Unfortunately, this book was not at all what I was expecting. I requested it because it was supposed to be inspired by the legend of King Arthur, and knowing the author, I thought I would be getting a YA Arthurian remix. However, it read like it was meant for middle schoolers and had absolutely nothing at all to do with the Arthur tale (apart from one instance in which the author must have suddenly remembered they sold the concept as Arthur-related and quickly mentioned a sword found in a swamp). The naming conventions were ridiculous, the plot was obvious, and the characters were boring. I didn't think it was possible to make a boring LGBTQ-filled story, but this is it.

I wanted this book to be cuter and more clever than it actually is. My friend Kelsey can tell you that when I first started this book I was, to be quite honest, completely unimpressed. For the first handful of chapters, this book has no idea who it’s audience is. It reads like middle grade fiction for a good long while, but then one of the characters drops an f-bomb, and suddenly who knows?? The beginning needs some serious reworking so it’s a bit more clear who this book is for.

Once the book hits its stride, though, it gets pretty damn cute. However, besides the mention of getting a sword from a bog, there is NOT A SINGLE PIECE of this story that has anything to do with the Arthurian legend. Color me completely disappointed. I wanted some mention of Merlin, or Morgana, or hell, even a Lancelot. Nothing. I got over it though, because Arek and his friends are all rather fun. Though I do have another minor complaint — how come literally every other member of the friend group has a cool fantasy name, but Arek’s love interest is just…Matt? Lame. Oh yeah — this book is rather gay. There’s all sorts of representation in both the foreground and background of the story. It’s done in a subtle way, not overly in your face about it, which is nice.

The basic gist of the story is what happens after the main bad guy is defeated and the kingdom is saved? It’s a cute concept! The tone was off for a bit, but the book settles into itself close to around halfway through. I’d have given up if it took longer, but thankfully the book is short and it was worth it. If you’re looking for something fun and lighthearted, I recommend So This is Ever After. I give it a good three and a half stars.

Arek was the foretold Chosen One, the one to defeat the evil king and bring peace to the land. At least that was the plan. Through a misunderstanding and a magic bond, Arek is now king and must be married by his 18th birthday in order to stay king and, more importantly, stay alive.

What a fun novel! Oh my gosh. Yes, it is a bit frustrating that my least favorite romance trope (miscommunication) is being used to the highest degree here, but the dynamics between the characters were enough to keep me going. You have all the staples of a good RPG party here, with a rogue, a mage, a knight, a bard, and a warrior, and seeing them play off each other was really fun. I love the set up of a bisexual dating game where only one person knows they’re playing, because you can see the foundation of Arek and Matt’s relationship build through all of Arek’s exploits to find a soulmate. Each member of Arek’s party is fleshed out and feels like their own person. The diversity in sexualities is great as well, with characters not pointing out the genders of their romance options. It took a bit longer than I would have liked to get to the ending, but it happened and it was amazing, and I loved it.

I was drawn to this book due to the gorgeous cover art, but the story is what really sold me.

A wonderful LGBTQ+ book, I loved how people in this just loved who they loved and their sexuality wasn’t even a question or an issue at all.

The book is great too for fans of Dungeons and Dragons, but it’s more like what happens after the quest, which is really fun to see different party members have to take on different roles.

There’s a lot of heart and soul in this book as well as action and cute romances throughout.

Honestly, all I have to say about this book is that I wanted more. I will say I loved the characters and the fact that I’m pretty sure every single character in this is gay. This is a YA fantasy that follows the events AFTER you slay the bad guy and have to become king and figure out how to rule a kingdom. The premise was actually amazing but the but the execution needed some work. The plot was very surface level, obvious, and predictable. It made for an easy read but I constantly found myself wanting the author to flush out the characters , the setting, and the storyline a lot more then they did. This was also heightened by the fact that the book kept referencing these really cool adventures the characters had before the book took place which just reinforced that there were no cool adventures happening in this book. Overall I thought the book was an easy read with interesting characters but I wish the author would’ve written the prequel to this book instead of this one






Thank you to the publisher for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

You know that BBC show Merlin? This is what that could have been IF the writers manned up and just made Arthur and Merlin canon. It's short, it's sweet, it's easy to read, like a tasty desert.

First off: Great, very familiar setting. The world is lush, and you get enough of an idea of it without being bogged down by details because it is very similar to Arthurian legends. If you play DND you know the basic outline already. (If you aren't I could see you being a little frustrated)

The romance is fantastic: Best Friends to Lovers, although it comes waaaay late in the book. It definitely doesn't feel like the main plot of the story. The characters are all likable with distinct personalities (tied to their DND class), and have an overabundance of queer representation.

The pacing is a little off, and probably the biggest drawback of the book. But it's got friendship, it's got magic, it's got some angst - a great quick read when you need something a little gay and fluffy.

It’s probably more of a 3.5 though.

I was immediately taken by the premise of this story and the cover was cute too. It felt interesting to see what the story would be when the prophecy has been fulfilled and the evil king is dead but our hero isn’t prepared to be the new king. But I ended up having mixed feelings for this one.

The humor is what you notice first once you start reading this book. The tone is sardonic and witty and hilarious and I couldn’t stop giggling most of the times. Arek, our hero, is really clueless initially about how to be king because he never planned for it. But he is smart (also self deprecating) and quickly starts delegating tasks to his friends who are most suitable for them. He is mostly dense in terms of feelings but is kind and brave and just overall a very nice guy trying to do good. He is ably supported by his friends who all together make for a great found family.

But based on the premise, I was also expecting a bit more romance. Because we only get the POV of Arek, we can clearly see his pining and feel like shaking him for his stupid wooing ideas. But we have to decipher from between the lines if his best friend Matt reciprocates his feelings and while I think I felt it sometimes, I could also see why Arek would be so clueless. There is just too much pining and no communication for two people who have been friends since childhood and I can’t say I liked the experience. I can usually appreciate a slow burn but I guess this was just way too slow for me.

Thankfully, the funnier elements of the writing and the camaraderie between the gang make up for some of the draggy pining romantic elements. If you don’t go in looking for a love story (especially not the getting together sooner part), this is pretty enjoyable. The theme of what does happen once the chosen one fulfills their prophecy is tackled with quite a bit of thoughtfulness but couched in humor and it was very easy to finish this book in a single sitting and a few hours.

Thank you NetGalley, Margaret K. McElderry Books, and F.T. Lukens for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review! I’m sadly pretty neutral about this book and didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d hoped. However, it’s a fun read, and I do recommend it for fans of Carry On and YA fantasy!

This book has a unique premise that follows the good guy after he defeats the bad guy. I understand what the author was going for here, but in some ways it didn’t work for me because I didn’t feel as connected to the characters or story. For example, with the romance, it feels like a lot of the chemistry was described but not shown. It was interesting though seeing Arek and his friends try to rule a kingdom without knowing how to.

I loved the diversity and the characters were all interesting and unique. My main issues were with the plot and writing, because some of the writing was out of place, such as the realm being named Chickpea. I may just be a little too old for this type of YA though - and I do think that other people would enjoy it!

I still recommend this book, but it just personally wasn’t for me. Thank you once again for a copy of this book.

4/5 stars. To be released March 2022.

So This Is Ever After is just a straight up fun read. A slight play on the King Arthur legend, Arek and his friends are given a prophecy to defeat a villainous tyrant. But that's not the story - the story is what happens after they fulfill the prophecy and Arek places the crown on his head. Arek learns that in order to stay king, he must bond with his soul mate. Problem is, he doesn't think that person returns his feelings.

The banter between the characters was phenomenal. The writing style felt like a friend and I were having a conversation filled with jokes and sarcasm. While I was a slight bit frustrated at the lack of communication, that was obviously part of the whole storyline and had to be included. Such a fun book!

I really enjoyed this book! It was a fun read and I loved the diversity. Each character was so different and I enjoyed reading about each of them. It was a really diverse cast and I also enjoyed the plot. This was a great book!

What happens when you’re The Chosen One and you complete your big quest that’s been foretold in a prophecy and you and your party are just… kind of there?

That’s exactly where Arek, our Chosen One, finds himself in So This is Ever After by F.T. Lukens. After vanquishing the evil ruler of a kingdom, Arek sits on the throne and puts on the crown at the request of his best friend (and unrequited love) (and also mage of the party), Matt. But when the crown touches his head, some powerful magic takes hold and Are finds himself at the end of binding spell. He has to find a spouse by his 18th birthday or he’ll fade into nothing.

Not wanting to lose Matt as his best friend by asking him straight out, and not wanting to seem too obvious, Arek instead asks Matt to help him woo all of his friends to see if any of them will marry him.

Listen. I absolutely loved this book from the very first page. Every part of it. There wasn’t a single part that lost my interest and I finished this book in a single day.

If you’re someone who absolutely hates miscommunication in YA books, this is not the book for you. But let me tell you this. The miscommunication is just chef’s kiss delicious. You know where the story is going, and how it will end, and where almost all of the characters stand. And it doesn’t take away anything from the story that’s being told. I loved these characters so much. Each member of the party is so distinct and that’s tough to do in such a short amount of pages.

I think one of the book’s strongest aspects is that we pick up JUST at the end of another story. The book opens with Arek and his party killing The Vile One. It’s the end of the quest and we don’t get to see any of it. Instead, Lukens does something brilliant. We learn about the quest through the conversations of these friends, because that’s what you do when you finish a giant thing together. You talk about it. You decompress. You take the time to learn about each other because you couldn’t in the moment.

I can’t wait to own this book and revisit it multiple times. Lukens has hit it out of the park with this one. Not every book needs to be a Big Mythical Quest. What happens afterward is usually the most interesting, something that’s proven here in So This is Ever After.

And what an Ever After it is.

First thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

Live long enough to complete the prophecy and dethrone the evil dictator: ✔
Accidentally become king of the kingdom you liberated: ✔
Get married by your 18th birthday or the magic tying you to the throne will kill you:... uhm work in progress.

Arek thought completing the prophecy and defeating the Vile One would be the hardest thing he had to do. Turns out it was the just first challenge in a long line of them. The latest being that he needs to find a spouse by his 18th birthday or he’s done for. Follow along with the hijinks as Arek tries to potentially woo one of his quest mates so he can live long enough to usher in 1000 years of peace.

This one is a must read for anyone looking for a fun read and has wondered what happens once the initial quest is completed.

This book is a gosh-darn delight. I loved every character. I loved every scenario that they got themselves into. If anything, I would have loved for it to be longer; I would have spent another 100 pages with these folks, but that's me being selfish. This was my first read by F.T. Lukens but it's inspired me to go back and read everything I can get my hands on by them.

Potentially Spoiler-y CW: some genre-typical violence, fainting, accidental ingestion of a truth-telling pollen

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our list for order this year and will recommend it to students.

I didn't quite know what to expect when I started reading this book. I have never read a book by F.T. Lukens before, although their book In Deeper Waters has been on my TBR pile for a while now. I will definitely be moving that up on my list! This book was a lot of fun to read! I was initially drawn in by its comparisons to Carry On and the promise of a King Arthur retelling, but I think these comparisons do not necessarily capture the essence of the book.

When I started reading, I was thrown off by the anachronistic language (among other things such as modern-day slang terms, using the "holding pattern" metaphor in a time and place where presumably aviation isn't a thing was a little odd). While jarring at first, I adjusted quickly and felt that it was quite charming and appropriate by the end. When I started to think about it as a game of Dungeons and Dragons (or rather what would happen if you had to make a life in the Dungeons and Dragons realm after the campaign has ended), it really came together in the best way.

The cast of delightfully likable characters were really what made this book---their camaraderie and chemistry shined throughout. And although I would have appreciated if some of them were developed a little bit more, I had fun with them all the same.

Well, if that wasn’t the cutest dang book I’ve ever read. It was adorable and romantic and hilarious in all the right ways. I’ve been excited to read this one since I finished Lukens’ other book, In Deeper Waters, and it absolutely didn’t disappoint!

The premise of this book drew me in immediately. It’s your classic Chosen One scenario, but it starts after the prophecy has been fulfilled. We join Arek, the Chosen One, and his band of accomplices—the mage, the knight, the warrior, the rogue, and the bard—as they navigate ruling the kingdom they so recently saved. And to make matters more complicated? Arek has three months to find someone to bind his soul to or something predictably bad happens. Simple, right?

I loved Arek, I loved Matt, I loved the entire cast of characters. The first-person narrative was so entertaining, and I found myself laughing out loud on multiple occasions. Arek was such a great main character—smart enough to be intriguing, but oblivious enough to be exasperating.

All-in-all, I absolutely loved this book! If you enjoy YA fantasy, twists on classic tales, comedies of errors, and fluffy queer romance, you’ll love it too!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this hilarious fantasy novel as we follow Arek in the months after he and his group (a mage, thief, bard, warrior, and fighter) fulfilled their prophecy and saved a kingdom from an evil sorcerer. These accidental heroes, with no background or training for ruling, stumble through the process of winning the loyalty of their local peasants and the nearby kingdoms, in spectacularly comical fashion. Driving the plot forward is the irreversible magical law that requires the person wearing the crown to be soul-bound by their eighteenth birthday. It's quite funny to watch Arek try to woo his friends, and his narration style is the height of comedy.

Excellent LGBTQIAP+ inclusive YA Fantasy read!

So This Is Ever After is a cute YA fantasy romance that centers LGBTQ characters, about what happens after the quest is finished, when the tale is over and everyone goes home and lives "happily ever after."

So This Is Ever After has got a lot of heart and humor and is almost what I would call a YA fantasy rom-com, which is not something you come across every day. This story is full of those expected romance tropes, and it's at its core quite a simple love story about two people who you know from the outset will have a happy ending. Although it gets serious at times, it's never dark. No one should go into this expecting heavy duty worldbuilding or the typical complex fantasy plot, but instead a lighthearted and fun read that features a ton of representation. In today's political climate, with LGBTQ books being pulled from school libraries, it's more important than ever to support these books (particularly those aimed at teenagers, who are under specific attack in states like mine, Texas) and the authors writing them. I have no doubt that I have students who will enjoy this book and I will do my best to make sure it remains on my shelves.

I *adored* this. It was the perfect amount of fantasy and believability to keep me engaged and I think I read it in like ten hours because I didn't want to stop.

The characters are so fun, and they felt like old friends that I knew personally. Arek is a MESS and I loved reading about him being himself and uplifting his friends and generally just being a disaster and excellent king.

I was smiling for most of this and it was just such a FUN read that made me feel good. Super excited to shove it in people's hands come March!

Self-aware, funny, tropey, a band of ragtag misfits. It really does look at the question of 'what happens after you save the day?' Sure, some (a LOT) of it could have been solved by the characters just talking to each other, but of course that's part of the fun.