“Every story has the potential for infinite endings”
Enter the dazzling world of the Magnificent North, a stunning fantasy series that is utterly impossible to put down. Stephanie Garber’s YA fantasy trilogy, Once Upon a Broken Heart, appeals to those who grew up speaking the language of fairy tales and long to return. The first novel, Once Upon a Broken Heart, starts when Evangeline Fox discovers a door that will only reveal itself to souls like herself who believe in wonder and magic. After discovering the man she believed to be her true love would be marrying her stepsister, Evangeline rushes to the veiled door and into the church of the Fated Prince of Hearts hoping to stop the wedding. But she soon discovers that the mythological beings of Valenda — The Fates — are not who she thought they were. They are cunning and manipulative, none more so than Jacks, the Prince of Hearts. In the heat of her emotions, she makes a rash bargain with Jacks only to quickly learn his plans to use their bargain for more than she agreed to. Soon enough she is whisked to a new enchanting world of bargains, legends, deceit and old magic in a tale that spans the trilogy.
Evangeline is a compelling and relatable character who dreams of happily ever after, true love and ancient fairytales. She strives to see the best in people, but her fault lies in her naivety and habit of making decisions on the heels of a broken heart. It is common in fantasy for the main character to undergo immeasurable horrors and emerge a fearless, powerful woman. Evangeline was a refreshing, relatable main character whose struggles involve her desire for true love, happiness and her own fairytale adventure. Evangeline was a character for us readers, simply after something more magical than what life has to offer us.
The books themselves were incredibly engaging and the world building was balanced very well with the plot in a way that felt natural and strayed from infodumping. This is a difficult balance to find, but Garber does so seamlessly. The places were fantastical and reminiscent of childhood fairytales with mini dragons, giant mushrooms and magic arches all of which were brought to life by Virginia Allyn’s whimsical maps. One world-building element I really enjoyed was the story curse that exists in the Magnificent North in which every time a story is told or read, it is altered in some way. Garber brought the story curse to life with her third book A Curse for True Love, which has three alternate endings depending on what version the reader purchases.
Each book is well-paced, with the first book mostly serving to set up the plot and characters, while the second book really takes off and is full of twists and tension. The second book, The Ballad of Never After, was by far my favorite book in the series, perhaps one of the best books I’ve ever read. The plot was elevated and the stakes rose, making it the fastest 400 pages with the most devastating cliffhanger of the century. The plot was complemented well with the chemistry between Jacks and Evangeline that progresses in the traditional enemies-to-lovers arc from distrust and hatred to banter and tension to friends and something more. However, this left some of the secondary characters underdeveloped and forgotten on the sidelines. All this being said, you will want to have the final book in your hands before braving the rollercoaster of The Ballad of Never After.
A Curse for True Love, the finale of the trilogy released in October of 2023, was a long time coming. Picking up right where the last book left off, Garber dives right into the heart of the plot. However, the story arc is slow in a way that feels as if it was done for the sake of the reader, not the characters or their journey. After the second book, it is clear to the reader what needs to happen, but it is not until halfway through the book that this occurs which is troubling as the book is the shortest of the three at 378 pages. If the plot had been accelerated, more could have happened and more plot holes could have been addressed. As it is, I was left with many unanswered questions and did not feel ready to let go of the characters. Overall, the series was an enchanting experience full of compelling characters, an addicting plot and a spellbinding world. In a way few authors can achieve, Stephanie Garber’s writing will capture your heart and make it so that part of you will forever live in the Magnificent North.
“Happy endings can be caught, but they are difficult to hold on to. They are dreams that want to escape the night. They are treasure with wings. They are wild, feral, reckless things that need to be constantly chased, or they will certainly run away.”
Ayla Kruse Lawson is a freshman in the College of Human Ecology. She can be reached at [email protected].