Once Upon a Broken Heart

In Chapter 36, Jacks admits he manipulated Evangeline for his own gain, and in Chapter 53, Evangeline ties everything that’s happened back to her first meeting with Jacks. Do you believe Jacks manipulated Evangeline from the start? Why or why not? If not, when did his manipulation begin? How does the moment where his manipulation began trigger events that lead to the final scenes of the book? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

What does Donatella surviving Jacks’s kiss suggest about true love? Do you think Donatella was Jacks’s true love at some point? Do you think Evangeline is Jacks’s true love? Do you think people can have more than one true love? Why or why not? If so, are all true loves created equal?

Knowing the lengths Marisol goes through to get what she wants, do you think she spelled Evangeline at any points during the book? Why or why not? If so, what spells might she have used and when? If not, why do you think Marisol chose to spell others but not Evangeline, the one she’s most jealous of? Support your answer with evidence from the text.