Book Review of Once Upon a Broken Heart with Bookstagrammer Melissa

In this book podcast episode, I sit down with a passionate bookstagrammer @lthatswhatshereads to discuss our latest read Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber. We dive deep into the book's themes, characters, and overall impressions. We share our favorite moments and insights, giving listeners a unique perspective on the novel. Whether you're a fan of the book or just love talking about great reads, this podcast is sure to offer valuable insights and inspiration.

WARNING: This podcast does have spoilers

Next Book in Series:
The Ballad of Never After Recap and Review

Bookstagrammer Melissa Links Below:
@melissathatswhatsheread | Linktree

Transcript

 0:00 All right, well, thank you, Melissa, for joining me today. We had the awesome privilege of talking or doing a buddy read called Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber. This is the first time you and I both read this book. Yes. And this is the first time I read anything by her. Same. This has been on my TBR for the longest time. It's just been sitting there. And then, of course, I just piled more books on and more books on, and then I was like, when you had mentioned this as an option, I was like, yes, let's just do it. 1s I know it probably was shelf art for a wall up there. Perfect. 2s All right, I'm going to ask some questions. 2s I don't know how to start this one because there's a lot that happens to this book, and there's a lot that you don't expect to happen. So what are your initial thoughts of it? Yeah, this was such a good, quick read. Yes. And I literally just breeze through it. You and I kept messaging back and forth, and you were like, oh, my God, I'm on this chapter. And, oh, my gosh, I just keep going. I couldn't stop. And I feel like after I talked to you about it, I was like, oh, my gosh, now I need to know what happens next. It was really quick, very entertaining ode so well that it just made me keep wanting to know more about Jax and Evangeline and the story. It's so exciting, and 1s I really enjoyed their story and the twists that came with it and trying to figure out all the mystery in it. 1s Right. And a lot of things that happened you didn't see happen because sometimes some stories are kind of predictable and they were just totally what? Yes, exactly. What just happened. Where did that come from? So we have Jax. It took me realize that he's Jax, not Jack. Yes, same. I read it when the first time I read it, I had to go back and kept looking at it to make sure it wasn't a typo. Like no, it's Jax. Okay. Jax got it. And they kind of go off of, I guess, the carrot cards, I guess, right. They go by the fates faded, prince of Hearts. And he's that. 4s What did you think about the initial reason that Evangelist Evangeline went to him? Okay, so I was definitely intrigued because I was like, okay, so she fell in love. She got her heartbroken, and she's trying to fix that. And. 1s I get her reasoning, because we've all had our heart broken, or maybe those who haven't, lucky. But you do try to fix it somehow. And so this was her solution of going to the Prince of Hearts to help her. And 1s I don't know. I was definitely really curious as to what happened with Luke to see, well, how long were they together and all this information. I was really interested how that all came to be and how she had that broken heart. And so that was a really interesting backstory, especially when it came to involving her sister, half sister with a stepsister. So that was really interesting, I think. And it definitely drew me in a little bit more, and especially with a kind of evil stepmother feel to it. Just very interesting. 2s Yeah, 4s I guess it's a little background. She decided to go because her heart was broken by Luke, and he's getting married to her stepsister. And you're like, of course. Why did that happen the way it did? Because that's a little odd. Because if they're so in love exactly. All of a sudden he just flipped. Like, I'm gone. I'm going with Marisol, which is the stepsister. And so she goes to the Jack of Hearts and she makes a bargain with him. 2s For three kisses. And he's known for each kiss for his kisses. It can kill you, basically. And he has this backstory of this one true love for him. He won't be able to kill that person. So that's a whole new thing. 2s Sometimes I wonder, would you make a bargain like that to stop the wedding? Oh, I don't know. 1s It's a very heavy decision, especially because apparently the fates were known to be very tricky and hold you to specific verbiage. So you had to be very careful of your word choice and your word usage because you could get really stuck. And I think that's what's really scary about it. And especially because they're all known to be kind of selfish and have their reasons for what they do. And he was known to not be the nicest. And obviously, if he can fill you with a kiss, that's a little scary. 2s So it's definitely a risk. I don't know. And three kisses huge. I don't know when he had said that that was the cost. I was really confused or interested to see. What do you mean by three kisses with him? Because don't you die? And then we find out. No, he tells you who you're kissing when you're kissing them, and that's it. You have to do it. So that was just really interesting to me. Would you 2s Evangeli did bargain. She was smart about it. She just didn't blanket accept those three terms like three kisses. She just like, okay, yeah, 1s I don't want to be kissing them. I don't know. Now I can't remember how she said it. And for me, would I do it? I would just think of the risk, and I'm like, no, it's not worth it. Yeah, I know. Get over it. Another way. 1s Other fish in the sea 3s I've been very fortunate it to date one person from college, and I'm married to him, so I'm very fortunate. 1s I don't know how rough it is that I'm a dating pole, but yeah, I can imagine. I don't. 1s It's hard. 3s So Jack's solution too, for Evangeline to solve her problem with the wedding is to turn everyone into stone. 1s It's like a literal way to stop the wedding. He, U1 like, literally froze them. Right. I was not expecting that either. 2s That's what I think that's really what grabbed me, is that, I don't know, you can think of totally different ways. Like, maybe the spell was broken and he comes to her and everything, but no, he literally just stops it completely. Yeah. He had to make it. It was kind of like her words, stop the wedding. She didn't say how to stop it, so he took it upon himself to really be set the ball rolling for events that were going to happen for him anyway. I feel like he was pretty smart with his plan, and he knew kind of where he was eventually going to go with this, and so it's kind of really interesting to see that. 1s Yeah. 1s And then, of course, another toil that he did was there was a chalice, and if she drinks that liquid, she would turn into stone, and they would not be anymore. Yeah. And I think that said so much about her character, her choice there. 2s It showed who she was at her heart, and that was a really important part, I think, for us as a reader, to see that in the beginning and really get a grasp of who she is and who Evangeline, what matters to her, what are her values type of thing. Yeah. Because I think a lot of it, she kept talking about how she felt always, that there was always something good in the end. She always had that major belief, very optimistic. And I was like, can't be in your shoes. 1s But she was very, throughout the whole book, how optimistic she is, every situation. She's like, there has to be a good thing in the end, regardless. I agree. Always looking for that happy ending, or, like, those infinite possibilities of endings. Like, I loved that quote that was from there, and how she talked about that, and, you know. 2s I do relate. I am a pretty optimistic person, 1s more so than that. So I kind of related to her on that and be like, well, it'll work out. It will be okay. And I feel like that was how she looked at it, which is still really brave of her to do because wow. Right? And I guess we meet more characters along the way. 1s How do you feel about spoilers? Because last podcast, there was spoilers on my other book. On the other book we read, so I think we can talk about it. It's been long enough, right? Yeah. This has been out for a little while. 1s The second book is out and the third one's coming. We're okay with the first one. Okay. 3s Content warning. Spoiler alert. Okay. 1s I guess it took six weeks to actually get turned back into a human being, and then it was the fate of Poison that brought her back. And 1s now I'm thinking about it, I'm like, is that going to come to play? Why did he do it? Yeah. What was his motive? Where did that come for free? 1s I know. And then we find out at the end, really? With Jax. Right. Because Jack said he had owed him. So that was just really interesting. I just feel like Jack's was so manipulative from the beginning and so smart and cunning that he had this plan. And then I don't know if he expected her to 1s I think that might have caught him off guard a little bit. But I guess he had a backup plan because he really needs her 1s for the what is that thing called? The art? 1s The Valor. The Valor. Valor, yeah, something like that. The Arch of Valerie. Yes. Wow. We got to get really I don't know. I was like, Where's my book? Definitely, 1s yeah. The Valerie arch. I see it. The Valerie arch. 1s That was just super interesting. Right. Because they have a big thing where they can never finish the story. Nobody can remember it. So there's like, kind of a curse on that, right? Yeah, I know. There really is. And then she comes back. So she gets brought back, and she realizes, okay, well, now Jack needs her to do things, and she's like a hero. She kind of wakes up and she's like, whoa, wait, what happened? 1s Remember they were all, like, fanning over her, and that's how she ended up going to 1s the north. Yes. 2s It's like the north and the south, they didn't really get names for it. If there was, I didn't catch it. But they literally just north of the north, right? Yeah. Very mythical. It's very magical, I think. But I think the south is probably more of the human realms. That's what it seemed like. More. 2s Normal, I guess, per se. 1s I feel like I'm just like, I want to talk about everything, but I'm like, okay. Section by so many pieces. I know. 1s She comes back, she's praised as a hero, and her sister Marisol was like, oh, my gosh, thank you for doing this. You're a hero to me. And Evangeline was like, I can't tell her her no. Yeah. Especially she was going through her step sister was going through that whole, like the cursed bride thing. Right. 2s So Evangelist was feeling just so guilty, like, oh, my God. So I think it was really put her in that situation. Yeah. And she did try to save it. She tried to remedy it with the whole drink. Okay, I'll drink the chalice and you guys will not stone anymore. Like I'm sorry. Right. I think again, it showed that she was remorseful. She definitely didn't. She felt bad about it. And then moving forward 1s when she took her sister with her to the north, I think that was like a good show of faith to try to be like, I'm going to make this up to her. We're going to kind of start new, hopefully. And there was her optimistic feelings again about, oh, my gosh, this is going to be great. We're going to find love or figure it out along the way 2s by the Empress sending her up there. Like, how do you talk about it? Okay, so I'm losing track because I want to skip. I have a bad habit of skipping around, but I want to try and slow me down because I do the same thing too. Yeah. I just get really excited. I know. And I'm like Hillary Arch. Oh, no. Let's get back to what from the chalice and why she did the curse. And I thought I had about the curse. It's like, wait a minute. I almost would just make a deal with Jax because of fact, but my stepsister took him. Yeah, that's in there. 2s I'm a little, like, salty. A lot salty, for sure. That is not something that she's your sister. Like, you're going to be a little extra. 1s That's rough. 1s And I don't think there was a conversation like, hey, he fell in love with me. I'm sorry. I don't think there was a conversation. No, it's I would be very sudden. Yeah. It was very quick. Swept under rug, and I think Evangeline felt, like, a little like, I got to do something about this. And I think it was out of her control, and she just wanted to do something, and I can understand her motives, and I would probably we do it at this point. Now I'm thinking about it. Yeah. 1s It was tough. She definitely went in there, and she was planning to make a deal, so 1s that was really interesting. 1s Yeah. 1s Okay. 1s All right. I guess we'll go to the Empress. Let me see if I can find kind of that. 2s She gets invited by the Empress, and she's kind of surprised about that because she's kind of living her life now, I think, weeks and months after this, and she's praised as the hero. She has suitors going out the door. Her stepmother is trying to marry her off. She's like, I don't want to do anything. Just want to live my life. Luke is gone. Apparently, he got eaten by a wolf or something like that. Yeah. Mauled by a wolf. And they haven't seen he's kind of disappeared. Yeah. So he's gone. So she's kind of left with 1s existing in this world now, and. 2s Let's see. So she gets invited by the Empress of Meridian empire and they want her to basically go to the north, go to this party, this ball or something. Yes. 1s What was it called? It started with an N. It says something. 2s Nocte. Never ended. Divides. Yes. And it was like something very difficult to say. Yeah, but yeah. So she was chosen to go as a representative of their land, which was a big deal because she was like, the sweetheart of the time. She was a big deal to go. And this is where she decided to bring her sister as kind of like I'm sorry, it's like more of a passive way to feel like she's patching up her reputation and bringing up her self esteem. Maricel's self esteem. Because Maricel, before they left, she was getting really knocked down a peg by her mother saying, you're not pretty enough, you're not good enough. You don't have any seers? And. 1s So I felt really bad for Marisol. Yeah, I did too, at that point. At least a third of the book. 2s Yeah, absolutely. You kind of feel bad for her. She definitely doesn't seem like she has it easy. It seems like the stepmother is really hard on her. Puts a lot of pressure on controller. And then after this whole wedding debacle that goes and she becomes known as throughout the papers. So the whole town knows her as the Cursed Bride. And she's kind of looked down upon and it is you kind of do feel bad for right. In this world. It's kind of a believable thing because they had the fates that can do magic and everything. So if that person was the Cursed Bride, it was Law, it was the Legit. And I think there's like, a gossip column in there. Yeah. 1s Which we didn't really yeah. It's kind of like a Bridgetin moment where you're like, who is the writer? Yes, absolutely. That's a good dad. What do you think? Because apparently there's something that happened between 2s I guess who's the lady? Who's the lady? That's princess donatella. Oh, yeah. And Jack. Yeah, that's what they kept talking about. 1s Right. She was the one that broke his heart. His heart and made him how he is. 4s I guess this is the jumping around. I know. It's like we could go one way or the other. I'm, like, ready to move on to the end of the book. I know. Jumping back and forth. We are ping pong here. Okay. So, okay. 2s She gets invited to go and they're basically treated like princesses. They're getting dresses, they're getting all this thing. Royal treatment. The royal treatment. And 2s you can take it away because I can talk a lot. Oh, no, me too. Especially when I get all excited and I go, yeah. So, like, they go to the ball, I guess we'll call it, and 1s they meet the prince. The prince Apollo. Right. And this is where all the girls are trying to woo him and win his hand. Hopefully he'll propose, pick the first dance. Yeah. It's a big deal. So everybody's guessing whose is going to be and. 1s You know she evangeline. She is always optimistic. She's not counting herself out, but he's also worried because she knows that Jack's gonna eventually she's gonna be checking in because she still got those kisses that she owes him. So she's definitely, like, very wary of the whole thing. Like, oh, my gosh, is Jack's here? And then when she sees him there, that's when she's like, oh, my God, what do I do? Kind of thing. She's definitely more concerned. 1s Oh, you know, that's the one thing. What was that event called that happened right after Evangelist turned into stone? And I guess it was two weeks. 2s Man, 5s which event are we talking? It was, like, the two weeks right after she turned. I do remember that. It was, like, the burning or 1s it was something crazy. 1s Okay, 1s I'm just trying to look through here. 3s And I wish I knew exactly what they kept calling it. Yeah. 2s What were you thinking about? It okay. 1s It was the reason why it drove all the fates back into the north. Right. There was a big event. That's right. And then we didn't really it no, we don't and Evangeli never questioned it. She just knew it happened. Yeah. 2s What was it? And I guess I feel like with Jackson and Princess Donatella, that could have happened around that time as well, right? Yeah. Because then it's even barely touched upon. Like later, when we meet another fate that works with Jack Lala. Like, who was it? Lala or someone. And it was just barely touched upon, like, oh, yeah, well, he chased us all north or whatever. 2s It wasn't really elaborated on, if you like. 2s But definitely there was some kind of event that made the Fates have to leave. 2s Right. I don't know. I just was just thinking about that, because I'm like I wish I knew more information about what exactly happened during that time. Yeah. 2s All right, well, I guess if we come across it, we'll talk about it, but okay. What's your first thoughts of Prince Apollo? Arrogant, 2s narcissist. I don't know. He's, like, laying there on the top of the balcony, getting portraits of himself all around. Like, hello? Like, no, thank you. I don't know. That was my first impression. But, I mean, he's a prince, and I don't know. What about you? What were you thinking? Out of all the people, why him? 3s Yeah, I know, right? He needed a bride, so he needed a princess. He was future king. Right. 1s But everyone was not really looking at his flaws, I guess. I guess in the perspective of Evangeline, you don't see his flaws. No. She wants true love. She sees it as a hopeful situation to get past Luke, so I think she's completely oblivious to Apollo. Yeah, I agree. I think she definitely was using it as some way to move past this, to show that life goes on and there is another possibility for her happy ending. It doesn't just end Luke. That was, like, her thoughts on it. Right. And all the other girls there and then meeting the other girls there and how everybody was very wary of one another because yeah, exactly. 2s It's a girl's fight. It's like, literally like the bachelorette. Whatever. The Bachelor, 3s where they're all trying to win his affections, and the claws come out. 2s Right. And he's just observing from his balcony to decide which is the I think it was ten or twelve women that he was going to dance with the next night. Right. And that's when Jack comes around. Right. And then Jack shows up and we're like, oh, my goodness, 1s this is important. Why is he here? Yeah. Time to collect on a kiss. I know. Yeah. And the first kiss he decided to get her to do is kiss Prince Apollo. Right. 1s It was kind of like a right? 4s It had to happen. You're like, 3s no, you go. I was just thinking of like 1s I expected it to happen, and then I was like, okay, but how is he going to react? Because he just seems so 1s stuck up in a way that I was like, oh, my God. This is like a girl who she doesn't come from she's famous right now, but she doesn't come from a very wealthy background or she's not a princess already. So is he going to kind of put up his nose at her, you know, well, you're not why, how, or how dare you kind of like thing. I didn't know how he was going to react. It was very interesting. Would you think that he would have not picked her if he knew that she wasn't really from a prestigious background? I don't know. I mean, from the way he acted, I think it could have been a possibility. I don't know. 1s What do you think? 1s I don't think he would have gave her the time of day, to be honest, because he was stuck up. He was painted as a very stuck up, very self centered person. Agreed. 3s Jax did what he did because he knew that it wasn't going to happen on its own. So he had to do kind of a love potion kiss to make it happen. Right. 2s Because I think they were predicting other women to be the top choice. Yeah. Like he had a best friend or something forever, and another princess, a beautiful princess from somewhere, and it's like, okay, well, yeah. I don't know if he would have jack's had it. He had to do it, though, because we find out later. But it's like, oh, yeah. Because it unfolds as time was. So the next night, 3s they got all dressed and they went back. She brought Marisol this time, evangeline. And this is the part that I just don't get. He's like, he chose Apollo. Chose someone else to dance with. Yes. I was so confused by this. What was the reasoning behind that? I don't know. And his response? Because Evangelion asked him. She called him out on it. Like, you just asked that girl to dance. I thought you could only dance with one of us. And his response was just like, well, yeah, just by law, I have to ask somebody to dance. And why didn't you ask her then? That made no sense to me. Right. That part baffled me, for sure. It. 2s Yeah, I'm like I feel like I want to read that part again. Like what? Yeah. Really, though? Because it was very confusing. I think I did read it twice because I was like, wait, so wait, he didn't say anything else to that other girl? He just asked her to dance and everybody was like, oh, you thought he was going to ask you. And you remember she felt super embarrassed, so she went to go get a drink or something. It was just so strange. 1s Let's see. 2s Yeah, I guess that moment he looked like he was looking at her and then he went to somebody else and then oh, yeah, I see it. I'm like right around page 142. 143. I don't know if that's where you're on 1s that's where he asked 1s because his excuse was that he has to at least dance with one person. And he said that if he were to dance with her first, he would never be able to finish the dance without doing this proposing to her. Yeah. Okay, so his excuse really? I don't know. He proposed and she said yes, of course. Thinking this is her happy and happy that she's her fairy tale. Yes, this is it. 1s It's very interesting. It was a little weird, but okay. Love at first. What was it? What did she call it? Like love it kiss or something? Yeah, it was something like that, but yeah, really, this was what she thought it was. She's going to 1s hopefully make this work with him. 2s And he was overwhelmingly affectionate and, like, all about her. All of a sudden, it was almost overbearing, and I was like, whoa, stage five clinger here. I don't know, 1s like a tuffle of gold, all this stuff. Send climbing the wall, serenading her every like, what? Where did this come from? Redoing paintings. Yes. 2s And what's crazy is that eventually never really questioned it for the longest time. Right. She thought that that I guess he just really 1s deep down, she had an inkling, like, this is kind of weird a little bit, but I guess her optimism always wins out. She was hopeful that, you know what? Maybe he does really care about me. I feel like she kind of had an inkling that there was something going on, but she wanted to believe in the positive, in the fairy tale. She wanted to believe in it. Right. 1s Right. And I think he eventually, prince Apollo eventually moved her and himself to the Great Hall or something like that because there was death threats. 2s So it's kind of almost petty a little bit, but 1s I think it gets a little more understandable 1s where those death threats are coming from as you continue the story. So she decided that she's going to reach out to Jack's because she's like, okay, now I'm realizing this is probably a kissing curse. Made him fall in love with me, and now I got to undo this. And she meets up with Jack and goes, we need to undo this. And he's like, are you sure about that? It's going to kill him if you break this curse. 3s Crazy. Yeah, 3s it's like a twofold thing. Be in this curse, this false love 1s with Apollo or break the curse and then him to be in pain for the rest of his life breaking it. It's like, what would you do? Situation all over again. Yeah. I mean, it just shows again. Goes back to her character. She wanted to do what was right. She wanted to do what was right in her heart, what she knew was right. 2s She didn't want it to be fake. I think that was part of it, too. 2s No. And I think that's what she truly, deeply wants, that happy ending. And she feels like she probably wouldn't get it if the relationship wasn't real. Exactly. It was fake. If it was fake, he didn't really mean those things. 1s So I'll let you take it up. After this one, we go to 2s Jax, takes Evangeline somewhere to use his other kiss. So let you take up on that one. Oh, yeah. So this is the second kiss. So he takes her to now I got to look up her name because I don't remember the name of the 1s woman. I don't know if you remember her name either, but it's one of the girls. What grandmother? Is it her grandmother or mom? Maybe? Her mom, I think his grandmother grandmother. It's a side character. She was so one of the princesses who were one of the girls who were hoping to be picked by Princess Apollo. Anyway, he takes her there to her big bag, and there's always a trick with Jack. Did you find her name? House fortuna. Oh, that was right. Fortuna. I do okay. That's right. 2s Fortuna. Matriarch. That's right. 1s Um, and so he's it's Tabitha. That's her name. Tabitha. Interesting. Okay, so 1s he takes her here and 2s he says to her, okay, you're second, because you need to kiss this matriarch before she pretty much is going to kill you. Like, she's not going to be happy to see you. And really, we get that immediately. Like, as soon as she opens the door. And she has these huge dogs that are growling and not very pleasant, definitely intimidating. 2s And Evangelion just has to go for it, and she does, because she can tell this is either going to go really bad really quick, or we got to keep going here. She does. She kisses her on the street, right? And then her whole demeanor changes immediately to her being much more peaceful and calm towards her and allowing her into her home, which is what Jack needed. 2s Right? And I think 1s he just wants to look at the pebbles. 1s Right. He said something about the stones. Right. He's like, stones, magical stones. But I don't think that was really what his intentions were. It was about the arch of Valerie. Yes. I think he needed to get more information about that, and then that's what they took her down to secret. It was like a secret passage somewhere in the manor, right? Very deep down in there. Yeah. 3s Okay. I'm absorbing yeah. No, I know. There was so much there's so much going on, but you're constantly 2s talking about it. So then she gets her to talk about the Valors, evangeline gets her to get some she gets some answers a little bit about who the Valors were. 2s They're like the northern equivalent to the saints, right. 3s I think, from what I understand, they're very magical people. They had a lot of magical artifacts and royal? Were they royal? Yes, I think they were royal. 1s They were Prince Apollo's deep down line or something like that. I'm not 100%, but they were practically up there. And this oh, wait, there it is. Valerie arch. That's what it is, valerie arch. 1s This was created to lock up the magical powers, the magical artifacts. No one really knows. We don't really yeah, there's like two sides of the story. Right. They said or something. That it's. Either they think they were protecting everyone else from something that was very dangerous in there, or war. They were trying to protect what's in there from everybody else trying to get the power. So it's like you don't know which story it is. 1s Did you have a thoughts on that? 2s They killed the whole entire line just to protect this. And apparently there's a special organization 1s that deals with fortuna to protect this from ever opening. And when she came back from that kiss that Angelina gave says, you will know her because she would be crowned in rose gold and she will both be peasant and princess. The prophecy. This is where we hear about the prophecy. And we're like, Wait a minute. And Jack's totally new this, right? Yeah. This is where you get to know Jack too. Yeah. So you're getting to know him, what he's doing, why he chose her with the kisses and what his motivations were behind it. Absolutely. Some puzzle pieces are coming together now. We're getting the picture here. So apparently she's a very key person to this curse because she has this rose gold hair that's pink, which I think is really cool idea. Right. I know. I like the changing of the color hair stuff. It's not golden blonde. Yeah. No, I think this was really a unique way to. 2s Work this into the prophecy, and I just think that was really cool 2s way to do it, because you haven't seen that before. But yeah, the whole prophecy was definitely eye opening, and then you're kind of putting the pieces together, like, okay, so Jack definitely has a bigger motive here. We knew that. We knew there was something, but now we know that he really needs Evangeline because they think she's the missing piece there, and she has to be part she's a present, but she's also now going to be a part princess. So you could see why he put all these stacks in a row to see to get to this point, and it makes you wonder what else there is. Like, what other parts of this processing what do you think it's Jack is really after? Is opening that arch. 1s I don't know if that yeah, he obviously wants to open it. I'm wondering if it'll break his curse somehow that he'll be able to find his true love or not kill all these girls that he's hoping. Does it have to be so completely horrible? Maybe as soon as he has an emotion for a girl, if he kisses her and she's not his one true love, she dies. That you got to take a toll on you right. And I think they talked about the Fates. You get to know more with another fate, about how this urge is so great for them, they can't help but do something about it. So they have to find ways to get their minds off of it. Yes. 1s And I think for Jax, I don't know what he does to prevent I know one is like, Lala. She's like, what was she? 1s Right? 1s She does the tears. 1s She's the runaway bride, 3s the unled, 2s or something like that. Yeah. So we're getting to know these fates, the curses that they're under. And now that you said what you did, I'm kind of like, wondering if there's an artifact that breaks the curse or 1s it would change the whole line of fates that's in there, the curses that's on them. So I think there's something pretty powerful in there that's going to help with that. Now you got my wheels turning. Yeah, that's what I was I mean, I don't know. I just I'm trying to figure out what would his motive be to open it? And, like, I know he definitely want I can't imagine being so. 2s That's a really lonely life that he's going to live and keep killing people. I'm sure he didn't want to, but it is his thing. It's his curse. So I just feel like there's got to be a reason he wants this prophecy to come to tuition. So I don't know so much. Good part. Yes. Right. 1s So 3s they got out of that place for tuna. She still is consistent. Like, let's break this curse that's on Apollo. And apparently Jax kind of says that I willed it on him. It's not really the kiss itself. I willed it. So she's like, well, unwill it, please. 2s And she's like, 2s do it after the wedding if that's the bargain again. 1s And he's like, well, don't you want your happily ever after? Do you want it to keep going? She's like, no, because that's her character. That's who she is. She's like, no, I don't want to live that. She's all living. Yeah. 1s So I'll deal with it. So 1s the wedding day finally comes, 2s and I just realized we skipped a whole mystery. Marisol. Oh, gosh. So before we'll get to the wedding, let's talk about Marisol. So she's brought along and there you can tell that Evangeline Cannon was suspicious of Marisol because I guess there was magical books. She says they're at the magical shops looking for these curse books and things like that. And she's like, oh, no, it can't be her. She would something like that. Again, 1s her positive demeanor, just trying to be like, see the best in everyone. Like, no, she wouldn't do it to me. I'm her sister. 2s She doesn't want to believe it now, 2s obviously, I could tell. But I liked how it was built in the book, where you're like you kind of were Bond Lane. Yeah, I know. Really? Like, you're that naive. Really? Yeah. Yeah. 1s In the south was bless your heart. 2s Oh, bless your heart. I got it. 3s Yeah. 2s She didn't see that coming. 2s No. And do you think Evangeline, with her guilt of Marisol breaking up the wedding and everything, do you think she kind of was covering it up just because she felt so guilty about it? I think it could have had something to do with her trying to look past it. I think she still felt guilty. A part of her probably definitely was really angry with her for stealing Luke. I think that there's definitely peace there. But she also felt very guilty for what she did to her, 1s giving her this whole reputation of the cursed bride. She kind of felt responsible for it. So I think this was her way of kind of like, ignoring it and be like, no, I'm going to give her the benefit of the Dow. I don't know that we don't have the facts. There's no definitive proof. And then she started to dig a little further, and then she did start to question a little bit back, especially because once Jack brought it up, be like, oh, yeah, you should not be talking. 3s She didn't really even put it together then. But then it started, I think, to simmer 1s slowly piece together, and I think it was kind of like a little too late at that point, which we'll get to. 2s Um, so we're at the wedding. Would you like to tell the audience survey? No, you go ahead. 3s I did not expect this part to happen whatsoever. I was surprised. I was surprised. I love it when I'm shocked. I love it. Yeah, well, that's what a good writer can do. You weren't expecting that. Like, wait a minute. What just happened? Are you kidding me? Right? So they got married, and Evangeline is, like, waiting for the ball to drop. They said their values. She's like, okay, he's going to kiss her. He's going to like, no, 1s everything's going to blow up in her face. Still hasn't happened the whole night. And then they're like, 1s I can't wait any longer. Let's go back to the suite, do this thing right. 3s Yeah. 3s I think she met up with Jack right before she left, and he gives her a special blood to help with a kiss. And she's like, I'm going to do this right when she meets up with Apollo in the suite, and she kisses him, and he's covered in oil. That was a big ticket item. Well, we knew what he'd like 2s before we two uses, 3s and 2s I don't even want to say it. He just suddenly dies. It really is so sudden. Literally, 1s he almost comes to from his foggy of being in love, and he love. Yeah. And she even said I don't think he was like he didn't seem angry. He kind of was just, like, shocked and then kind of, like, hurt. What did you do? Yeah. And then literally, he said, what did you do? And then that was it. And it's like, wait, right? What? 2s He's gone. And that's what I really was like, waiting for it to be like, no, 2s he's not really gone. Right? I don't know. I was definitely shocked. 1s But then I immediately oh, and you know who we didn't talk about either? We did not talk about Apollo's brother, who has been missing this whole time. Tiberius. Yes. Tiberius shows up to the wedding. Yeah. And he's mysterious brother. Yeah. I don't know. Okay. We're going to watch out for that guy. Yeah. Really? So special. 1s He has a fight with Apollo, too, so so she gets taken away from the guards because the guards automatically assume it's her. I mean, she's the only person with him in the room. 3s I guess they were about to torture her, the information out of her. But then Jax comes in like, are you going to do this to your future queen? And he was able to kick them out and then break her out. Right. And this is, I think, after Apollo dies, I think this just the story took an odd turn that I wasn't expecting. Was yeah, this was. 1s This is the part that you're kind of out of left field. Like, where did this come from? 2s They banded together. She's like, if you want me to work with you, you got to stop hiding things for me. You got to tell me your motives. You got to tell me what you're doing, because if you want me to help you, we got to be more up front. 3s And then, I guess, just skipping apart. I guess there was a crying curse on Evangeline. Oh, yes. Right. Because 2s they said, like, oh, you were poisoned with these her tear lala's tea, was it? Lala lala's tear, which is the fate of the unwed bride who just you will cry yourself to death. Right. And they were like, yeah, you're going to die. How long have you been crying? And I think you see a different side of Jack's there, too, and I don't. Yes. You could tell he's definitely concerned for her. Like, wait a minute, how long has she been crying? He realized almost immediately, this is not good. And you're kind of, like, wondering then, well, does he really care? Is he starting to care about her, or does he just care about keeping her alive to fulfill this prophecy, too? I know, like, back and forth. I think he cares about her at that point. I know I'm holding out on that. I'm holding out for the happy ending. I'm like her definitely happy. 1s So they decided that they needed to go to another fate. And I don't remember what that fate was called. Chaos. 1s Yeah. Fate of chaos. And she discovers that he's a vampire. And it's the guard that she had seen a few times, which was very interesting, too. But yes, vampire. Like vampires, where did they come from? They were not mentioned at all. And then, boom, vampires. Okay, got you. Right. You don't hear I guess I didn't expect that in the story just because of the fact the way the store is being set up. Right. So when they put I'm used to like Faye fairy here. Vampires paranormal here. And when they brought in the vampires, it's like, this is cool, but I didn't see this coming. Right, exactly. Added bonus. Vampires was good. Right. Spiced it up a little. And I felt like it was done very well in a way. It wasn't like Twilight vampire. 2s That whole scene was kind of like woke, though. So they went to his, like I don't know, what is it? His layer. I was going to say layer. I didn't know if that was the right word. I would call it a layer. Let's just call it that. Describe it. Right, yeah, it was definitely a layer. And you get to see like, there's all these empty cages and all these, like. Like chains, and you're like, what is happening? This is creepy. 2s And then you can go on. I don't know. You can go ahead. I'm trying to make sure my guest talks. Oh, I am talking, but I will talk too much, because I just get too excited, like I said. 1s Yeah. 1s This is the part where it was like, he talks to Evangeline, and he kind of tells didn't because they were asking him if they knew who killed Apollo or something like that. Right. Wasn't that what they went to him for? He was like, no, 2s it wasn't one of mine type of thing. So we were like, okay. And then meanwhile, 1s Jack has to be very possessive of Evangeline there, too. He's putting her hands on her and grabbing her to show like, no, she's mine. Because these vampires will pick what they want or try to glamor her or all this stuff, and so not allowed to look at them in the eyes. It's really cool that Jackson and her have that connection, that they can kind of talk in their minds almost. Right. Something happens. I didn't even mention that. Yeah, but that happens that they can kind of communicate that way. And I guess it has to do with th them having the deal, I assume. 1s Mmhmm. Right? Yeah. And so he's just trying to keep her safe there. And then on their way out, who do they see? 1s Well, I kind of skipped apart, but there's humans there, and they want to be turned. Right. That was weird. So, yeah, there's two bites that the vampires can do. One, to drink their blood and kill them, or two, to turn their turn into them into a vampire. And I guess their rule is that if you want to be turned into a vampire, then you have to drink someone else's blood. 3s Yeah. Or you can go back to being human. You're not worth it then. Right. So that's kind of vicious. It's kind of shocking to Evangeline because that's something that she's never seen before. Yes. And I'm trying to remember they went to go get more information about 1s Apollo, what happened to him and all this stuff, but I can't remember now what exactly they asked for 2s from Chaos. I think they were asking, like, if they killed him, then wasn't that part of it or not. Right. 1s Part of that. 2s Um, okay, so here it is. I'm Chaos. Yeah, they're welcome to my home. All right. So they 2s were trying to figure out, you know, what was interesting too. I think it was Lala, who said it, had mentioned something like that. Jack's definitely taking a liking to Evangeline, and she's like, no, I don't believe that. And then Chaos has said something too, about it, like, are you sure she doesn't like you? Because that was always interesting. And I love how we didn't talk about this, but I love how he calls her little fox. I just think that is so cute. Oh, yeah. The nickname and how that relates to the story of the fox and the hunter. I think that that is a really cool, like, almost like a metaphor for the whole story. Almost, you know, like, the little fox is him hunted, or do they get there happily ever after? That was really cool. No one never knows, because no one can remember it. I know. We want to know who killed Apollo, jack said. 1s I heard you did it while in bed, and it wasn't me. That's disappointing. Yeah. So they were trying to find out who killed him, and they wanted to know if any of your people were hired for the job. And Jack's reminded them that he owed him a debt. And he said, no. No one came for us for the job. But I remember about a week ago, I think it was the evening after Nocturn never ending, my potions master received a rare request for a bottle of that lithic oil. Do you remember this? This is on page 297. 4s 297 is when and they're talking about 1s this oil that can be used to murder someone, 2s right? 2s So that's there was this request for this. But he doesn't know who made that request. Besides, it was a woman, right? Or something like that? Yeah. Melphick oil. 4s So it was just like that, was it? There was some woman who bought this oil. And we don't know anything else really from him anyway. 6s So Chaos is in league with Poison, right? 2s I don't know. 4s What makes you say that? Well, if he's in league with Poison, jack owes him a debt. Poison was the one that brought Evangeline back, right? Could it be Chaos who is trying to get 1s to the arch? Maybe and using jack. Possibly. Yeah. I mean, really? I wonder if it's something like that all the fates would want. Like, they all would want this arch to be open because Chaos has this mask on his head that prevents him from drinking blood. He can never bite one. Yeah, 2s no, maybe. Really? It could have to do with all the faiths. Like, maybe the faith in general would all want this opened to help their case or whatever it is, you know? 1s Because Chaos owes 1s Jack's favor a debt. So it kind of makes me wonder exactly what debt that was that caused that. Yeah, it seems like Jack has a lot of people who owe him things, though, 1s chaos, he just seems to add up his debt. Right. And 2s see, 2s I guess they kind of brought up the cookbook that Marisol had, that it could have been a cursed book, that it was a spell book. Yeah. Right? And then there was a maladallion that Chaos was wearing that belonged to Wolfrick Valor. 1s And so he was like, I could tell you about that, but I think Jax prevented Evangeline from knowing more information yet again, because I think there are some strings that could be a tide if she made a deal with him to know more about it. Yeah, well, that was the member at Chaos offered. He said, I'll tell you whatever you want to know about the Valors, but if you have to let me bite you or whatever, or have your blood or something, or owe me. And she was like, yeah, thanks. I'm not making any more deals with Fates. I know what's going on now. No, thank you. 1s At least she learned the lesson from the first time. Yeah, you're right. She did learn. So that was good. 2s So these cages that you mentioned, they actually put people that other vampires have bitten into those cages. And I guess the way that they kind of initiate these people, that if they can break out of these cages and find someone to drink their blood, they can. A vampire. And as Evangeline and Jaxer were leaving, they noticed us. There was this particular someone in one of the cages. 2s Yes. This was surprising to me. Right. It was Luke, 1s which is Evangeline's first love. First love. First love. That's a good one. Marisol's 2s husband patrol, and he's there. I guess he was told that he could get a healing from all the scars from the wolf, and he was being turned into a vampire. 2s Yes. And he was just begging for Evangeline to please. Like, 2s he said that the vampire venom cleared his brain, so he no longer was under a spell from Marisol, but he said he was put under a spell, and so that's what we're like, oh, my God. This was her the whole time? Yeah. That's the whole time. Yeah, well, we kind of know, but it was like, finally, I think, for Evangeline to be like, oh, my God. All right, so wait, Lucas telling me the truth here. 2s So he's just begging her, like, look, I loved you and all this stuff, and just let me out. I won't do anything. I don't want to be a vampire. And Evangeline? 2s She's too good. She wants to believe in the good. She's a mystic to a fault. Yeah. And I think she's like 2s how does she describe her feelings? She's like, I didn't want. 1s It didn't feel right. She kind of felt like it was her fault again. She felt like him getting hurt had to do with her 1s stopping the wedding, getting him cursed. She kind of felt just responsible again for it. So she felt like, all right, I'm not going to let him out, but I'll give him an axe so that way he can get himself out and figure it out himself. I don't think she expected it happen so quickly, though. No. 2s And I guess 1s passed to her what she was hoping for. He did break out really easily, and he eventually bit Jack's. Oh, my gosh. So he lunged towards her. He was going for her, and Jack saved her. Like, this is another one. We're like, oh, my God. He totally does like her. I 2s know it. You don't just step in front of a vampire for someone. 2s So definitely I don't know. I definitely feel that way. So that was something that in again. So then she's like, oh, my God. 3s And Jack's, like, is able to he, like, snaps his neck. He's like, oh, he's fine. He's not dead, but I know. Yeah. Oh, my God, he just killed him. And I know Evangeline was kind of shocked too, but he's fine. You can only kill him by sticking. Okay, good. So then they got out of there. Well, Vandaline had to help him out of there now. 1s Because he was going to come back. Yeah. 2s I feel like now he's a vampire, so that's weird. Maybe. I don't know what his role is going to be. 1s I think it's going to be very interesting going forward, because now he's aware, I think he's going to go after Marisol. He might, now that he knows that she put him under. Oh, boy. Some we'll see what happened. 3s This is also another thing I liked about Jax is that 1s his sudden urge is to go after the human, which is Evangeline, and drink her blood to turn into a vampire. But she's like, oh, no, don't do it. We need to get you in another area to prevent you till sunrise. And he agreed to do that and he actually challenged her and said, 3s if Luke really loved you, he would have resisted drinking the blood from you. Like I am. Yeah, basically. Right. Basically, 1s I think he applied it, but I read the between the lines of no, I agree. Yeah, of course. Yeah. That's what we have to do. Yeah. Man, that was an intense scene, though. 1s He had the hunger because he was now bitten and turned like he was he had that that urge to bite and he like the amount of strength it had to take him. I mean, I guess because he was a fate, he was able to 1s suppress it a little bit better than it seemed like most of the humans were able to. I think that kind of helped him and helped eventually at least get him somewhere where she could kind of lock him up a little bit right. And try to protect herself from him because he didn't want to bite her. You're right. He really tried to resist, and even to the point where he threw her his dagger. 1s You might need this. 1s I don't know. That's crazy. 2s I yeah. And I think they were able to just keep talking, and I think 2s right. And I think through those moments, that's where they became more, like, not enemies at that point. Absolutely. I think so, too. She could be a little bit more human inside of him. Right. And she got a little more in information about Princess Donatella and yes. She is his one true love. Well, she didn't die. Right. Isn't that those she didn't die. I guess that's the prerequisites to be the true love of Jax. Yeah. And she didn't die, but she tried to kill him and fell in love with somebody else. Yeah. Because she was pissed. Wasn't she pissed? Like, she was really angry at him or whatever? That because I think he tricked her. 2s Really angry. He did not have her consent. Yeah. So I think that's really what's kind of going on, because I think he kind of was just trying to. 2s Take what's his, but in the realization, too, that she could have died, too, without right. I think she was really mad at that. Yeah, absolutely. That was really an interesting story, an interesting side of him. But I just feel like I don't know. Maybe I know his story is that whoever he kisses and doesn't die is his true love, but it's maybe if that's not the case, I don't know. I just feel like there's so many loopholes without all of these things, and I'm just like I don't know. I don't know. And I'm still shipping him and Evangeline. 2s I'm totally on that board. Yeah, for sure. I'm gonna do that. I'm on that ship. Yep. Page one. Yep. Definitely, 2s man. 1s So oh, and then so, like, this is where they get it gets really close. Like, he gets really close to her to getting really close to biting her, and he's licking her neck. 1s It was a little bit like, oh, okay. We've been kind of waiting for something to happen here. Yeah. This is, like, a very clean book for a first book. Yeah, the all the trash I've been reading lately. I know. Thank you, bookstagram, for recommending what you said to me that I'm like, oh, 1s this is, like g right now. 2s He was licking her neck, and it was the first time I was like, oh, my gosh, 2s that was interesting. He was able to. 2s To contain it. And then the sun came up, right. So they were finally like, okay, thank God we made it to sunrise. And I think with that, it kind of completely zaps them out. Drains of advantage. Absolutely. And 2s she gets eventually all the way back to the village or city, whatever you want to call it, and somehow Mira miraculously ends up in his house. Yes. Because of the bells. There's the bells. Yeah. So in the beginning, remember I remember reading apart, talking about how prologue yes. It was all about bells. There's a magic in bells. And 1s she was hearing this bell ringing, and she was just hoping that it was taking her to the right place, to a place that could be safe for them, because Jack's could no longer stand, and she was just trying to get him safe because she was wanted at this point for murder of the prince. So they were searching for her, and she knew that they needed to get somewhere. And luckily. 2s She walks into Jack's layer, 2s his little office. You're right. And I think they start really going over like that. Evangeline could be the Valerie heir, the bloodline, somehow. Yeah, and that's why a lot of people want to kill her and go after, and that's why Jack needs her. So 1s keeping her alive is kind of the main priority here. And when Jax crashes on the couch, she decides to take it upon herself to go to Tiberius. For whatever reason. I can't remember why she decided to go. She wanted to give the truth potion to him or something. Right? 1s So that way, they could either figure out one way or the other if Marisol did kill him or didn't. They were just trying, as you know, she was leaving a note like, blah, blah. 1s But also right before Jax passed out is when he admitted to 2s cashing in that debt with poison to to save Evangeline and suggest to the Empress that she send Evangeline to. So he orchestrated all of this. And these are all the pieces coming back together of how manipulative he is. And from the beginning, he did all this. You were busy those two weeks while she was I'm telling. 2s It tell you? Yeah. 3s I think another reason she also did that truth serum was because the fact that she saw a news article that Marisol is suddenly engaged to the Tiberius yeah, the new prince. Because Apollo is not even buried and apparently they just are crowning and they're trying to get the wet the next day. Everything's just very there. Right. So she's like, Let me go do this. Maybe it will break that curse. Because she thought she put Luke under a curse. So now let's get Tiberius out from under the curse. So she's like, Let me go do that. And Marisol was like, I guess when she snuck in, Marisol was like, oh, thank goodness you're here, and all this stuff. Do you think she was genuine there? 2s I think she kind of was. She was she seemed genuine there. Like, I will hide you. Like, come on, come on. Like, I don't know, like, she would have could have just outed her immediately, but I think she really. 2s Did miss her sister, and I don't know, because at the moment, she felt like probably that 1s Vandaline was the only person that loved her, respected her, gave her kindness, and she didn't think anything bad of Evangeline. And then all of a sudden, it's funny, as Evangelist is like, oh, I forgive you, when she called her out on the whole kissing curse and all the curse on Luke and everything, and Marisol was finally admitting that she was jealous of Evangeline and things like that. 2s Evangeline was like, oh, I forgive you. But let me tell you something, though. Yeah. But also, 2s I love these moments because you would think that forgiveness given would be given back. And I think Marisol is so insecure about 1s herself as a person, not getting everything that Evangeline is getting, not having the parents that Evangeline had, not having the life that Evangeline had, even Luke, her relationship, she wanted so jealous of it. Yeah. She even got into the magic to get what Evangeline had, and she did the exact same thing with Tiberius. 5s Let me think. I'm rolling through my head here. And I guess when Evangelist is like, okay, I was the one responsible for the Stone wedding. 2s Marisol switched immediately, though, and it kind of, like, was kind of crazy, because, like, literally 2 seconds before, she was the one who was wrong, because Evangeline was calling her out, saying, you stole the man I love. I love Luke. And Marisol was apologizing, like, I'm. 1s Sorry. I was just trying I didn't know it would work. 1s Really know what was going to happen. And then I couldn't undo it. I couldn't break the spell. 1s So you see her feeling bad about it, and you're kind of like, okay, maybe she's not so bad. And then immediately afterwards, she flips, and she's just like, you're the one who ruined it. You're the one who gave me the cursed bride. That's it, Bards. And we're like, what? I feel like that was insane. 1s I was so mad at Marisol. Me too. So angry. Because I get it that Evangeline hid that secret from her. But think about it. Marisol started it. You literally stole Luke. If you never cast a spell on Luke, none of this would have happened. 1s Exactly. 2s That was rough. I felt that was totally unfair. Yeah, I agree. 1s And then they locked Angeline up. Yes. They took her to Tiberius's room, and Tyrese like, I will investigate her by myself. And he was going to torture her with a hot poker and everything. That's when you find out his truth, right. He finally drank the potion that she made and he started admitting some secrets. Yes, he did. Yes, he did. 3s It was a hunch I had. I did have a hunch on him, just because of how shady he was earlier, 1s but I was wrong with the reasoning. 1s Yeah. He killed Apollo. That's what we find out. What misled me was that Tiberius did have a love for Apollo, right. They separated because they got in a fight over and Vanjalene he came back for him for the wedding, even though he probably didn't approve. And that's how I got fooled, to be honest, because I'm like, why would someone kill their brother if they did have a genuine affection for their brother? But I guess the poison was for Evangeline and not for Apollo. Yeah, that's exactly it. And that's where I was like, oh, I thought maybe he did it because he was jealous and he wanted to be the prince or he wanted to do it. That's where I was going, because they were fighting. But, yeah, he was doing it because of Evangeline. And that was interesting thing. That was a whole little twist. And then, because he admitted it, evangelion was able to get the guards and the people to come in and hear the confession so that she clear her name, which is what she went there to do. She went there to hopefully clear her name. So that was good. 1s Right. And then because of the marriage files and everything, she's still considered a princess, and she's still actually considered the future Queen of the north. And because she was no longer like, she was no longer wanted for more murder because they figured it out that he murdered. So she's cleared, and that's great. And then Marisol and then oh, yeah, because he no longer Tibers was no longer under the spell anymore. And so when he saw Marisol and he was like, yeah, no. And then she was like, oh, my love. 1s And he was like, no. Took that away from her again. Yes. Well, that's what she gets. Karma. Yeah. I feel like retribution is going to happen at least either in the second or third book. Yeah. 1s Because Marisol is like the how would you say 1s you always see the Wicked Witch? They're always going after the princess who they're jealous of, but this is kind of like touching the story. Like, how did they end up to be the evil? Yeah, almost like wicked, like, to see how 2s they get where they are, which is always an interesting I love the villain's tales to see that. So it's interesting to see that growth, if this is where that's going with her. I mean, it kind of thinks because she could have been okay, but she. 1s Ah. Made those twists. 1s And then, of course, you know, if you didn't need more information, 1s more twist, you know, evangeline is kind of put back in her royal yep, state royal title back and all that. She's, you know, going back to normal almost. And I guess Jack suddenly decides to show up again, and she's like, I'll go meet him. She's been waiting for him. She was, like, a little worried. 2s I think she has a little feelings for him, for sure. 1s Definitely. And on her way to there, she realized that the guard that was taking her supposedly to where Jack was supposed to be was taking her a different place. Yeah. Havlock was the guard. Havlock? Yeah. Havlock was very loyal to Apollo. Right. And he said he completely knew he had a hunch that she didn't do it because of how sobbing uncontrollably over him. 1s But which had to do with the curse more than anything. But yeah. 3s So I guess they were brought to a secret passage, and Apollo was laying on this 2s sea of glass. Right. Kind of like a Snow White situation. 1s And they're like, I guess there's a girl woman I know, padra. Yeah. And she's like, he's not really dead. Yes. And we're like, what? 4s I was like, I was hoping he wasn't dead, but now it's just like, what is happening right now? 2s So he's he's still alive? Technically, he's barely alive. Yeah. And what, did he suspend his state? 2s He would stay in that state for centuries until he's revived. Basically. Like a snow white situation. Exactly. And I'm kind of wondering if this is kind of like snow white, but I could be wrong. Yeah. 1s So let's see. Well, then, that's what she thought. Right. And so she was like, maybe if I kiss him, he'll wake up. Wake up. And he did it, and. 2s Right? 1s What did they say? Like it just needed his true love kiss or something or no, she said I could try to kiss him. That was on page 398. Like, I could try to kiss him, she said. 1s So she did, but he didn't move or change. And then she forgot about Jax was coming, and she's like, oh, well, maybe he can do it. 1s But then her thoughts just started to spiral and she was like, Wait, 1s Jax could help. But then she's going back and she's spiraling through thinking about Apollo and Tiberius and La lost tears and literally just going through the prophecy again and thinking about all of this and making 2s like she thought that she can kiss him, but she never did. Because I think she felt like if she were to kiss him, then Jack's plan would be back in motion. Wait, she did kiss, right? Apollo. Treatment. 2s So she says, I could try to kiss him. Evangelist moved her hand to Apollo's cheek and pressed her lips to his. He tasted like wax, and hexes and he didn't move or change. So she did give him a kiss to try to rouse him. But then also, Jax had told her that it wasn't in her kiss. Oh, okay. 2s So it's like, interesting. I don't know. If she couldn't cure him with a kiss, perhaps she could find another way to heal him. And then she was talking about Jax. And that's when she started thinking about all the different things that all these connections between Jax and these other people who were in her. Like Apollo and Tiberius. Yeah. I think she's kind of like Tiberius was supposed to poison Evangeline, 3s but it was maybe Jax who turned it to Apollo to put him under. 3s Oh, boy. It's like, unraveling so many. Yeah, that's exactly what happened. I feel like her brain just started to put these pieces together, and now she's just questioning all of Jack's motives. Like, wait a minute. She would know that. Jack's would know that just like I did with the statues. I would not let Apollo stay this way. So 2s she's now questioning, like, oh, my God, did Jack set all of this other stuff in motion? Did he set up Apollo getting killed or being put into this? 1s State. And I think it all just comes back together of her stopping it and being like, oh, my God, this is crazy. She doesn't know who to trust again or what side he's on, because I think it was like, at one of the balls, they're way back in the balls, they saw Marisol and Jax speaking to one another, and you couldn't hear what they're saying. And Vanjaling is now saying, like, well, what if that Marisol hasn't been the one to put the spell in Tiberius, but Jax could have willed it to frame her. 3s I think it's kind of all hitting her. That all has could have done with Jax manipulating the situation, manipulating people to get a result. Yeah, 1s it's 5s jax was kind of betting on Evangeline never leaving Apollo in that state, so. Right. 3s I'm just, like, trying to I know. 2s How do I wrap this up, man? It kind of ends with her thoughts about Jack. She doesn't meet up with him yet again. She just is kind of now just having the epiphany of like, oh, my God, if Jack is behind all of this, he's not my friend. Like, this is not 2s good. Where do I go next with this? She got to figure out a way to save Apollo without asking Jax for help, because she doesn't want to owe him. 2s That's a big point. I don't know. Yeah, because I think that if she were to use 1s I think Jax was betting that her kiss and work 2s so she was going to go to him exactly. To get that last kiss. Yeah. And that's why he was betting on to open the Valerie Arch. And she's like, you know what? I'm not going to do it. I'm going to figure out another way to wake him up without going to Jack for that kiss. Exactly. 2s Yeah. It's just like putting it all together, and we're like, oh, my God, us too. We're like, wait a minute. Right? And I think chapter 54, the very last chapter, wraps up with her possibly opening up the door in a wolf hall. Yeah. That's a whole nother thing that can only be opened by a Valerie heir or blood bloodline or something. So she's going to go get her answers from there. Yes. That's where it ends. Yeah. So we're left being like, oh, my gosh. So she definitely has some kind of connection to being an heir and all of this. There's, like, so many pieces now, and I'm just I can't wait to see where it goes. Yeah. What would you say is your favorite part in that whole book? Oh, gosh. 1s I mean, I'm a big as a reader. I love seeing the characters develop throughout the book 1s and change and grow, so I like their relationship and how it keeps kind of changing. But I really like Evangeline. Like I said, I am a very optimistic person myself, and I love that about her. I always look like a believer in. Too. And always I was kind of like that. And I love that about her. It kind of just has that pure innocence, 1s just hoping for the best. Always. I really love that. And I don't know, there's so many pieces of it that I really like. I don't know, what are you thinking? I like the plot twist a lot because you read so much fantasy and sometimes you're like, oh, the hero wins is going to go outright. And that's nothing wrong. I love that still. But it's like nice to get surprised still. Yeah. As a reader. Right. And with it such being such an easy read, I was just always kind of like, what? 1s That's what I really loved about it because it just kept me on my toes. The things that you think that wasn't going to happen just happened. And then vampires just thrown in the mix. Right? Yeah. Just sprinkle a little vampire in there and we're good. Why not? So I'm just waiting for something else to happen. Werewolves to pop up, but you never know. Yeah, 1s well, 2s talked a lot about that. Yes. That was fun, though. My goodness. Sorry. I know. I just talk that on and on and on. I can keep going. This is what happens, I guess I'm excited to talk to book friends because I can't talk to my husband about it or anything like that. So it's like somebody who 5s yes, that's what I love about the book community is finding those people now and not being alone anymore in this. Absolutely. I could not agree more. Well, thank you so much. Hopefully we'll get to do another one because that was very fun talking about this. Yes. Thank you so much again for inviting me on. And it's just like you said, I'm so grateful and this was a lot of fun and I definitely would love to do another.