A Curse for True Love is the final part of the Once Upon a Broken Heart trilogy. The first book, Once Upon a Broken Heart, introduced us to the enchanting world of Evangeline Fox, followed by The Ballad of Never After, which deepened the intrigue and romance.
Read complete reviews of the first two books in the series:
The Ballad of Never After (Once Upon a Broken Heart #2) by Stephanie Garber: A Review
Once Upon a Broken Heart #1 by Stephanie Garber: A Review
Now, in this last installment, Evangeline finds herself torn between a real-life fairytale prince and the enigmatic Jacks, despite remembering nothing about him.
If she always wanted her fairytale ending, why does her happily ever after seem incomplete? What has she forgotten that she might actually want?
The story unfolds through the perspectives of Evangeline, Apollo, and Jacks, offering deeper insight into their thoughts while maintaining a seamless narrative flow. I found the transition between chapters smooth, making the book an easy and light read. However, my compliments end there.
The biggest issue I had with this book was its pacing. I kept reading, eagerly waiting for something exciting to happen, but for about 60% of the book, it felt like the story was going in circles with no direction.
It was frustrating to follow a no-memory Evangeline as she “struggled” with her feelings. Some chapters near the end were exciting and had compelling plot points, but for the most part, I felt like not much happened.
Evangeline’s character, without her memories, didn’t exhibit the same agency I expected from our feisty protagonist.
Her “plans” were typical of a 17-year-old, with predictable outcomes. This lack of agency made the novel feel like we were being swept along by the plot rather than driven by Evangeline’s actions.
The romantic relationships also fell flat. With her memory loss, Evangeline’s relationships felt like they were starting from scratch. I had hoped for a continuation from where book two left off, but it felt like a frustrating reset.
The memories took forever to return, and by the time they did, there wasn’t much time left to build on anything.
We were thrown back to where The Balland of Never After ended, but it felt off because so much time had passed.
Interesting elements were introduced towards the end, revealing more about magical mechanisms and the Valor family.
However, these weren’t explored in depth, as most of the book was already over. The ramp-up from halfway through to the end was so steep it felt like there should have been another 200 pages.
The ending felt abrupt, with all problems resolved quickly, leaving me wanting more explanation and depth.
The ending wasn’t entirely unsatisfying, but the execution left much to be desired. It read like a fairytale ending, with the climax and denouement coming all at once, followed by a “happily ever after.”
The buildup of mystery, intrigue, and suspense around Evangeline being the girl from the prophecy, the Valors, and the opening of the Arch left me craving more explanation than what was given.
Overall, the story was fine, and I got through it easily. However, I expected more from this fantastical world.
The magical elements were still enchanting, but I wanted more information about the Valors than what was provided.
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