, Evangeline is confined in the castle for a while. I loved seeing Evangeline eventually remember and realizing that Jacks is her true love and the story is turned around from her needing to be saved to her saving Jacks. The romance between Jacks and Evangeline is great because it’s like forbidden love but both of them know they belong together. I will say that seeing Lala again was great and she is an amazing friend to both Jacks and Evangeline. Apollo on the other hand gets what he deserves and he’s just a cruel and twisted individual, he reminds me of Gaston. I do think this book was a lot shorter than I expected it to be, but I’m glad things were resolved and the pacing was great.

Overall, I’m sad that this trilogy was over, but everything that happens from book one-three will leave you wanting more. I loved the characters and the plot of each book and Garber did an amazing job at writing books that feel magical and will leave you wishing you were apart of this world.

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THE BALLAD OF NEVER AFTER By Stephanie Garber

September 20, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

THE BALLAD OF NEVER AFTER By Stephanie GarberThe Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber
Series: Once Upon a Broken Heart #2
Published by Flatiron Books on 9/13/22
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 405
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

Not every love is meant to be.

After Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, betrays her, Evangeline Fox swears she'll never trust him again. Now that she’s discovered her own magic, Evangeline believes she can use it to restore the chance at happily ever after that Jacks stole away.

But when a new terrifying curse is revealed, Evangeline finds herself entering into a tenuous partnership with the Prince of Hearts again. Only this time, the rules have changed. Jacks isn’t the only force Evangeline needs to be wary of. In fact, he might be the only one she can trust, despite her desire to despise him.

Instead of a love spell wreaking havoc on Evangeline’s life, a murderous spell has been cast. To break it, Evangeline and Jacks will have to do battle with old friends, new foes, and a magic that plays with heads and hearts. Evangeline has always trusted her heart, but this time she’s not sure she can. . . .

Short and Sweet Review

After being betrayed by Jacks, Evangeline swears to herself that she won’t trust him again. But after Apollo and Evangeline are cursed, Evangeline has no choice but to turn to Jacks for help. Jacks wants Evangeline to open the Valory Arch but Evangeline isn’t sure she wants to, but if she wants his help she’s going to have to play by his rules.

I loved being back in the Magnificent North. It seemed like things might be on the up and up for Evangeline and then boom her and Apollo are cursed and he’s hunting her. Evangeline tries to find a way to break the curse herself and find answers from other fates but it always leads her back to Jacks. Jacks and Evangeline have to find four stones that will open up the arch so its like a great adventure, also Evangeline has to avoid running into Apollo at all cost. We learn some more about Jacks and his past and it was really interesting because his past intertwines with some big families. There’s also a new Prince that will take the throne who Evangeline knows more than she wants to. We also have a lot of correspondence with Chaos and Lala and we find out their reasons for wanting the arch open.

I loved Jacks his wit and comments are unmatched. I didn’t love Evangeline though she felt self-righteous and that her way was always the best way. She gets herself into a lot of sticky situations with the way she wants to handle things. I think she’s stubborn and just wants to do the opposite of what Jacks suggests they do. There is attraction between them but they try to fight it off so much it becomes a little off putting like maybe they should just be with other people. Also who is Apollo!?

Anyway I love this series and I’m so excited to see what will happen in the next book especially because this book left off on a cliffhanger.

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ONCE UPON A BROKEN HEART By Stephanie Garber

April 23, 2022 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

ONCE UPON A BROKEN HEART By Stephanie GarberOnce Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber
Series: Once Upon a Broken Heart #1
Published by Flatiron Books on 9/28/21
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 408
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

For as long as she can remember, Evangeline Fox has believed in true love and happy endings…until she learns that the love of her life will marry another.

Desperate to stop the wedding and to heal her wounded heart, Evangeline strikes a deal with the charismatic, but wicked, Prince of Hearts. In exchange for his help, he asks for three kisses, to be given at the time and place of his choosing.

But after Evangeline’s first promised kiss, she learns that bargaining with an immortal is a dangerous game — and that the Prince of Hearts wants far more from her than she’d pledged. He has plans for Evangeline, plans that will either end in the greatest happily ever after, or the most exquisite tragedy...

Short and Sweet Review

Evangeline Fox has always believed in love and happy endings, unfortunately for her the boy she loves is marrying her step sister. Evangeline decides she’s going to make a deal with a fate: the prince of hearts. Evangeline wants the wedding off and the boy she loves back and the prince of heart asks for three kisses at the time and place of his choosing. Evangeline says yes but she’s in for more than what she originally thought.

I loved being back in this world. It was nice seeing characters from the Caraval trilogy and I liked following our new main character, Evangeline. After Evangeline makes a deal with Jacks she starts to regret it especially when other peoples lives start to become affected. Evangeline brings her step sister Marisol with her, but Marisol isn’t as helpless as she seems. We follow Evangeline in what seems like a soap opera mixed with a fairy tale, she has to deal with weddings, and curses. I liked seeing Evangeline and Jacks work together, and seeing more of who Jacks is. The world is magical and just sucks you in. There’s a lot of things going on but not in a bad way. I’m excited to see what will happen next!

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FINALE By Stephanie Garber

August 5, 2019 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

FINALE By Stephanie GarberFinale by Stephanie Garber
Series: Caraval #3
Published by Flatiron Books on 5/7/19
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Young Adult
Pages: 416
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

A love worth fighting for. A dream worth dying for. An ending worth waiting for.

It’s been two months since the Fates were freed from a deck of cards, two months since Legend claimed the throne for his own, and two months since Tella discovered the boy she fell in love with doesn’t really exist.

With lives, empires, and hearts hanging in the balance, Tella must decide if she’s going to trust Legend or a former enemy. After uncovering a secret that upends her life, Scarlett will need to do the impossible. And Legend has a choice to make that will forever change and define him.

Caraval is over, but perhaps the greatest game of all has begun. There are no spectators this time: only those who will win, and those who will lose everything.

Welcome, welcome to Finale. All games must come to an end.


Short and Sweet

Two months ago the fates were freed from the deck and Legend took the throne. Well now one of the fates wants the throne for themselves and Tella, Legend, Scarlett, and Julian have to work together to stop the fates and save the lives of people living in the empire.

Characters

Tella: After witnessing an event between a fate and someone she loves, Tella makes it her mission to stop the fates before they cause anymore destruction. I liked Tella’s storyline she had to figure out if she could trust Legend even though he’s kept secrets from her or if she should trust Jacks someone she knows is an enemy.

Legend (Dante): Legend has claimed the throne and at first it may have been smooth sailing but all of that changes when one of the fates decide they want the throne for themselves. I worried for Legend a lot in this book he may be immortal but those fates were after him and the throne.

Scarlett: Scarlett learns that she is part fate which changes everything she knows. Now that she knows that she is part fate she has to embrace her powers to stop the other fates. I liked Scarlett she took a lot of risks and she did for those she loved and she’s still kind and always looks for the best in people.

Julian: Julian returns after being away for 5 weeks and his main goal is to win Scarlett’s heart. I loved Julian he was always trying to make sure that Scarlett was okay and he also looked out for Tella and tried to make sure that Legend didn’t hurt her.

Romance

Tella and Legend: Legend is an immortal and one of his weaknesses is falling in love, so even though Tella loves him he won’t return the feelings. I really liked them together, Legend didn’t want to become a mortal so he offered to make Tella an immortal but she didn’t want to lose the ability to love, so these two were at a standstill. I did like their interactions and you can tell that they truly cared for each other and wanted to make things work.

Tella and Jacks: In the last book Tella makes Jack’s heart beat which means that she’s his one true love. Tella doesn’t want to be in love with Jacks and tries to avoid it at all cost, but even though a fate can’t love because it’s their weakness they do end up becoming obsessed with that one person, so Jacks is obsessed with Tella.

Scarlett and Julian: I love these two I really do! Scarlett is torn at the beginning of the book because she hasn’t seen Julian in 5 weeks and she wants to give Nicolas a chance. After realizing that Julian is the one that she wants, Scarlett and Julian try to make it work they start to be more honest with each other and were worried about each others wellbeing whenever they were apart.

My Thoughts

~ Gavriel aka the Fallen Star is the first fate and he made the other fates, and now that he’s awake he thinks it’s time to take the throne for himself.

~ So in the last book Tella rescued Paloma and Paloma woke up when the fates did. I would have liked to know more about Paloma but her presence was pretty short.

~ I liked that the characters had to find different items from the fated places that would help them stop the Gavriel.

~ Even though some fates are helping Gavriel the other fates don’t want to be associated with him and are willing to help the group stop him.

~ Scarlett finds out that she’s Gavriel’s daughter and what he wants is for her to come into her power, and she realizes that doing what he wants will be the only way to stop him.

~ In this book we have Scarlett and Tella’s POV and I liked them both but I enjoyed reading from Tella’s more.

~ Seeing Tella and Legend work together and try to put their feelings for each other aside was my favorite thing, mainly because it made them both realize that they wanted to be with each other.

~ Julian and Scarlett were together for most of the time, until Scarlett is taken by Gavriel, but she does use a magical key to try to see him and he does try to rescue her.

~ Seeing the other fates try to help the group was great it was nice seeing that they don’t agree with Gavriel just because he made them. The fates also knew that if Gavriel was killed they wouldn’t be immortal anymore they would just become ageless.

~ I thought the ending was great and well done and it made me happy, everything was wrapped up and I loved it!

Overall

I love this series so much its one of my favorites! This was a great ending to the series and it was just perfect. I loved seeing all of the characters interact and work together for a common goal. This series is one that is unforgettable and I plan on revisiting it again soon. If you haven’t read Caraval do it, and then continue with the rest of the trilogy!

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LEGENDARY By Stephanie Garber

May 14, 2018 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

LEGENDARY By Stephanie GarberLegendary by Stephanie Garber
Series: Caraval #2
Published by Flatiron Books on 5/29/18
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Young Adult
Pages: 464
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

A heart to protect. A debt to repay. A game to win.

After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister Scarlett from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name.

The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more―and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets…including her sister's. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice. But now the game is asking for more. If Tella can’t fulfill her bargain and deliver Legend’s name, she’ll lose everything she cares about―maybe even her life. But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval...the games have only just begun.


Short and Sweet

It’s time for another game of Caraval and this time it’s Donatella Dragna playing. After making a deal with a criminal for the whereabouts of her mother who disappeared years ago Tella must now win the game and learn Legends name to fulfill her end of the deal with the unknown criminal she’s been corresponding with.

Characters

Tella: Our main character and the focus of this book. I loved getting to know more about Tella in this book especially, because in Caraval we only read about how Scarlett thought of her. Tella is determined, fearless, and still impulsive. She’ll do what she thinks is right to get what she wants. Her heart is in the right place and we get flashbacks to her childhood before her mother leaves so we get to see why she’s so important. What I loved the most about Tella was how intelligent she was and how she was bold enough not to back down from a challenge.

Scarlett: Tella’s older sister. Scarlett takes more of a backseat role in this book, we still see her in some scenes but she’s not even playing Caraval this time. Scarlett is still protective over tella and is wary of most of the decisions her younger sister makes.

Jacks: Jacks is the Heir of Elantine, and also a fate. Jacks is cruel and makes rude comments and he frankly doesn’t care that he comes across as cold blooded. Jacks is next in line for the throne and he also has some other priorities on his mind.

Dante: Dante is one of Legends actors and though theres not much known about his past I loved his character. He’s so mysterious and theres just something about the way he’s written that’ll draw you to him and make you want more of him in every scene.

Romance

Tella and Jacks: This relationship was one of the relationships that are faked. Jacks needed a fiancé and needed Tella to be convincing about it, and Tella and Dante lied about Tella being the Heir of Elantines fiancé so that she could get a room to stay in. I mentioned earlier that Jacks was cold that definitely didn’t change when he was around Tella she probably got the worst of it. Jacks just wants to get to the throne and Tella is the pawn he’s going to use to get there.

Tella and Dante: Ahh I love these two. It was hard to read about these two not because they weren’t good for each other but because they were perfect for each other in my eyes and Tella would keep pushing Dante away. I will give Dante credit for not giving up he was persistent and what I loved most was how he tried to protect Tella the whole time.

Scarlett and Julian: Our couple from the last book. We don’t see much of them but when we do they’re either happy or not so much. I liked this couple too, and I think they can make it work if they try.

Quotes

~ “Tella would destroy the world before she allowed anything to happen to her sister.”

~ “Unfortunately Tella wasn’t the sort of girl people saved – she was the one they left behind.”

My Thoughts

~ Caraval this time around is different because its not just a game where you’ll be swept away, some aspects of it are very real.

~ There’s so much going on in this book and its so exciting to read about. We learn what happened to Scarlett and Tella’s mother, we learn about the fates, we meet Elantines heir, and the winner of Caraval gets to meet Legend.

~ Caraval takes place in Valenda this time and I love the setting and all of the places that Tella visits the writing makes it seem amazing and like you could bee there with the characters.

~ I liked that Tella had to make a choice between winning Caraval to help Legend or to help set the fates free, it was interesting to weigh the options and see the pros and cons of both.

~ It was interesting to see some of the fates the prince of hearts who has a killer kiss and the undead queen and her handmaidens. The fates were all trapped in playing cards and some of them are free but they’re not to their full power.

~ When we learn about Tella’s mother we see that she has a history in Valenda and that she wasn’t what she seemed back when she was with the girls on Trisda.

Overall

Legendary was just as magical as Caraval if not better! I loved getting to read from Tella’s point of view and seeing how much she would sacrifice during this game. She’s definitely a strong character and willing to do what she has to for those she loves. All of the risks and characters in this book are what make it great. I’m so glad that I got the chance to read this book and I can’t wait until the third book comes out! If you haven’t read Caraval its one book I recommend reading and its perfect for the summer!!!

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CARAVAL By Stephanie Garber

July 7, 2017 by Leave a Comment

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

CARAVAL By Stephanie GarberCaraval by Stephanie Garber
Series: Caraval #1
Published by Flatiron Books on 1/31/17
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 416
Format: Hardcover
Source: Reviewer Purchase
Buy on Amazon

ReviewedbyDani

Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the far-away, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . beware of getting swept too far away.


Short and Sweet

After years of writing the Caraval master, Scarlett finally gets a reply and three tickets. All Scarlett has ever wanted is to take her sister to see the magic of Caraval in person. The only problem is the two sisters don’t have a way to get to where Caraval is until a strange sailor offers to take them. Things seem to go great until Donatella is taken and becomes a prize for who finds her first, now it’s up to Scarlett to play the game and be the first one to find her sister.

Characters

Scarlett: Scarlett is caring and her main goal in this book is to find her sister. Scarlett is like a mother to Donatella and is very protective of her. I did find her to be a little annoying at times mainly because she wouldn’t accept any help and thought she was capable of doing things on her own.

Donatella: Scarlett’s younger carefree sister. All Donatella wants is to leave Trisda and get away from their father. Donatella is very impulsive and will do what she thinks she has to just to get her way.

Julian: The sailor who comes to Trisda and offers to take the sisters to Caraval. Julian was a hard character to figure out her definitely had secrets he was hiding. I didn’t know exactly what he wanted he’s just a hard character to place. What is he doing? Why did he want to go to caraval? Is he actually trying to help Scarlett or not?

Romance

Scarlett and The Count: Scarlett is engaged to be married to a man she has never met, but they do write each other letters. We don’t learn much about the count mainly because Scarlett has very little information about him, but Scarlett did believe that he would be able to provide a better life for her and Donatella.

Scarlett and Julian: I wasn’t sure about these two at first but as the book progressed I was rooting for them. Scarlett found Julian hard to read and first and wanted to know exactly why he wanted to come to Caraval with her. But the more time they spend together the more they come to care for each and I loved it.

My Thoughts

~  The world in this book is so amazing and magical, nothing is as it seems and that’s exactly what Scarlett has to keep in mind while she plays the game. Scarlett gets swept into this world and has to differentiate whats real and what’s make believe.

~ Scarlett becomes more apart of the game than she ever thought she would. Her sister was taken and now she has five clues to figure out before any of the other participants of caraval.

~ Scarlett made some pretty big leaps of faith when she thought she knew what the clues meant and and some points I didn’t know how she put two and two together.

~ Every character that works at caraval was very interesting and they were all so different that they brought something to the magic of the book and making the world more realistic.

~ There’s a lot of secrets about caraval and past players and games and it was interesting to learn about.

~ The master legend was also a mystery mainly because we don’t meet him but we do but we don’t it’s crazy and kind of hard to follow.

~ The ending was great and it just makes me want the second book now, I want to know what else could happen that hasn’t already.

Overall

I enjoyed this book so much! There were so many twists and the world was so amazing it just kept me invested in the plot! It was a light and fun read and it’d be a great read for the summer. I feel like this is a book I can read over and over again! I can’t wait until the second book is released.

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