56 pages • 1-hour read
Once Upon a Broken Heart
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Tools
Symbols & Motifs
Arches and Doors
Arches and doors appear in many places throughout Once Upon a Broken Heart, and many of them represent turning points for Evangeline. The first door she encounters is the one to Jacks’s church, which leads her to find Jacks and make a deal with him, jumpstarting the main plot and conflict of the novel. The arch guarding the entry to the Magnificent North leads Evangeline to a place where her life will be forever changed, and the many doors at Nocte Neverending also represent how one step from one location to another can take us places we never expected. Evangeline opens several doors with her blood, some she’s aware of in the moment and others not. The details are not provided by the end of the book, but Evangeline is a key of some kind for all doors and arches, not just the Valory Arch.
Arches and doors also symbolize ways to keep things hidden or trapped. The arch leading into the North is rumored to be the vanguard against magic escaping to the rest of the world. It may be that the North wants magic for itself or that the North deems itself magic’s protector. Additionally, it may be that unleashing the magic would have irrevocable changes, much like how releasing the Fates from their cards changed things in Caraval. The Valory Arch is believed to be a doorway to either a prison or type of storage locker. The prophecy was made as a type of lock, and it may be that Evangeline is a key for all doors because she was prophesied as a key to one of the most powerful arches known. Similarly, the door in Chapter 54 is likely the door in the palace library behind which information about the former royals of the North is kept. The door coming alive for the first time in a long time suggests that it can sense Evangeline’s presence. This door may also be the Valory Arch disguised, and it could awaken because it senses the prophecy is complete.
Magic and Spells
In the southern country where Evangeline begins the book, magic is mainly a myth, but in the Magnificent North, magic is real and an accepted part of daily life. Small dragons are kept as pets, and prominent families create magical items, such as the enchanted flavored waters Evangeline drinks in Chapter 46. Magic is also in the very land itself, as shown by the phoenix tree, and it is incorporated into traditions such as Nocte Neverending and weddings. The ice castle where the wedding party takes place is created to last only one night and was likely made using magic.
The characters of Once Upon a Broken Heart use magic and spells to achieve their goals. As a Fate, Jacks has power over peoples’ emotions. He manipulates Apollo and others for his purposes, but his power has limits, which seems to be that he can’t control more than three people at a time. Jacks seems unable to control Evangeline, and it’s never made clear if he can manipulate Marisol. He likely can’t control Evangeline because of the magic she holds, and his lack of control over Marisol may hint at secrets to be revealed about Marisol in the sequel. Spells come in different varieties (love, truth, luck, etc.) and may be administered in different ways. Evangeline brews a truth potion, which seems to be more powerful than the touch-activated love spell Marisol used on Tiberius (the same one she used on Luc). It is never specified if one method of casting a spell is more potent than another.
Gossip Sheets
These two publications are the gossip sheets of the North and the southern country, respectively. Both twist events to get the maximum impact from readers with little regard to the truth. The Whisper Gazette covers Evangeline’s supposedly heroic return from stone, setting her up as a hero despite the truth of what she did. They also paint Marisol as the poor cursed bride, and both situations show how the truth doesn’t matter as much as what people are willing to believe. In Chapter 7, Evangeline tells the line of suitors at her house that she’s cursed to turn anyone she kisses to stone. This is a lie, but it makes for a good story, so the Whisper Gazette’s author doesn’t bother to confirm or deny it before publishing a story that gets the attention of readers.
The Daily Rumor frequently prints articles with information the author shouldn’t know. After seeing Evangeline claim she’s cursed and then how the article in the Whisper Gazette got her what she wanted (suitors leaving her alone), it may be that Marisol used similar tactics with the Daily Rumor. When the Daily Rumor reports on Marisol as the cursed bride, Marisol is distraught, but it isn’t long until Evangeline intervenes to undue the rumor. Marisol proves herself to be crafty and manipulative by the end of the book, and it isn’t a stretch to assume she would use whatever tools are at her disposal, including gossip sheets. By feeding the Daily Rumor stories and then pretending to be affected by those stories, Marisol convincingly plays the part of victim, which allows her to get away with tricking Evangeline until the end. If Marisol is, in fact, responsible for the Daily Rumor stories about herself, she shows how truth can be used to lie to someone. The cursed bride story is true, but Marisol uses it to lie to Evangeline about what she’s done.
Unlock the meaning behind every key symbol & motif
See how recurring imagery, objects, and ideas shape the narrative.
- Explore how the author builds meaning through symbolism
- Understand what symbols & motifs represent in the text
- Connect recurring ideas to themes, characters, and events