Chapter 38: Evangeline – The Search for Jacks's Heart
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
Evangeline walks with LaLa toward the Hollow at sunrise. LaLa jokes about torturing Aurora, and Evangeline admits she wants to kiss Jacks without dying. They reach a tree marked with a wolf wearing a flower crown—the entrance to Aurora's lair. Evangeline cuts her finger and uses her blood to open a hidden door. Inside, they find shelves of jars and books. Evangeline searches for Jacks's heart but instead discovers a white leather book: Aurora’s spell book. Reading through the journal, Evangeline learns that Aurora knew of a vision that Jacks would fall in love with a “Fox”—a girl who could turn into a fox. To prevent this, Aurora took steps that likely resulted in the Archer's curse and the fatal kiss curse being placed on Jacks. LaLa and Evangeline discuss Aurora's vindictive nature.
Key Events
- Evangeline and LaLa reach the Hollow and locate the sigil tree marking Aurora's lair.
- Evangeline sheds blood to open the hidden door, revealing a subterranean room filled with jars and books.
- She searches for Jacks's heart among the containers but finds nothing resembling a beating heart.
- Evangeline discovers a sealed white book—Aurora’s spell book—and opens it with her blood.
- Reading the journal, she learns of a vision that Jacks would love a “Fox” and that Aurora interfered.
- Evangeline connects Aurora’s actions to the Archer’s curse and Jacks’s fatal kiss.
Character Development
- Evangeline: Shows determination and vulnerability. She admits her fear of dying by Jacks’s kiss but also her hope that he still wants her. Her empathy for Jacks deepens as she learns the truth about his past.
- LaLa: Reveals a vengeful but supportive side. Her suggestion to torture Aurora contrasts with her gentle encouragement of Evangeline’s hope.
- Aurora (in journal): Portrayed as obsessive and cruel. She actively sabotages Jacks’s chance at love rather than letting him be with someone else.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Blood as Key: Evangeline’s blood unlocks both the door and the spell book, emphasizing sacrifice and identity.
- The Fox Symbol: Represents the fated love Jacks was supposed to have, which Aurora tried to destroy.
- Jars and Containers: The jars holding various items (blood, sparkles, etc.) symbolize the way Aurora collects and controls magical objects and lives.
- The Archer’s Curse: Recontextualized as a deliberate act of jealousy, highlighting the theme of love twisted by possessiveness.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter provides a critical backstory for the main conflict. It reveals that Aurora orchestrated the Archer's curse and the fatal kiss curse, making her a primary antagonist. It also deepens Evangeline’s understanding of Jacks’s suffering and strengthens her resolve to save him. The discovery of the spell book sets up the possibility that Evangeline may find a way to reverse the curses.
Study Questions and Answers
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What does Evangeline find in Aurora’s lair instead of Jacks’s heart?
She finds Aurora’s spell book, which contains a journal of her magical experiments and her reaction to a vision that Jacks would fall in love with a “Fox.” -
How does Aurora’s journal entry explain the origin of the Archer’s curse?
Aurora learned from her sister Vesper’s vision that Jacks would love a Fox—a girl who could turn into a fox. To prevent this, Aurora manipulated events to place the Archer’s curse on Jacks, forcing him to hunt and ultimately kill that girl. -
Why does LaLa believe Aurora cursed Jacks’s kiss?
LaLa reasons that Aurora followed the rule “If I can’t have him, then no one else can,” suggesting she made Jacks’s kiss fatal out of possessive jealousy after stealing his heart.