Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice scale: 🌶🌶️

Happy publication day to @stephaniegarber for The Ballad of Never After, a sequel to Once Upon a Broken Heart.

As always, Stephanie's writing sucks you into this magical world from the very first page. In fact, the letter in the beginning of the book made me chuckle (IYKYK). The story and its plot are both intricate and angsty. As many of you might know, I'm a big Jack stan. He's whimsical, often contradictory, and deliciously mysterious - yes, there might have been some drooling involved. Also lots of angsty feelings.

I better stop before I accidentally include spoilers; but if you want to chat about the book, my DMs are open!

A thank you to Ms. Kenney at Flat Iron Books for sending me an eARC copy of this book to review. As always, this does not affect my thoughts and my commentary remains honest.

Hello again dear reader or listener, I wish you a happy start to this week and today I offer up some ramblings on the sequel to Once Upon a Broken Heart, The Ballad of Never After. I’m gonna say this first, Ms. Garber sure knows how to pick her titles!

In case you’re not familiar with the author’s debut trilogy, Caraval, you should know that this new series is a spin-off of sorts dedicated to an antihero from that trilogy. While I am familiar with that series, I’m yet to read it, and, when I first read book one, I was told that you do not need to have read Caraval in order to understand the events of this new series. While this is mostly true, my main feeling throughout the whole of Once Upon a Broken Heart was that I was missing things and that I would’ve appreciated and understood way more of it had I read Caraval first. That said, the plot did stand on its own two feet and while I still had some reservations, I was looking forward to the sequel hoping to get answers to so many of the questions that came up.

I’m happy to say that The Ballad Never After was a way more satisfying read as it picks up all the threads that had been left loose by the end of book one and the recaps within were excellently done so as to not feel repetitive nor a waste of time. I felt less of that sense that I was missing something and got to enjoy what was happening way more because of it.

Now dear reader, here’s the thing. As I just mentioned, when I read book one I had a lot of misgivings, but I also quite liked the whimsical nature of the worldbuilding and the simplicity of the plot. Garber brings fairy tales to life, weaving so many of them together in wonderful and magical ways but giving them darker twists, something she continues to do in this book as well. So, I’m gonna be a little harsh at first to speed through what didn’t work for me and then tell you all the saving graces that kept me going.

Protagonist Evangeline, put bluntly, annoyed the hell out of me. She’s not a complete lost cause, as she is determined and brave and does try her best, all qualities that I appreciate, but let’s just say this is one of those times I could enjoy a read but continuously have to roll my eyes at a character. Perhaps because, aside from those redeeming aspects, Eva is the kind of gal I could never be, nor ever want to, frankly. She is naïve to a fault, stubbornly obtuse in her hope of making her life a living fairytale, pretty whiny at times and annoyingly hypocritical. Also, a bit of a Mary Sue, in her innocence and willingness to forgive and forget every damn thing. They literally tried to kill you, repeatedly, with curses!! But they apologized every time in between so that’s ok! Whereas the one character who does one wrong thing but with good intentions gets villainized into oblivion and you hate them. *Proceeds to facepalm into eternity*. Sadly, this all gets worse with book two and Eva is even more unlikable to me. For example, her back and forth between seeing Jacks act as her only protector, while continuously reminding herself that he is actually a villain that cannot be trusted (which, debatable tbh, but that requires spoilers) and even worse cared for, was after the nth time, irksome. However, I am also very aware that this is in fact a YA novel so this kind of angst is to be expected… Now I feel old.

Ok this turned into a bit of a rant. I’m sorry Evangeline, I just can’t deal with you being that much of a lovesick damsel in distress, or rather a distressing damsel, to quote the timeless Captain Jack Sparrow. Still, you try your best with the crap that you’re dealt, and that counts for something!
Let’s get back on track then.

Another aspect of this novel overall, that I didn’t entirely appreciate was its speed. Garber’s prose is easy to read as much as it is lyrical and evocative, and her metaphors, even when a little over the top, still render her imagery amazingly; after all, their flair does fit in with the overall vibe of this story. However, there were often times when events were skimmed over or the author would jump from one plot point to the next in the bat of an eye without much follow through for some aspects of the story where I would’ve appreciated some more context or fodder.

The main reason I kept at it though, was because of Jacks, our resident broody antihero, sometimes villain, who is too taken by his own drama to be anything other than a little shit with hidden depths and truck loads of past pain. In other words, one of my favorite type of characters. My drive to learn more about him and his secrets was what kept me reading because, let’s face it, Loki type characters are my jam. Also by this point, even if I don’t get any other answers at all, I just really need to know what the deal is with the damn apples he is always eating!

Garber’s worldbuilding and scene setting is indeed quite magical and I really quite enjoy when fairy tales are made darker. You could say the vibes are immaculate in that regard. Moreover, while the author may have been in a hurry to get to where she wanted to go at times, she did weave and unfold her main mystery that spans both books, quite well and in a way that kept me turning the page wanting to know more in the hopes of figuring the whole thing out. As for the general plot in this sequel, it is the standard quest to collect magical items all the while avoiding curses and barely trustworthy allies, while also delivering on many a beloved trope, like genuine convo while caring for wounds – what a classic.

Ultimately though the ending was a bit of a whirlwind, with some things coming out of nowhere while others giving me feels and with yet some more unexpected outcomes that I am still pondering. Now, I can’t really say more on the matter because Ms. Garber doesn’t want to reveal whether this is going to be a series or a duology yet, wanting to keep the mystery for a while longer, so I’ll respect that. It does become quite obvious once you reach the end of the story of course, but I’ll leave that for you to figure out dear reader or listener.

The Ballad of Never After comes out tomorrow, September 13th, with more than one beautiful edition to be found out there so browse around before you preorder, because they’re all pretty dang beautiful!

Until next time,
Eleni A. E.

What can I say about this book. Other than this is an absolute triumph. Everything that Stephanie could possibly do high fantasy wise she did in this book and it works beautifully. Curses, dragons, magical quests. I mean yesssss. This book is definitely her best book she’s ever written. And I have fallen utterly in love with series. Everything is just so beautiful in this book. I want to live in this book. There’s so much to love and heartbreak in this book it is unbelievable. There is betrayal and unimaginable friendships. This book has shaken me. And I loved it. Thank you so so much Flat Iron Books and Stephanie Garber for this early copy. I love this story so much

"The Ballad of Never After really ratcheted up the stakes in this series!"

My full review can be found on FreshFiction.com.

Thank you for the opportunity read and review one of my favorite authors!

The Ballad of Never After is an enchanting addition to the Once Upon a Broken Heart series! Rich and nuanced and so well-layered, Garber’s writing sucks you into this magical and dangerous world from the very first lines and fully immerses you until the final page. The story includes masterful imagery and symbolism, and the writing style is beautiful and poetic at times. It’s fantastic. The way Garber weaves the story so that it has the simplistic feel of a fairy tale but is actually incredibly layered and intricate blows my mind. I highlighted so many poignant lines throughout the story that I’m doing a separate post that spotlights my favorites.

I’m a big fan of Jacks and was so excited to get more of his story in this book. Learning more about his past put a lot of things in perspective and made me see him in a new light. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still enigmatic, complicated, and a gorgeous mesh of contradictions, but I adore him. He’s like Loki, often a villain, but you can still see so much good in him, and you want him to have a happy ending. Instead of a villain you love to hate, Jacks is a villain you love to love. Throughout the story, he reveals his strengthening feeling for Evangeline, and some of the things he says, combined with several heroic actions, make him even more swoon-worthy.

“It’s just one night,” he said softly. “In the morning, you can forget it. You can go back to pretending you don’t like me, and I can pretend that I don’t care. But for tonight, let me pretend you’re mine.”

Sigh…. Jacks and Evangeline have such a fascinating romance. Their relationship is so confusing and complicated and rife with chemistry and sexual tension. It definitely has the whole “I’ll kill anyone who messes with you” vibe going on, which I totally loved. There is so much emotion and intensity between these two, and their slow-building romantic journey is everything!! The push and pull, the way they challenge each other, the secrets, jealousy, and mixed feelings… it’s beautiful, frustrating, chemistry-laden, and positively swoon-worthy! Their relationship will pull at your heartstrings in the most wonderful of ways.

The story also has a ton of intrigue and intense moments, as Evangeline, with Jacks help, tries to find a way to break her husband’s curse which is inextricably tied to her. Even though they work together toward this goal, the secrecy and mystery surrounding the curse and what they’re searching for plants doubt as to what the real goal is for many of the characters. There are so many plot twists and layers to the plot, that you’re constantly kept guessing what will happen next. It’s entertaining, suspenseful, and so immersive. We also learn a lot more about the fates, which I enjoyed. It humanized many of them to an extent when their pasts are revealed.

I adored this book just as much as I did Once Upon a Broken Heart. This is a fabulous series for readers who enjoy YA fantasy or romantasy, and I can’t recommend it enough. For those who haven’t read the Caraval series and heard this is a spin-off – you don’t need to read that series to follow this one, but once you read it, you’ll definitely want to go back and devour everything Garber has read! That’s exactly what happened to me. I had never read a book by Stephanie Garber until I read Once Upon a Broken Heart last year. I was so enthralled by the brilliant writing, characters, and story that I’ve now read all of her books and look forward to future ones.

Special thanks to Flatiron Books for gifting me a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

I was anxiously awaiting this novel and my goodness… the wait was worth it! The angst, the sexual tension, the DRAMA! It was amazing. Gosh. Can we get book three tomorrow please?! This book was just absolutely everything I expect from Garber and I honestly just can’t get enough of her writing. If you’re a fan of her previous work… or if you have a pulse, you’ll love this book. The. End.

I received an ARC from the publisher to read and review. Quoted excerpt/s may change in the final print.

Not gonna lie, this was so much better than book one!

I really enjoyed OUaBH but this just hit differently. Whatever fairytale magic and enchantment Stephanie Garber weaved in book one was multiplied tenfold in this one. And it made TBoNA impossible to put down!

There were so many revelations. So many new characters. New curses. New loves. Heartbreaks and betrayals. Secrets. Allies and foes… I never knew exactly what was going on. I didn’t know who to trust. I never knew what Stephanie Garber would reveal next…

If this review is confusing and not at all helpful, I apologize. But my brain cells and heart are still recovering from that ending and I think I’ve forgotten how to properly form thoughts. What even are words?

It’s hard to come up with what to say without spoiling anything. So I just want to say I still love and adore Evangeline and her steadfast belief in love and happily ever afters. She’s such a resilient character and I love her quiet strength that feels hopeful. Her banter with Jacks had me swooning. My heart is officially stolen by the Prince of Hearts. (I don’t want it back.)

You’d be happy to know the romance was upped in this sequel. Jacks and Evangeline’s push and pull had me feeling utter frustration. I kept screaming “Just kiss already! Please, please put me out of this misery!” And I don’t know about you but there were moments where I thought the author would venture into Adult category. Alas, it didn’t happen. But my, would that be an experience. (My romance and smut-loving heart is disappointed and sad. LOL)

OUaBH had such a magical, whimsy and fairytale feel to it. And although TBoNA is wrapped in the same vibe, it also feels a bit darker, treacherous, more forbidden and dangerous. (And dare I say sexier?) And honestly? I think it was perfect.

What Fate do I need to pray to for book three?

I am going to start this review by sharing a little background on this book and series. The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber is the sequel to Once Upon a Broken Heart. When I read OUABH, I had no idea they were a spinoff series from Garber’s beloved Caraval series which I own but have never read (*ducks*)

In fact, I still haven’t read them (but they’re high in my TBR!) and I didn’t even realize until I read this book that it might make slightly better sense with that context.

All this to say that you can absolutely read about Jacks and Evangeline without having read the previous series, but you might want to anyway. (And if you do, don’t spoil it for me! 😉 )

OUABH tells the story of Evangeline, who is crushed when her lover chooses to marry someone else, so she makes a deal in hopes of improving her outcome.

What she ends up with is a heap of trouble, lots of people she can’t trust and her world being flipped upside down. In the process of upending her life, she becomes entangled with Jacks, who may or may not like her but definitely has his own ambitions that play highly in his decisionmaking.

The Ballad of Never After picks up where the first book left us and sweeps us away into a realm where nothing is as it seems and everything can change with the toss of an apple. Jacks is the antithesis of a traditional book boyfriend. He’s definitely morally grey, but also, is he? It’s nearly impossible to say through the entirety of the story. What is certain is the goosebumps I got while reading lines like this:

He watched her the way you weren’t supposed to watch someone when they knew that you were looking—bold and unabashed and utterly inappropriate.

THE BALLAD OF NEVER AFTER BY STEPHANIE GARBER

While this book is YA, the chemistry is palpable between these two, enough that you could set the place on fire. Garber has created on-page sparks that will keep you rooting for more, while wondering at every turn in this poisoned fairy tale, if you can trust yourself as the reader!

Evangeline is strong, driven and brave, she is also typical of young heroines in that she makes some decisions that will make you want to throw the book. She has the potential for an incredible life – at her fingertips – but the question is who will be standing at her side when she does? Jacks has schemes and plans, motives and directives that aren’t completely revealed; will they be worth it all in the end? What will happen in the next book?


I don’t know, but if cliffhangers make you violent, this may not be the book for you. For me, it’s worth the delayed gratification – and every version of this book that I have seen has an incredible cover. (S/O to Fairy Loot for making me subscribe to secure their editions!)

Garber has such a wonderful way of sucking people in to her lovely world! I absolutely adore Jacks and this story and am aching to read the next book already! There are twists and turns and so many emotions!

After really enjoying Once Upon a Broken Heart, I was so excited to dive into the sequel. And no worries, it did not disappoint! It did take me a minute to get back into the world, I will admit, but once I did it kind of all came back to me. Just as with the first installment, this sequel is just simply so very readable. The characters are so likable, and I just wanted the best for Evangeline. Like, she's been through it, right? And it certainly doesn't seem like things will be letting up for her anytime soon.

Just as in the first book, I flew through this sequel. I adored the high stakes (and, not just for Evangeline, but for the world as a whole), and the gray morality. No one in this book is above having to make the tough decisions, and I am always here for that. Obviously, I want to keep this review vague, since saying much will give away spoilers for certainly the first book, but if you haven't read book one, you should probably correct that immediately.

And now, I will be eagerly awaiting the third book, for this one left me with my jaw hanging, and yelling at the book that it could not possibly be so rude as to give me a bananas ending and make me wait a year for more!

Bottom Line: Another incredibly addictive installment in the Once Upon a Broken Heart series- and it left me beyond eager for the next!

I am still having some mixed feelings about this series. I just feel like there is something missing in this one. I just don’t feel that same spark or connection to the characters that I did in the Caraval series. That said I did like this story, and there were some parts that I loved, but I just want to feel more for the characters than I do.

I continued to like Evangeline in this book, although I found her frustrating at times. She continues to insist that there is good in everyone and this belief sometimes gets her into a lot of trouble. She still strikes me as being quite naive especially when it comes to Jacks and some of the other Fates. She continues to make some very bad choices too, which just frustrated me.

What I really liked about this story is that we learned a lot more about the Fates and how some of them were created. There is a lot of focus on Jacks backstory which was wonderful, but I still have to know what the meaning of all of the apples he eats is. There are lots of stories woven into the main storyline which gives so much depth to the world and to some of the characters.

The story is very intricately plotted, even more than the first one, but there are some slow spots. Evangeline spends a lot of time hanging out in the library trying to find out about the Valroy arch and the Fates. The action scenes were very well done as were the descriptions of places and what people were wearing and even the food. I especially liked the inn where Jacks takes Evangeline to recover from some injuries. It was a very magical place and one I would like to visit.

The ending was not at all what I was expecting, especially as I thought this was going to be a duology. Even though I can not find any info that there is going to be a third book, there had better be, because that ending is just begging for the story to continue. I think though that I will reread both books before reading the next one. I think I might have enjoyed this one a bit more if I had done that this time around.

A beautifully written story that will please fans of the Caraval series. This is a must read if you are a fan of the Prince of Hearts as some of his story is revealed in this book. I hope to learn more about him and the other Fates in the next book.

I’m utterly obsessed with The Ballad of Never After. It was EPIC!! 🤩 Stephanie dazzled me with her writing and characters. ✨🥰 I loved reading about Jacks & Evangeline, I really missed them. It was so nice to be back in The Magnificent North with them! 🍎🦊💔 The twists were amazing and the ending was really good, I can’t stop thinking about it!! 👏🏼

I loved this book SO MUCH!! The Ballad of Never After is definitely one of my favorite reads
of the year. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟 I can’t wait to read the next book!! 🙌🏼😍

Very impatiently waiting for the next book in this series…even though this one hasn’t released yet haha

Another wild ride from this author! Also, I’m glad to have more Jacks. 😂😍 I wouldn’t say that it was better than the first book, but I obviously enjoyed it a lot so it’s not like that fact matters. I do know that I’m not sure how to cope after reading it.

The book is told from the point-of-view of Evangeline once again. She is our gorgeous heroine who is the opposite of Jacks and wants to see the good in every one, even at the worst times. It definitely puts her at death’s door quite a few times, but it’s still relatable. We all want to see the good in someone even if we know that it can hurt, emotionally or physically.

Jacks is still the villain we love to love! He is arrogant and always has a plan up his sleeve that he doesn’t want to share. Although, we do see a softer side from him at times, and can’t I just say that it melted my heart.

One thing I enjoyed was that there was more background for the fates, Jacks included. It’s easier to understand the fates and make them seem more human. Everything feels like it is coming together and I have clearer mental picture of why everything is the way that it is. I do still have questions but they have lessened.

I think the reason for not liking it as much is because the pacing felt just a bit off? There were a lot of plot twists but the stakes didn’t feel as high as in the first book. Don’t get me wrong, there are high stakes but it just felt different. I still liked what the plot twists had to offer though and I did want to continuously read!

The ending was insane and that’s exactly what I would expect from Garber, haha. She mentioned for reviewers to not mention if there would be more so that is all you get!

Overall, this was another enjoyable read by this author! I have a lot more thoughts but it will have to go in a later post on my blog when people have read this boo, haha.

Rating: 4.5 stars

This series is so incredible, but this book was just magical. Everything about it I loved, it gave me so many good feeling…..and made me fall in love with Jacks all over again. I can’t express enough love for this story. But the ending broke my soul💔, hopefully it’s another story coming.

This woman weaves a tale that keeps you on your toes and gives you the ultimate fantastical escape. I love Jacks and Evangeline so much. We interviewed Stephanie and she said that she plotted this book from Jack's perspective, even though it's written in Evangeline's point of view. The world of Jacks we've been dying to know has been beautifully revealed, and seeing points of him that make our morally grey character just a tiny bit lighter is an absolute joy. You're going to want to clear your weekend and make a pot of tea, this book will consume and delight you.

Stephanie Garber continues the intriguing story of Evangeline and Jacks. The ambiguity in this novel! The uncertainty! Many a time I felt frustrated reading it, as it definitely has its share of twists and turns. I also found myself wishing Jacks would act differently, but then, he wouldn't be Jacks, would he? Fans will want to stay tuned to this newest installment of the story. Happy to get this for our library collection!

This was such a fun, thrilling second installment in the OUBAH series. I absolutely adored following Jacks and Evangeline as they continue to navigate the intricacies of their world and budding friendship. I can't wait to see where this series leads next!

After the intense cliffhanger at the end of Once Upon a Broken Heart, I was so stoked to receive this advance reader's copy of The Ballad of Never After - I had hyped it up in my head with all the fanart and talking about it with other readers and this book DID NOT disappoint.
One thing I love about this story is that it has all the makings to be a tragic love story for our two main characters and multiple times throughout the book I was absolutely going feral at all the same touches and the quick one-liners - I tossed back and forth between I wanting Jacks and Evangeline together and knowing that realistically it was probably not going to happen for them, or at least work out in a way that is a happy ever after for both parties involved.
STILL, I shipped them together, and I do not regret it.
I think we got to learn a lot about Jacks history and the story that makes him into The Prince of Hearts, but not enough that it didn't make me absolutely frustrated when I could feel him holding back and withdrawing from Evangeline. The moments when he left her alone but was ALWAYS there to protect her from someone or something - convenient Jacks?!
There were so many things that circled back to focus and a lot of parallels throughout the book that had me on the edge of my seat while reading and it was interesting to see how most of the loose ends were resolved - BUT THE APPLES! I still have so many questions!
One thing about Stephanie Garber is that she keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout her books and her cliffhangers are intense. I did not expect the book to end this way but it was something that I should have anticipated!
STEPHANIE I NEED ANSWERS!!!!!

Garber does it again! Fans will not be disappointed and will be in for an enjoyable read similar to her other books.

Hint hint hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.