“A Curse for True Love” brings a bittersweet ending
Kai Mekari/Prowler
Since that fateful day of Aug. 23, I have often found myself overwhelmed with enormous loads of homework, tennis practices and volunteer hours and have been desperately in need of a break. Luckily, I have found this sweet release in the one hour every night when I make myself put down the flashcards and pick up a fun, non-academic book. This has proven a work of wonders, and the most recent escape from reality that I have immersed myself in is Stephanie Garber’s, “A Curse for True Love”.
“A Curse for True Love,” published Oct. 24, is the final installment of Garber’s bestselling trilogy, “Once Upon a Broken Heart,” which follows the heroine Evangeline Fox, who has always been a kind and hopeful girl, until she discovers that the love of her life has become engaged to another. Desperate to stop the wedding, Evangeline prays to the wicked Prince of Hearts, blissfully unaware of the hundreds of curses and tricks that he will force her to endure as a source of payment.
This book is the perfect conclusion to a fantastic trilogy. Garber has done an excellent job including all of the elements that compose a great story, including loveable and relatable characters, a fast-paced writing style and an intriguing plot that keeps you hooked until the Acknowledgements page.
One of my biggest fears whenever I pick up a sequel, is that the new novel will not live up to the name of its predecessor. I acknowledge that it is very difficult to come up with an idea worthy of being published in the first place, but then to have to expand upon this story without it ever getting boring or repetitive seems a challenge. However, Garber has done this so flawlessly, that I even found myself enjoying “A Curse for True Love” more than “Once Upon a Broken Heart”.
Another concern that always lurks in the back of my mind when reading a series is the fear that the final book will not give the characters I have learned to love an ending that I deem, “good enough” I become almost protective over the story and am left with a sour taste in my mouth if the ending is too abrupt or sloppy. However, I was extremely pleased with how Garber said goodbye to The Magnificent North and Evangeline Fox, and instead of being disappointed, I was left with that bittersweet feeling of something good gone too soon.
My one recommendation to anyone interested in picking up “A Curse for True Love” is to acknowledge that this trilogy is a spin-off of Stephanie Garber’s previous series, “Caravel,” which is also phenomenal, and highly recommended by me. While Garber herself has stated that it is not necessary to read “Caravel” as a prerequisite, I think that it makes the read more enjoyable, as one does not need to spend as much time piecing together the aspects of Garber’s fantasy world, and can instead enjoy Garber’s fantastic story and characters.
I loved “A Curse for True Love”. It is an epic conclusion to Garber’s hit series, and successfully allowed me to evade the stresses of my own life by getting lost in yet another amazing world of magic, love and fairytales. Though I am devastated that this trilogy has come to an end, I can not wait to see what Stephanie Garber is planning next.
