The Ballad of Never After

I cannot even express THE WAY I SCREAMED at the end of this book! I couldn’t believe it was over. I feel like I blacked out for the last 50 pages and need to reread it.

I CANNOT believe the cliffhanger Stephanie left us on.

Spoilers! Ye be warned!
WHERE IS JACKS?!
Apollo is a VILLAIN?!
Which fate can take your memories because I’m pretty sure there’s one that can do that.
I cannot believe he stole her memories! That was absolutely heart breaking but OMG what a TWIST!
End of spoilers

Stephanie absolutely knows how to write an ending and keep you begging for more because that’s EXACTLY where I’m at. I NEED the third book more than I need water. The journey Evangeline went on to find the stones and a cure for her Apollo was *chefs show more kiss* I loved that we got to explore more of the Magical North, I loved that we have gotten to fall in love with more characters, I love that we got to explore more Magic.

I LOVED Caraval and I had heard people say that this one is better than Caraval. All I could think was “how?!” WELL NOW I KNOW!

This book gets infinity stars for me and I’m predicting infinity stars for the series as a whole. This gave me so much joy to read, and (for me) I would put this series on the same level as ACOTAR. I SAID WHAT I SAID! It gave me the same feelings I had while reading ACOTAR. It felt high steaks and had me on the edge of my seat. And I feel like it had the same rhythm that Sarah J. Maas also loves. The whole story is really good and it has its peaks and valleys, but at the very end, it really ramps up to end the story with a bang.

I’m addicted to this series and I need to start the third book immediately. show less

Series Info/Source: This is the second book in the Once Upon a Broken Heart series. I borrowed this as an ebook from the library.

Thoughts: I adored this second book in the Once Upon a Broken Heart series. Garber's writing is absolutely magical and I enjoyed every moment of it. This book picks up where the first one left off. Evangeline's new husband, Apollo, is in a coma but rumored to be dead. When another curse strikes she has to form an uneasy truce with Jacks. Despite her vow to never open the gate that only she can open, she might finally be forced to do just that.

Okay so I am not going to talk much about the story or the writing style here because it was completely the characters that drove this book; in particular Evangeline and show more Jacks. There is so much heartbreak, pain, angst, and longing in this book it absolutely broke my heart. However, there is also a lot of witty banter and hope. Between the longing and sly humor, this book took my emotions and twisted them up again and again. It is pretty rare that I read a book like this where I am so absolutely engaged in the two lead characters that I could care less about what was happening around them...but this book pretty much did that.

The plot is excellent too (even if Evangeline and Jacks stole the show). The way everything is mirroring a classic folklore tale was clever. There were also some major twists and surprises here and I enjoyed them all. The ending did break my heart and I am dying to see what happens next. Really, absolutely dying. I know people are complaining about the ending but I thought it suited the tone of the story perfectly.

Garber's writing style is just amazing. It is all magic and glitter, beautiful description, witty banter, and deep emotion. The dialogue between characters is spot on and highly entertaining. I really loved this book, it was a breath of fresh air and I can't wait to read the next one.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I absolutely loved this second book in the Once Upon a Broken Heart series. This was a magical, amusing, and heart-wrenching read and I loved every second of it. Jacks and Evageline absolutely stole the show here and the plot took some unique and surprising turns. I would recommend to those who enjoy glittering yet dark themed fairy-tale-esque YA fantasies. I am absolutely dying to read the third and final book in this trilogy! show less

I literally feel changed after having read an advanced copy of this book. I stayed up until almost 4 AM to get through it, because I was more anxious to know what happened than to go to bed. Reading it all in one sitting was the way to go, as I was fully immersed in the story and the world.

This book feels darker than its predecessor, and has a bit more than Stephanie's usual almost-spice. It seems slightly more grown-up, but still very much YA. The story was unexpected, full of surprises, and went in completely different directions than I had anticipated. I was gnawing on my fingernails throughout, kept in suspense and nervous for the beloved characters. Speaking of, Jacks is as delicious as ever, and Evangeline is as stubborn and show more reckless as ever, ha.

My heart ached for the characters, rejoiced with them, yearned for their happiness. I squealed more times than is probably warranted, just about every time Jacks showed up and did or said *anything*. I laughed out loud. I brooded. I cried. I gasped. I scowled. This book ripped just about every emotion from me. It felt like the author actually has gotten inside my head when I'm crushing on someone, infatuated, in love, or broken-hearted; she writes all of those states just how I experience them, in all their raw and embarrassing details.

The pacing varies throughout, sometimes lightning fast so I had to pause for a bit to take in what was happening, and sometimes churning slowly through the characters' struggles. It always held my interest and kept me desperately turning the pages. The length is just right; you can finish it in a day, but I recommend starting it in the morning if you're going to!

I'm haunted by this story, as if it's a part of my past; it felt so real and I felt like I was a part of it while reading. I am so, so grateful to Flatiron books for their giveaway that afforded me the chance to get this ARC into my hands. I look forward to reading it, and the various finished copies that I have on pre-order, multiple times show less

I literally feel changed after having read an advanced copy of this book. I stayed up until almost 4 AM to get through it, because I was more anxious to know what happened than to go to bed. Reading it all in one sitting was the way to go, as I was fully immersed in the story and the world.

This book feels darker than its predecessor, and has a bit more than Stephanie's usual almost-spice. It seems slightly more grown-up, but still very much YA. The story was unexpected, full of surprises, and went in completely different directions than I had anticipated. I was gnawing on my fingernails throughout, kept in suspense and nervous for the beloved characters. Speaking of, Jacks is as delicious as ever, and Evangeline is as stubborn and show more reckless as ever, ha.

My heart ached for the characters, rejoiced with them, yearned for their happiness. I squealed more times than is probably warranted, just about every time Jacks showed up and did or said *anything*. I laughed out loud. I brooded. I cried. I gasped. I scowled. This book ripped just about every emotion from me. It felt like the author actually has gotten inside my head when I'm crushing on someone, infatuated, in love, or broken-hearted; she writes all of those states just how I experience them, in all their raw and embarrassing details.

The pacing varies throughout, sometimes lightning fast so I had to pause for a bit to take in what was happening, and sometimes churning slowly through the characters' struggles. It always held my interest and kept me desperately turning the pages. The length is just right; you can finish it in a day, but I recommend starting it in the morning if you're going to!

I'm haunted by this story, as if it's a part of my past; it felt so real and I felt like I was a part of it while reading. I am so, so grateful to Flatiron books for their giveaway that afforded me the chance to get this ARC into my hands. I look forward to reading it, and the various finished copies that I have on pre-order, multiple times show less

5 stars because it had me fully hooked from start to finish. This book was even better than the first, more tension, more magic, more heartbreak (in the best way), and way more Jacks (aka chaos and charm in one). The world feels even more magical and dangerous this time around, and I loved every second of it.
Evangeline is such a fun main character to follow, she’s hopeful, emotional, and always trying to do the right thing even when everything around her is a mess. And her dynamic with Jacks? Ugh. The chemistry, the banter, the slow-burn tension, it’s so addicting. You never know if you can fully trust him, and that just adds to the excitement. The plot had so many twists I didn’t see coming, and the ending?? Let’s just say I show more immediately needed book three. show less

“This isn’t a bedtime story, Little Fox.”
“Most fairytales aren’t.”

I have mixed feelings about this.
In the first book, a lot of characters chase ‘true love’ out of a fairytale. They kill and curse to obtain it, even though the ‘true love’ is very shallow. All the magic happens without explanation and when it’s plot convenient.
Because there were a lot of fairytale influences, (balls and curses and a prince looking for a bride), I didn’t mind it that much. Book 1 had the depth of a fairytale and the atmosphere of a fairytale.

In this one, it’s less of a fairytale and more of a vaguely fantasy drama, which meant the issues I had with book 1 annoyed me a lot more.
There is a lot of lore around the plot (vampires, an show more arch, old families), but literally everything happened as the author demanded. No danger ever felt suspenseful, because the magic is limitless.
There is a mystery surrounding people from long ago? Evangeline finds a very convenient picture of all of them. Evangeline might be feeling things for Jacks? It is revealed that a magical object nearby manipulates her feelings. Evangeline is dying? Just go back in time.

The characters suffered the same. I didn’t mind Evangeline’s fairytale princess naivety in book 1, because that was what she was. An endlessly kind and trusting girl looking for a happily ever after. In book 2, I wanted to see how she had grown. Either she becomes bitter after her experiences, or she is deliberately choosing to be kind and trusting, despite knowing the risks.
Jacks is still a scheming villain, and their romance didn’t feel very well built.
I liked the way they went back and forth, helping each other and being aloof the next, but why do they like each other? Evangeline tells herself she shouldn’t mistake Jacks saving her life for him being nice, because he needs her for his own goals. And yet she does. Sigh.

I did enjoy the writing. The author clearly has a talent for evoking whimsical settings in a way that feels effortless and really easy to read. The pages flew by, even if I didn’t enjoy the story all that much.
It’s parts like this quote that made me want to love the book.
And it struck her how intimate words could be, how they could be spoken only once, for only one person, and they would never be heard again, they would disappear like a moment, gone almost as soon as you realized they were there.
This short little thought Evangeline has is filled with emotions without ever naming them.
Stephanie Garber can write so well, I really wish I liked her books more. show less

The Ballad of Never After is another sequel that ends with the meanest but most surprising endings, but it certainly is one wild ride of a story. In this second book of the Once Upon a Broken Heart series, Stephanie Garber continues Evangeline’s search for her happily ever after, including yet another tenuous partnership with everyone’s favorite bad boy, Jacks. What makes the sequel so powerful is that we learn a little more about the Prince of Hearts’ past, revealing him to be a much more complicated Fate than readers possibly imagined. The Ballad of Never After moves swiftly and is one of those novels that is over before you want it to end – always a sign of an engaging and well-written story. With that ending, it will be a show more long wait until the third book’s release! show less