reread: changing this to 5 stars because the way these two have me wrapped around their fingers is insane Enchanting and mysterious’ Renée Ahdieh, New York Times bestselling author of The Wrath and the Dawn I'll never understand humans....All of you seem to welcome our lies, but you never like it when we tell the truth.” Forgotten the title or the author of a book? Our BookSleuth is specially designed for you. Visit BookSleuth

People called it falling out of love, but falling was easy. She’d clawed her way out, fighting to shake it off, to let it go, to find something else to hold on to.”Unto the characters because my peace of mind has been on edge lately and I have to exorcise them from my memory. All but one, of course. I liked the Bell. The plot of this story, moved at the pace of me trying to go to the bathroom in a socially awkward situation. It jumped, hurdled, didn't miss anything, flew, outright told me to clear my schedule BECAUSE I WAS FINISHING THE BOOK IN ONE SITTING and I absolutely followed its instructions. The world was so magical, the chapters arrested my attention and held it hostage for the majority of the book. I adored the premise of how grandiose everything was. I was smiling and giggling whenever the characters would go from mystery to mystery, trying to solve it all. The scent of candied apples and oh, so delicious vials of poison made me all the more interested in the book and my goodness, I didn't regret a thing (okay, maybe I did, but that's not the point). I was on the edge of my seat for everything occurring, swooning into a mount of pillows every five seconds, basically dying over all the new characters and AHHHH, it was beautiful. The fates weren’t dangerous because they were evil; the fates were dangerous because they couldn’t tell the difference between evil and good.” The plot was fast pacing, there was never a dull moment and I loved it. It reminded me of a Cinderella retelling in some moments and it was done superbly.

Evangeline, as a protagonist and narrator, frustrated me endlessly. She’s insanely naïve, always trusting people she shouldn’t and wanting to help Marisol (her stepsister) when it’s very obvious that a) her sister is shady and up to no good and b) she generally has no reason to. The two of them have next to no relationship, but because Evangeline is so Wonderful and Perfect and Special Because She Has Pink Hair, of course she has to want to help. She’s also a very passive character: things happen to her, not because of her. Now, I know what you’re probably thinking: “Characters are allowed to be naïve! It’s part of their growth!” or “Characters are allowed to be nice! They don’t all have to be sword-wielding assassins or (insert other character trope here)”. Trust me, I hear you, but there’s a difference between those characters and Evangeline Fox. It was mouthwatering, and honestly... boo, teach me how to write like that, because hot dang! I need some of that 'SPWICE'. Have you already forgotten the way heartbreak rips apart the soul piece by piece, how it turns you into a masochist, making you long for the thing that just eviscerated you until there’s nothing left of you to be destroyed?” this is a pretty successful start to a companion series and i am genuinely looking forward to how the story will play out! I'm totally in love, and I have I idea what to do with my life. HOW CAN I PRETEND MY HEART ISN'T BREAKING IN REAL TIME?Enchanting, intriguing, and delightfully whimsical’ Brigid Kemmerer, New York Times bestselling author of the Cursebreaker Series He gives her a bargain, he will stop the wedding if Evangeline kisses three people of his choosing. I felt loved, hated, tearful, frustrated, blessed, infatuated, obsessed, sad, angry and if I had all the time in the world (let's face it, even if I did, I would be all, THIS BOOK WAS IUGFCDXERFTGYHUIJKJNHBGVFCDXERTFGYHUJI. The sacred language of fangirling everywhere)I could explain all of those emotions one by one. Alas, I do not have enough time, nor the necessary brain cells to bestow upon my charcoal masked face the ability to express myself with something akin to intelligence. The book ends on a cliffhanger. It’s somewhat intriguing, but I certainly won’t be reading the sequel. If for whatever reason, after reading this review, you’re still inclined to read Once Upon a Broken Heart, you might want to hold off on doing so until the sequel is out, as this will leave you with too many loose plot threads and unanswered questions – more than any book should.