So This Is Ever After

So This Is Ever After by F. T. Lukens is essentially what you would expect: a queer, fantasy/romance full of fun, longing, missed and mixed signals, and the (happily) ever after you'll be rooting for all along.

You might think that, with main characters named Arek and Matt, the story owes most of its premise to Arthur, Merlin, and the Knights of the Round Table. However, the characters owe much more to the fantasy character classes primarily based on Dungeons and Dragons, and the snippets of their journey leading up to the events of the book certainly sound like the hijinks one should expect in any good Dungeons and Dragons campaign. This wink-and-a-nod to tabletop roleplaying helps set up the medley of characters, making them memorable show more and enjoyable without feeling like flat stereotypes.

The plot is similarly structured in that it uses a lot of stereotypical twists and turns in ways that make the reading enjoyable and easily understood without feeling tired or worn out. While nothing that happens feels particularly surprising, it also does not feel stale and trope-filled.

The worst thing I can say about this book is that it left me wanting more, preferably a sequel about how well everybody is doing in the future. All of the characters are enjoyable, the plot is light and fun, and the ending was very well landed. In fact, it was such a fun read that I could barely put it down, reading it in a single sitting (with appropriate bathroom breaks of course). Suitable for YA/teen audiences, I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a less explicit queer romance/fantasy. show less

This book had a great premise that was wasted on a lame romance trope. Arek is the Chosen One who has just fulfilled the prophecy that he would kill the Vile One and usher in a thousand years of peace for the realm. Arek is also a 17 year old boy, who assumed that once he and his five fellow-questers finished their task, everyone could go home and resume their normal lives. He didn't expect to be crowned the new King and to have the responsibility of learning how to rule an entire kingdom. And he is especially horrified to learn that if he doesn't find someone to bond with before his 18th birthday, he will die an agonizing death.

There's a lot of potential in exploring what happens when five teenagers are suddenly thrust into adult roles show more they never asked for, and how they cope with the "ever after" they hadn't anticipated. There's a nice blend of humor and sincerity (and a bit of violence) as they band together to figure out to repair relationships and bring prosperity and trust back to the kingdom after 20 years of Evil. And Lila the "rogue" steals the show with her unapologetic thievery and general snarkiness. I'd gladly read a book about her adventures.

But the plot is seriously weakened by the "bond or die" trope, primarily because Arek is in love with his best friend Matt the magician and is afraid to tell him. So for 95% of the book we have to deal with Arek trying to "woo" his other friends while pining for Matt, and So. Much. Miscommunication. It's tiresome and annoying. It's obvious to everyone else that they are in love with each other, but Arek keeps making assumptions that Matt doesn't feel the same way, he would resent Arek if they had to bond, it would destroy their friendship, etc. etc. Repeat ad nauseum until the 11th hour.

I really admired F.T. Lukens' previous work, including [b:The Star Host|27830154|The Star Host (Broken Moon, #1)|F.T. Lukens|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1447534529l/27830154._SX50_.jpg|47811227] and the rest of the Broken Moon trilogy. I loved the lighthearted "Men in Black" vibe of [b:The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths & Magic|34736638|The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths & Magic (The Rules #1)|F.T. Lukens|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1490892182l/34736638._SY75_.jpg|55922749] and its sequel. But this story was more frustrating than enjoyable. YMMV if the "best friends pining for each other" trope is your jam. show less

I absolutely adored this book. It was exactly as my best friend described. It's a well we defeated the big bad at the end of the campaign, but what happens now with an amazing romantic twist. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys Dungeons and Dragons.

So This Is Ever After by F.T. Lukens has been on my list forever, largely because of the swoony cover, but it turns out I didn’t have much idea what it was about. It is a YA romance and also very funny, featuring a group of friends who accidentally end up running a kingdom after completing the quest to kill the evil magician who has ruled for 40 years. The opening scene is sort of comically gory, but otherwise it’s mostly nonviolent.

The main plot line is that Arek, now king, is going to die if he doesn’t bond with a soulmate in 3 months. The back cover copy is somewhat misleading as it describes Arek “discovering that love was in front of him all along.” In the book, Arek knows who he loves but won’t say anything for various show more reasons. The entire book involves poor communication and pining, so be warned if that’s not your thing… I was enjoying the characters and goofiness so much I could tolerate the endless pining. I loved how much fun this was. show less

Great!
I enjoyed the journey it took to reach them finally ending up together! It was funny, had awesome characters, and was fun. I personally liked how it was the story about AFTER the big bad person gets defeated and the group dealing with the after stuff.

Overall- fantastic!

Apart from a tiny niggling plot point (x months after gaining the throne would have been better than by certain age) but this story that starts with the end of the quest and then asks what next. What do the characters do with themselves after they've defeated the big bad and now have to deal with the aftermath and ruling. A close-knit found family who like each other. But Arek has to find a spouse by his 18th birthday or it's all going to go completely wrong and he's going to die. He has to deal with being King Arek the Kind and trying to work out if any of his friends will be his spouse, even though who he really wants is Matt, who is trying hard to also not reveal that he loves Arek.
It's an inclusive, interesting world with characters show more who have so much angst and yearning... show less

The questing hero has slain the Vile One and freed the land. Now what?

It took me a while to readjust my ideas and get into this book because the blurb describes it as "Carry On meets Arthurian legend". Much as I'd love to see Carry On Round the Table, the blurb writer has obviously never seen a Carry On film nor do they have any knowledge of Arthurian legend. On its own terms, it is a pleasant enough mindless piece of fluff.