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booksandstardust's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Blood, Gaslighting, and Violence
Moderate: Dementia, Kidnapping, and Fire/Fire injury
melina_30's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Great series overall! I really enjoyed reading/listening to all three books but for this last one there are a few things I didn't like as much.
There are so many loose ends and unanswered questions at the end of the book that it surprised me how fast the story ended.
I also found the many Apollo POVs a bit annoying especially when there were only about 3 Jacks POVs... Some of them didn't add much to the story and could have easily been told from Evangelines POV. It felt like Jacks wasn't really part of the story anymore...
The first two books felt like we were building up to something big and I was anticipating how Garber would resolve the problem about Jacks kiss being lethal.I really loved the idea of Aurora cursing him to only be able to kiss someone that would never love him and that this kind of person would be the only one being able to survive his kiss. That gave the whole Donatella/Jacks situation a great twist! But with how it was resolved in the end just felt like Garber didn't have any great ideas of how the curse might be broken and just went with that whole "true love of my life" conviction on Evangelines part because anything else would have been too complicated to come up with.
Moreover, it was a bit disappointing how it seemed like the valors were nothing special (?). There was so much build up to how miraculous this family was and in this book they just seemed like your average people that just wanted to love a normal life ? I would have loved to see more of them and their powers!
Also why did it seem like Chaos was a tame pet rather that a murderous vampire? I was almost scared of him im the last book so why did he seem so harmless in this one?(Except for the one instance where he murdered this whole family in their home... but we were just told it was him and only read about the aftermath so it didnt really seem like a threat or that it had any consequences other than Apollo wanting to frame Jacks with it...)
Overall I loved the series and this third book was a fast and easy read. I was really immersed in the story and I loved the little details like the dragons, the trees, the concept of the hunt and the forest, the story curse giving everything a twist (although it seemed to have a stronger impact in the earlier books) and the idea of having two kinds of hearts.(Was it ever resolved if Jacks put his heart back in place? Didn't he just drop it after the kiss or when the tree caught fire and it was never mentioned what happened to it afterwards? Or did I miss that detail?
There are so many loose ends and unanswered questions at the end of the book that it surprised me how fast the story ended.
I also found the many Apollo POVs a bit annoying especially when there were only about 3 Jacks POVs... Some of them didn't add much to the story and could have easily been told from Evangelines POV. It felt like Jacks wasn't really part of the story anymore...
The first two books felt like we were building up to something big and I was anticipating how Garber would resolve the problem about Jacks kiss being lethal.
Moreover, it was a bit disappointing how it seemed like the valors were nothing special (?). There was so much build up to how miraculous this family was and in this book they just seemed like your average people that just wanted to love a normal life ? I would have loved to see more of them and their powers!
Also why did it seem like Chaos was a tame pet rather that a murderous vampire? I was almost scared of him im the last book so why did he seem so harmless in this one?
Overall I loved the series and this third book was a fast and easy read. I was really immersed in the story and I loved the little details like the dragons, the trees, the concept of the hunt and the forest, the story curse giving everything a twist (although it seemed to have a stronger impact in the earlier books) and the idea of having two kinds of hearts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Toxic friendship and Gaslighting
taylorjayne's review
0.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Stalking, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Child death, Kidnapping, Murder, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Confinement
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Mental illness, Stalking, Body horror, Child death, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Blood, Confinement, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
katvou's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Violence, and Gaslighting
Minor: Kidnapping, Child death, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, and Toxic friendship
kris386's review
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Murder, Violence, and Self harm
Moderate: Confinement, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, and Vomit
lovelymisanthrope's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
As with the two books before, I was so excited to pick up this story. I went out on publication day to purchase a copy. I then proceeded to devour the entire book that day.
"A Curse for True Love" is the third and final book in the "Once Upon a Broken Heart" trilogy. The book kicks off with Evangeline Fox in the Magnificent North seemingly living her happily ever after. She is married to a gorgeous prince, Prince Apollo, she gets to reside in a beautiful castle, and she feels like she is inside a fairytale of her own. Unfortunately, she has no memories of the past few years, and she has no idea how she ended up married to a prince. Has she merely forgotten her happily ever after, or is she trapped in a much darker story?
I DEVOURED this book. Once I started, I could not put it down. I experienced a full spectrum of emotions while I read this, and I am VERY happy to say that I am very pleased with the ending of this book, and the series as a whole.
I really appreciated that in this book we got to read from the points of view of Evangeline, Apollo, and Jacks. I really enjoy reading different points of view on principle because I think it allows the reader to experience a better picture of the story, but I think this writing choice was especially important in this book. Jacks and Apollo are both villains in their own way. Jacks got his redemption in "The Ballad of Never After" and I ended up really falling for and empathizing with him. Apollo on the other hand I loathed because his villainous actions occurred right at the end of "The Ballad of Never After". Having his perspective in "A Curse for True Love" humanized him a little. I still do not agree with his actions and I think he is entirely out of line for taking Evangeline's memories, but I began to understand him better by the end of this book.
I was 100% team Jacks prior to this book (and still am since finishing this book). Jacks is such a misunderstood guy, and Evangeline I think is the perfect partner for him. Evangeline accepts him for who he is, brings out the good inside of him, and she trusts that her true love is enough to save him. I fell in love with Jacks even more in this book because from the moment his character is introduced, it is entirely evident that he is committed to doing what is best for Evangeline, even if that means he will not get to be in her life. My only complaint is that we did not get more of Jacks earlier in the story.
Apollo is the epitome of a fuckboy and he embodies what it means to be a villain.
The Magnificent North is such a beautifully vibrant setting, and I loved getting to read and explore more of the land. Stephanie Garber has a wonderful talent for writing magical settings that are rooted in just enough reality that they might just be real.
I truly adored the ending of this book, and the lesson about what true love really is. Love is not selfish, and you can only enjoy your happily ever after once you put your true love first.
I cannot wait to reread this series again, and I cannot wait to see what Stephanie Garber writes next.
"A Curse for True Love" is the third and final book in the "Once Upon a Broken Heart" trilogy. The book kicks off with Evangeline Fox in the Magnificent North seemingly living her happily ever after. She is married to a gorgeous prince, Prince Apollo, she gets to reside in a beautiful castle, and she feels like she is inside a fairytale of her own. Unfortunately, she has no memories of the past few years, and she has no idea how she ended up married to a prince. Has she merely forgotten her happily ever after, or is she trapped in a much darker story?
I DEVOURED this book. Once I started, I could not put it down. I experienced a full spectrum of emotions while I read this, and I am VERY happy to say that I am very pleased with the ending of this book, and the series as a whole.
I really appreciated that in this book we got to read from the points of view of Evangeline, Apollo, and Jacks. I really enjoy reading different points of view on principle because I think it allows the reader to experience a better picture of the story, but I think this writing choice was especially important in this book. Jacks and Apollo are both villains in their own way. Jacks got his redemption in "The Ballad of Never After" and I ended up really falling for and empathizing with him. Apollo on the other hand I loathed because his villainous actions occurred right at the end of "The Ballad of Never After". Having his perspective in "A Curse for True Love" humanized him a little. I still do not agree with his actions and I think he is entirely out of line for taking Evangeline's memories, but I began to understand him better by the end of this book.
I was 100% team Jacks prior to this book (and still am since finishing this book). Jacks is such a misunderstood guy, and Evangeline I think is the perfect partner for him. Evangeline accepts him for who he is, brings out the good inside of him, and she trusts that her true love is enough to save him. I fell in love with Jacks even more in this book because from the moment his character is introduced, it is entirely evident that he is committed to doing what is best for Evangeline, even if that means he will not get to be in her life. My only complaint is that we did not get more of Jacks earlier in the story.
Apollo is the epitome of a fuckboy and he embodies what it means to be a villain.
The Magnificent North is such a beautifully vibrant setting, and I loved getting to read and explore more of the land. Stephanie Garber has a wonderful talent for writing magical settings that are rooted in just enough reality that they might just be real.
I truly adored the ending of this book, and the lesson about what true love really is. Love is not selfish, and you can only enjoy your happily ever after once you put your true love first.
I cannot wait to reread this series again, and I cannot wait to see what Stephanie Garber writes next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Blood, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Death
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