By Jacqueline Ayala, Social Media Editor
WARNING: This article contains spoilers for the “Once Upon a Broken Heart” series by Stephanie Garber. Please read with caution.
The Magnificent North’s story isn’t over yet! Bestselling author Stephanie Garber is continuing her “Once Upon a Broken Heart” series with a new book set to release just next week on September 22, 2026!
I read Garber’s “Caraval” series, another trilogy set in the same world as “Once Upon a Broken Heart”, at the age of 15 and fell in love with the universe these characters were set in. Reading the two series in chronological order was the best choice, in my opinion, as I got to read the series knowing the little details from “Caraval”. Garber’s young adult series is easy to get swept into, no matter the age of the reader. While I was the target demographic when I read “Caraval”, I was past it when reading “Once Upon a Broken Heart”. Safe to say, I still loved the world and seeing the familiar characters whom I grew to love (and hate at times) in another story.
Enemies to lovers, forced partnership – it’s our cliché tropes that we all admittedly love. But this isn’t just a romance. It’s a story of Evangeline finding herself and making herself a hero, while being hopeful of a happily ever after no matter what. She’s positive, she’s brave, and also incredibly witty. She has become one of my favorite fantasy protagonists.
Need a little recap before September 22? No worries! “Once Upon a Broken Heart” is about Evangeline Fox, a girl who dreams of happy endings and fairytales. But after a heartbreak, she seeks out a deal with the mythic Prince of Hearts, a deal whose repercussions she doesn’t fully understand. And Jacks, our charismatic Fate, has a plan for Evangeline, and he’s willing to do whatever means necessary. And now that it’s all over, Evangeline deserves some peace. After her vampire-turned ex, her cursed husband, and also an unrequited love for someone she really shouldn’t be falling for, it’s been an interesting time visiting the Magnificent North. Her deal with Jacks was finally over, and it was a journey of discovering her true love.
“A Mirror of Infinite Endings” is the happily ever after of Evangeline and Jacks. Though, as we all know in these romantasy stories, nothing is as it seems. While the characters’ lives in The Hollow are seemingly perfect, recurring characters (according to Garber) will appear in this breathtaking love story. Everything is perfect … right? Well, that’s the problem with the Magnificent North: their stories are never quite clear when it comes to the end.
The full plot is not revealed, but all we know is that a secret is going to wedge itself between our pink-haired princess and her Prince of Hearts. After all, the past always comes creeping up, right? It’s what got the two of them involved to begin with and how they fell in love.
Garber puts the iconic details of the Northern stories told as curses to change every single time, keeping the original story hidden and locked away. This calls for some clever ways to promote this novella, including publishing alternate endings at the end of the novel for the different variations sold!
Just like the “Caraval” novella, “Spectacular”, “The Mirror of Infinite Endings” will feature illustrations and art by freelance Instagram artist LotusBubble, and it’s safe to say I think these drawings will not disappoint! It’ll be a fun, light-hearted story perfect for getting that boost of serotonin from seeing our favorite characters. Right now, the book is available for preorder, but it won’t be long before we’ll be able to get our hands on the story! Who knows? Maybe I’ll be back to talk about my thoughts on the book. There’s still plenty more to say!
