This story was kind of bland in my opinion and I felt that it could have been easier to follow. That being said I am not generally a fan of graphic novels, so still give it a shot if you are, but if you aren't or are just trying to get into the genre, I would skip this one.

"I believe Earth’s a wise old woman… A landlord, in fact. And humans didn’t pay their rent for too long. What’s going on now… is an eviction."

At first, reading this felt a little like tapping through the computer-controlled dialogue bits during online RPGs—disjointed, off-kilter, somewhat non-emotive. I didn’t really know where the story was headed most of the time, and sometimes the action between panels jumped what seemed like a step too far (or not far enough), meaning I’d have to go back and re-read to figure out what happened.

But around the halfway mark, the story really begins to coalesce. We start to understand what’s driving Vivi—what she truly fears, more than even the undead.

The premise: Two years ago, the dead begin to reanimate, bringing down the apocalypse. Ever After opens in Weimar, Germany, inside a safe compound fortified by fences. Vivi’s a patient at the psychiatric hospital; she is haunted by hallucinations about her little sister, who is presumably roaming the German countryside.

Throughout the course of the story, we follow Vivi’s journey from timid girl dependent on others to someone who comes to terms with her grief and guilt. Along the way she’s joined by Eva, a snarky girl fighting off a transformation of her own; several of the undead; and an intriguing individual who seems part-sentient-zombie and part-plant. I wish that the botanical aspects of the undead were explored more, because I thought that really set Ever After apart from other zombie world-building I’ve encountered.

CONCLUSION: A disjointed story that ends just as it's getting poignant—I would've enjoyed Ever After more if Vivi's coming-into-her-own began sowing its seeds (no pun intended!) earlier in the book.

I am more stone, than flesh and bone. I’ve seen life, I’ve seen death. I never sleep, I keep good watch, for ghosts who’d steal my breath...
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!!
It is the second one I read, and I really like the experience of doing it. So I’m very greatful for being given the chance.
Now, my honest review:

I really liked the story. At first I was a little bit lost with who was talking, or what was really happening. It was easy for me to lose the thread, but after I kept on reading, I got used to her unique style, and caught up.
The illustrations were beautifully made, and the story that it’s told, is it as well.
By the end I was almost tearing up, because the friendship that developed during the story was truthfully gorgeous and real.
I really enjoyed reading how they overcame and dealt with their fears and past traumas.
And I actually don’t know what else to say other than, If you are looking for a unique story, told in an a unique way, with beautiful illustrations and a strong golden relationship, this is the book for you.
Thanks for reading me, and again, I’m super greatful with NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this amazing book. I hope you liked my review...

[3.5/5]

I generally love apocalyptic stories (though they scare me) and I was excited to read this! It sounded extremely interesting and the art style is so pretty! I must admit that having read it, it lacked quite a bit in plot. Certain motives were unclear and though it can't be as detailed as say a 500-page novel, it could definitely be more.

Criticism aside, it was a quick read and really pleasing to the eye. I might actually purchase the physical copy because it looks so good! Wish it had more plot, or multiple volumes because I loved the concept and the short but sweet character relationships and developments!

This graphic novel was beautifully done. The images told a story in a way that words could not. I felt a little uncertain as to the flow of the story as it was out of my typical genre but I did enjoy reading through their journey.

t/w: attempted suicide

i think my favourite part about this graphic novel is the art work, it's honestly amazing. the colours are vibrant & the illustrations are just great.

eva & vivi were great characters. they were both struggling in their own way, but really grew to support & care about each other.

although this was about a zombie apocalypse & the hardships everyone now had to face, i felt like this graphic novel tried to incorporate some more positive components. these positive aspects didn't take away from the severity of the reality around them, but they were able to look at the good sometimes instead of always focusing on the bad. vivi's experience in the garden was one of my favourite scenes it was like she started to find some peace.

some things were unclear, i know viv was struggling with grief, but there was more to it. it seemed that she had anxiety & hallucinations (possibly schizophrenia?) i'm not 100% sure it was a bit unclear.

i do believe that there was a lot of content that was squeezed into a short amount of space. i think if it were a bit longer & a bit more detailed it would have been more consistent & would have eliminated minor gaps in the story or areas that can be easily questioned.

What initially pulled me to requesting this title on Netgalley was the art on the cover and the name of the author, Olivia Vieweg. The name sounded Dutch or German and as a Dutch person I always find that interesting. I was right. Olivia Vieweg is a German author who originally published this graphic novel in German back in 2012. As such this takes place in Germany.

The story follows two young girls, Eva and Vivi. The world as they knew it changed 2 years ago when the zombie apocalypse started. Now many of the cities are hidden behind gates with a non-human operated train going back and forth between the cities for supplies.  Vivi was taken into a mental health ward when she was found. Eva has been working at the gates.

The first thing I noticed is that the art isn't as consistent as the cover would suggest. They try to keep the feel of the cover going throughout the graphic novel but it doesn't always work. The colors of the sky in the cover feels whimsical and with a story with as much graphic novel and heavy emotions it doesn't feel quite right. The colors are somewhat muted. On the other hand I also think this is just the style of the author.

While the book is close to 300 pages I felt I wasn't getting enough world building as a whole. What triggered the zombie apocalypse. What about the rest of the world? How does the weeds taking over the zombie infection work? I have so many questions about these things and they should have been answered. Especially as this is a standalone work.

The characters are dealing with a lot of things. Vivi is dealing with the grief and guilt of the death of her sister. Eva feels abandoned when the apocalypse started and is dealing with a zombie mutation after having been scratched. There are a lot of themes of mental health in here. On occasion I thought it was done well. But for the most part I still felt like I wasn't getting what I really needed in this book to truly feel something for these characters.

All in all I felt that the story just felt unfinished at the end.

I usually enjoy watching apocalyptic stories unfold, but this one was not for me. I can appreciate the artwork for being beautiful. It was very graphic as well.
But the story over all, was not my favourite. I felt very confused as to where it was going pretty much the entire way.
I most likely will not be buying the book unfortunately.

This graphic novel caught my attention at the perfect time as I just started watching The Walking Dead again.

This was very fast paced. I finished it within a few hours and probably would have finished it earlier without interruptions.

This was very clearly a coming of age story, with a twist. Not everyone needs to learn how to survive in a zombie apocalypse alongside of learning how to grow up and deal with loss and changes all at the same time.

At some points I did feel a little lost, I don't know if this was due to it not originally being in English (I saw this somewhere) or just the graphic novel format. I will admit that I don't read a lot of graphic novels, which may cause some of the confusion.

All in all, if you are looking for some quick, end of the world type material, this one is for you!

Thanks to the author and publisher for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

This one was quite confusing to be honest. The blurb sounded so good! I usually don't read books like this, but I decided to give it a try. Sadly, I didn't like this one. I was really confused most of the time. I did like the artwork though! Wouldn't recommend this one..

I was instantly drawn in by the beautiful art on the cover, and while it is gorgeous I wasn’t impressed with the story. Post apocalyptic stories and zombies feel very overdone now, and I don’t think this graphic novel added anything new to the genre. I did like the portrayal of PTSD, the characters felt underdeveloped, and I struggled to follow the story at times.

Maybe it wasn’t for me.

I thought the artwork in EVER AFTER was incredibly beautiful, but the plot and characters felt very underdeveloped.

I received a free digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion from #NetGalley.

An interesting story about a post-apocalyptic world. The art is beautiful, and the end had a wonderful twist. The story follows the relationship between Eva and Vivi, two wanderers who meet two years after the start of a zombie apocalypse. They find themselves stranded between "safe zones" and are forced to pair up for survival as they try to reach the next city.

Vivi and Eva struggle to get along. Eva is bold and daring, and Vivi is shy and sensitive. Over time, their bond grows and they begin to truly rely on each other. However, Eva is hiding from Vivi that she is slowly turning into a zombie, too.

The story touches on topics like PTSD, grief, and abuse, although I can't decide if the approaches were nuanced enough for me. A lot of Vivi and Eva's backstories felt underdeveloped, and I still feel like I'm missing some information after finishing the book.

Overall it's definitely a fun read and beautiful to explore. Content warnings for attempted suicide, abuse, and gore. I would overall recommend this book if you're looking for a weekend read with zombies.

Did not realise this was a comic about the zombie apocalypse! Despite the pretty muted colours there are dark subjects depicted - death, attempted suicide, loss of a family members, graphic violence, mutilation of body parts.

A very strange story about life, death and friendship.

3 stars

I am not really a apocalyptic fan with all those zombies it is just not my vibe.

I love the illustration and the work of the artist especially but there was too much of gore for me and I think for those people who like the drama of zombies would like this book.

It is about two girls named vivi and Eva who were leaving the city and they were running away from the zombies cause it was too hectic and when they bite u become one. The typical zombie vibes....

The ARC for this novel was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In this graphic novel we focus on a post-apocalyptic world where only few cities have been able to stay on their feet. Vivi, the protagonist, is a girl with serious mental problems who fights guilt for the loss of her sister. She lives in the psychiatric hospital, and has finally had the opportunity to do a little work in the city, that's where she meets Eva, a lonely and mysterious girl with whom she will embark on a dangerous adventure.

To be honest, I didn't understand much of the story.
The illustrations are beautiful, I loved them! And actually, that's why I chose to read this book, but while the colors and illustrations were really beautiful, the story made no sense to me.

It is not only that some parts seemed to be cut, I don't understand if it is on purpose or was a mistake, but in some parts it seems that the scenes are cut abruptly when something interesting is starting.
There's also the fact that much of what they showed us is confusing. In some parts I did not know if what was happening was a dream or something real, but I want to think that in those parts the author wanted to show what Vivi's life was like and how it is to see it through her eyes.

On the other hand, the dark side of the story was extremely intriguing and that is what kept me awake wanting to continue with the story.
For people who love bloody, tragic, and zombie stories, this might be one of their next readings, but for me there were many plot holes that made me disappointed.
Of course, I want to emphasize the precious illustrations, I loved them ~.

I received an eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Raw, grim and dark.

This is a fantastic zombie horror graphic novel, that twists and turns through the perspective of a mentally ill girl stuck in the apocalypse. Fast paced and disturbing, a real page turner.

This was a very... interesting book. The story it told was not at all what I expected, but it was done in such a unique and intriguing way. The illustration of the characters and their world is done in such a way that you are drawn in, and desire to know more about them and how the world they live in came to be that way. I do recommend this to anyone that wants to read a very spooky, off-beat kind of tale.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the digital copy of the book for honest review.
The story is about two girls teamimg up for survival in a post apocalyptic premise filled with the undead. Things like friendship, dealing with grief and becoming self sufficient are meticulously presented in this story. The illustrations are vibrant and catchy. The characters are interesting. I enjoyed this graphic novel.

Thank you so much to net galley for sending me a copy of this book. I was really expecting to enjoy this book and I ended up loving it. I would recommend this book.