Once Upon a Broken Heart & Fantastically Flavored Water

Once Upon a Broken Heart
By: Stephanie Garber
Primary Genre: YA Fantasy Romance

Year Published: 2021
Number of Pages: 416

How far would you go for happily ever after?
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...

'Once Upon a Broken Heart' is the first book in the Once Upon a Broken Heart trilogy.  It is fast paced and utterly bingeable.  I loved the fantastical world building so much that it made me want to read Stephanie Garber's other series that is set in the same world, Caraval, just to hear more whimsical details.

I'm always a little leery when I discover a book with an interesting premise that also happens to be YA.  Sometimes the petulant behavior of the main character does not go over well with me, but I'm happy to say that I liked Evangeline.  She may make bad decisions from time to time, but she does so in a logical way in which she weighs the outcomes and hopes for the best.  I think it's her hope that redeems her in my eyes.

The same whimsical elements that I loved about 'Once Upon a Broken Heart' are what led me to choose the beverage pairing.

 

"She was about to attack another set of shelves when she noticed the desk in the corner—or, more specifically, the pop of color that came from the bottles of Fortuna’s Fantastically Flavored Water sitting on top of the desk. They came in four flavors—luck, curiosity, sunshine, and gratitude—and all were tied together with an elaborate purple bow that clashed with the rest of the room."

I repurposed Starbucks Frappuccino bottles that I've had forever and frequently find random uses for such as Fortuna's Fantastically Flavored Water!  Since this beverage is entirely fiction, there is no recipe for the water.  In fact, the description of the taste of the water is not at all appetizing - the blue bottle of curiosity tastes of cotton and safety pins, umm no thank you!  So, I suggest going with a variety of MiO Liquid Water Enhancers since they taste good and come in a variety of colors so you can mix up your own version of Curiosity, Luck, Sunshine, and Gratitude.

Once Upon a Broken Heart: ★★★★☆

The whimsical details of the setting in the fantasy world of Valenda and the Magnificent North absolutely made this book for me.  The descriptions of the oddities shops in Evangeline's hometown, the tiny dragons roasting apples, the ornate gowns, and the unique foods all created such amazing imagery.  I really felt like I was exploring a new world filled with magic and I just wanted more and more!

I was a little worried that the YA aspect would pull my focus and if I'm honest it's definitely your classic YA novel, but the main character's naivety fit nicely in with all the whimsy and she is so hopeful and kind that you can't help but like her.

It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger though so you're going to want to snap up the next novel, The Ballad of Never After, immediately.  You've been warned!!

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