I read it straight through because I couldn't put it down and there was so much happening in the whole book, not a dull moment. Some questions I had have been answered but now I have even more questions!

I don't know how she does it every time, but she does! I love her books!

A soft 3 starts that is benefiting from my love of Caraval alone.

“Ballad of Never After” combines magic and longing as Jacks tempts Evangeline with a way to wake her cursed husband and open the arch but not without stumbling into the crosshairs of a hunter who can’t help himself but chase the fox.

I wish I wish I wish I was able to enjoy this series but alas it is not in the cards.

My biggest issue is that Jacks stole every scene he was in while in Caraval and I’d argue that we only see that version of him when the events of that series is mentioned and that is just as true for this book as it was for its predecessor. The longing and angst felt between him and Tella was something that swayed me to his side and I can’t for the life of me see the pairing in this series as anything less than childlike. I don’t know what it is but it seems as though the series and characters themselves have been knocked down fo middle grade like levels despite the strong potential for a really great story.

On to the story this is a lot again thrown at the wall with the hopes of sticking and while I think the attempt was stronger here it’s still not great. Following in the footsteps of a fairytale definitely helps in moving the story forward but each climax or twist is ushered through so quickly that any real tension is lost.

It’s been two books and I can’t honestly say that anything worthwhile has happened and I’m absolutely devastated that the character and his mythology that I loved so much is going to go out with a whimper.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

I was incredibly excited about this one, as I love the author’s Caraval series. The Ballad of Never After is the sequel to Once Upon a Broken Heart. They focus on Jacks, one of the Fates from the Caraval series, and Evangeline. We pick up from where the first book ended.

This book is a modern fairy tale and told in that style. On the one hand it did feel like an adventure, but it also felt like it was plodding along with not much forward movement until the last few chapters. Evangeline and Jacks kept doing the same things over and over, and I wished that it had moved at a quicker pace.

The magical world is very cool - disappearing text or changing book details in the library were neat, as were the descriptions of various locations and castles. The book ends on a cliffhanger so we know there will be at least one more book in this series. I still look forward to seeing where Jacks and Evangeline go next considering how this one ended.

Wow! I absolutely loved The Ballad of Never After! Stephanie Garber outdid herself again! Her writing is so magical. There are so many twists and lies I literally couldn't put this book down. Five stars just isn't enough. 💗

This book was absolutely wild.

It picks up right where Once Upon a Broken Heart left off. And then grabs you by the throat and does not let go until the end.

The story is crazy, absolutely wild, in a Stephanie Garber fashion. The twists and turns of the plot were mind blowing. The Ballad of Never After shifted my view and understanding of the Caraval world/mythology and I'm still reeling.

Evangeline and Jacks remain charming, and in my humble opinion, the best couple Garber has written yet!

This was really interesting! I definitely didn’t see all those plot twists coming. I really loved the character’s growth and development of both the MCs, especially Eva’s. Also, all the angst and the sexual tension was just chefs kiss. I thoroughly enjoyed it.