Stephanie GarberFantasy · Romantasy
The Ballad of Never After
Synopsis
Evangeline Fox got her wish — and paid a price she is only beginning to understand. Now a curse shadows everything she thought she had won, and the one person who might help her unravel it is the last she should trust: Jacks, the Prince of Hearts.
Their fragile, prickly alliance sends them chasing legends and lies across the Magnificent North, toward a fabled arch said to grant a story its true ending. But every fairy tale in this world has teeth, and Evangeline can no longer be certain which of the players circling her is telling the truth — or whether the heart she is trying to protect will survive what comes next.
The second book in the Once Upon a Broken Heart series, The Ballad of Never After is a swoony, twisty fantasy of curses, riddles, and impossible choices, set once more in the world of Caraval.
How it reads
Prose complexity 4/10
- Someone help me stop the tearsss ... ⭐️ 6 freaking stars I have just finished this book (or the book finished me? ) and I would like to formally announce that Stephanie Garber will be receiving my therapy bill. This was by far the easiest 5 stars I've given all year. I loved the first book, but this one completely consumed me. The plot? Amazing. The pacing? Perfect. The twists? Had me questioning everything. Every time I thought I knew what was happening, this book looked me dead in the eyes and said, "That's cute." But let's talk about the ending. Actually, no. Let's scream about the ending. Because you're telling me that Jacks spent all this time chasing the stones for ONE chance to change the thing he's wanted most, finally gets that chance, and then uses it to save Evangeline instead? (Excuse me while I dramatically throw myself outside my window.) And after everything Evangeline has been through, after all the suffering, heartbreak, manipulation, curses, near death experiences, and emotional damage, she finally gets saved... ONLY FOR APOLLO TO COME IN AND ERASE HER MEMORIES??? Sir. SIR. Respectfully. No, actually scratch that i have no respect whatsoever. What is f wrong with you? I have never wanted to enter a fictional world and square up with a character more. This book had me smiling, stressing, kicking my feet, gasping, and eventually crying. By the last few chapters, I wasn't even reading anymore. I was emotionally surviving. Anyway, 5 stars. No notes. Except Apollo. I have notes for Apollo.
- I absolutely despised the ending this book took, purely because I didn't want it to happen. I understand the lead it would bring into the final book but it felt like a copout (sorry not sorry). Aside from that, I enjoyed this sequel a lot, probably more than the first book. A lot was introduced, fleshing out the plotline and backstory of multiple characters. It was very easy to read and paced well. Rating: 4.5 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗