Synopsis:
The Ballad of Never After is the fiercely-anticipated sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller Once Upon a Broken Heart, starring Evangeline Fox and the Prince of Hearts on a new journey of magic, mystery, and heartbreak.
After Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, betrays her, Evangeline Fox swears she’ll never trust him again. Now that she’s discovered her own magic, Evangeline believes she can use it to restore the chance at happily ever after that Jacks stole away.
But when a new terrifying curse is revealed, Evangeline finds herself entering into a tenuous partnership with the Prince of Hearts again. Only this time, the rules have changed. Jacks isn’t the only force Evangeline needs to be wary of. In fact, he might be the only one she can trust, despite her desire to despise him.
Instead of a love spell wreaking havoc on Evangeline’s life, a murderous spell has been cast. To break it, Evangeline and Jacks will have to do battle with old friends, new foes, and a magic that plays with heads and hearts. Evangeline has always trusted her heart, but this time she’s not sure she can.
Review:
I’m extremely bad at writing reviews for books I rate five stars. One star reviews, easy. DNF reviews, easy. But having to explain why I loved a book is something I find quite difficult. Especially when it grabs my attention so wholly that I don’t stop reading to take notes. That’s exactly what The Ballad of Never After was.
I’ve been wanting to continue this series for such a long time that I was worried this wouldn’t live up to expectations. I should really put more faith in Stephanie Garber as she’s yet to let me down. She has such a talent for making everything feel magical. The imagery and symbolism in this book alone are seriously impressive. I’m almost tempted to go back into the world of Caraval as I remember the descriptions in that book blew me away. Completely immersive.
I didn’t enjoy The Ballad of Never After as much as book one, but this is still a phenomenal read. There are so many huge reveals and honestly, I didn’t guess most of them. Especially the one about Jacks. Who I still love. I know he’s quite callous and cold, but there’s something very charming about him too. I’ve loved him since Legendary and I doubt the final book in this series will change my mind.
Which brings me to my next point. I love Eva and Jacks and I just want them to be happy. But will I read the final book any time soon? Probably not, but let’s see. I already know it won’t be such a simple happy ending.
The progression of their relationship in The Ballad of Never After is everything to me. Jacks has a real ‘touch her and you die’ attitude in this book and it is great. It’s obvious to everyone but Eva that he loves her and that’s what makes the ending of this book all the more heartbreaking. I won’t spoil what happens but I was not prepared in the slightest. I’m now the lead member of the Apollo hate club.
There is so much more I probably want to say about this book but I’ve left writing this review so long after reading the book that I can’t think of anything else.
If you’ve never checked out either the Once Upon a Broken Heart or Caraval series, I highly recommend you do so soon. Set in the same world, both series are beautifully brutal yet magical.
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