4.5/5

The Ballad of Never After continues our adventures in the Fate-filled, magical, and romantic world of the Northern Kingdom with Evangeline and Jacks. We're introduced to a new curse that deals with life and death and Evangeline is in the middle of it. With this curse, it gave more page time with Evangeline and Jacks together and I loved every moment between these two. Jacks isn't the most kind-hearted man, he's very morally grey and treats Evangeline questionably. I think there is a reason why many readers like to imagine about a morally grey villain in books, and Evangeline was like one of us in this book.

I read this one on audiobook and the narrator does a fantastic job with distinguishing the different characters and gave their voices proper emotion. It made the listening experience more immersive! All the twists and turns surprised me and there was a lot to keep up with. But I did love the way Stephanie Garber crafted this curse-filled book. Sometimes I got confused by some of the stories that were being told but I predicted one outcome <spoiler> Jacks is actually the Archer all this time </spoiler>. And this one reads A LOT more as a fantasy romance, which made me happy, there was a lot of flirtatious banter and teasing between Evangeline and Jacks. The side characters also added more richness to the plot with each playing an important role.

Another highlight was Evangeline's great character growth. We see her grow from being quite naive and trusting with everyone she ran into to being more assertive and taking matters back into her own hands. She had more moments of her realizing that not everyone has the best intentions towards her. With Jacks, we learn more about his past and his origin, however, I wanted more clear answers. The relationship between these two continue to develop and it was very fun to read!

Um what was that ending...?! I'm still shocked after finishing this book. I wasn't expecting to have it end like that, but I think it fits with the theme that is hinted at throughout the book of not all fairytales have happy endings. I NEED ANOTHER BOOK WITH JACKS! I really hope there's another one on the way. I'm keeping my fingers crossed in the meantime.

Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy!

[Really liked it]

I really enjoyed this follow up book from Once Upon a Broken Heart. The narration was excellent but I wish I would have read the physical book. The story was a little hard to keep track on audio. The characters were just as interesting as book one of this series. I definitely plan on re-reading this one. The epilogue was 🤯

Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for providing a free advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Insta-5-stars every single time for Stephanie Garber. Something about the way she writes instantly takes me back to Caraval and never takes me more than 2 seconds to get into the book. I have never wanted two characters to kiss more than two characters WHO CAN"T. The suspense of that is killing me and the cliffhanger at the end... It makes me want to reread Caraval through the end when the next book comes out.

I want to thank the publishing team for giving me early access to this audiobook, I am so happy to have the chance to listen to it early.
This is now my favorite series
The story :
I am a big fan of the first book of this series and was really scared the second book wouldn't meet my expectations but it's even better. Stephanie Garber's writing is beautiful and not too complicated to understand when listening to an audiobook. I've felt so many emotions during my listen, I can't wait for the third book. I couldn't stop listening and when I had to press pause, I felt angry. I highly recommed it. It does not feel cliché at all and I love the slow pace romance.

Th narration :
You don't understand how happy I am when I saw the name of the narrator. She's the same as the first book and I can honestly say she's the best. I'm an avid audiobook listener and now, I find myself missing her narration when listening to other things. Her voice is perfect for this and everything she says is very clear,

thank you again

#TheBalladOfNeverAfter:⁣
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Are you kidding me?! Are you FREAKING KIDDING ME? I have completely lost it and have gone fan girl central over a series of books. The Ballad of Never After made me go through 10 different emotions in 5 minutes and I am unwell. I haven’t been this hyped over a fantasy book since probably Legendborn, so I can’t praise this book enough.⁣
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I really wasn’t expecting much, to be honest. Usually book 2 or 3 always slump for me. I had high expectations since Once Upon A Broken Heart was THE book that got me out of a slump and gave me the feels. The Ballad of Never After delivered.. and more.⁣
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I did audio thanks to @macmillan.audio and Rebecca Soler was so good. The snark, the banter hit so well. I laughed out loud and also held my chest in sadness. All the emotions were invoked and the audio delivered best way possible. There was one part in a chapter that it seemed it was cutoff or missing. Usually there’s a lead up to the cliffhanger, but this didn’t seem intentional? I would have to check out the physical copy to make sure it wasn’t an oversight and if intentional or not. ⁣
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That epilogue. The epilogue?! I’m not over it. I’ll never be over it. Get this book y’all. Get wrecked like me. You’re welcome 😂⁣
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Thank you again @macmillan.audio for the gifted copy! The Ballad of Never After is out tomorrow, 9/13. It lives up to the hype, it doesn’t have a sophomore slump, and I am forever a fan of Little Fox and Jacks.

The Ballad of Never After picks up right where Once Upon a Broken Heart left off. Desperate for her “happily ever after” Evangeline must fight to break the curse that has taken over. Along her journey she makes some new allies and discovers enemies she never suspected. Her new found magic makes her second guess everything. The ever present Jacks is ready to be both helpful and harmful.

The Ballad of Never After is the second installment of the Once Upon a Broken series. The plot is an emotional rollercoaster in the best way possible. Evangeline reminds me a lot of Tella from the Caraval series. Her character has developed steadily from the first book and she is determined to get what she wants even if she has to go about it by herself. Jacks continues his scheming but does show a bit of sweetness and protectiveness throughout this storyline. I did not think I could like Jacks anymore than I already do but here we are.

The plot of this book is beautifully crafted with a wide range of new and returning characters. There were definitely a few surprises and twists that I didn't see coming.

The audiobook is narrated by Rebecca Soler who previously narrated the 1st book in the series along with all three books of the Caraval series. Her performance is great. She really brings out the sassy banter between the two MCs.

I’m really enjoying the Once Upon a Broken Heart series and can’t wait for book 3!

I voluntarily listened to and reviewed an advanced copy of this audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio (Macmillan Young Listeners)!

The Ballad of Never After 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. I wish this series were a duology only because it kills me to wait for the third. And there MUST be a third because Stephanie Garber is killing fans with her cliffhangers. Literally. Dead.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this e-audio arc.*

This review will work as a tandem review for BALLAD as well as ONCE UPON A BROKEN HEART. I really enjoy seeing more of Jacks and the world that left me entranced during the CARAVAL series. I felt kind of bad for him at the end of FINALE, so I was thrilled that we would see him again. Both BALLAD and OUABH were those kinds of books that totally immersed me in the unique way that only Stephanie Garber can achieve and left me breathless at both of their ends. It isn't hard for the reader to relate to Evangeline Fox, whose decisions made out of a broken heart put her in the sights of queens, princes and Fates. Who hasn't made similar choices that come from places of incredible hurt? I saw myself in her at times, and that made her a compelling character for me. The back and forth, push and pull forbidden romance that buds between Jacks and Evangeline was arguably my favorite aspect of this book and watching Evangeline try and deal with her feelings for Jacks in spite of his numerous betrayals and machinations was truly satisfying and added a layer of depth to that dynamic. I also loved seeing the different sides of Jacks that Evangeline brings out in him. Garber adds an expanded element to her world-building in this one with the Magnificent North and the inclusion of vampires and lore such as The Ballad of the Archer and the Fox. It was really interesting to see all that come together in both books. And the ending in Ballad? I am super intrigued to see where the story goes next!

Solid sequel!
I already knew I would enjoy this book. I loved this first one and I loved the Carval series. Stephanie's writing is amazing. It's super easy to read and it's easy to listen to (as I listened to the audio of this one). She creates magical worlds that come alive in your head.
I did like the first one a little bit better and I gave that one 4.5 stars, so this one got a 4. I also dislike love triangles so that just got on my nerves a little bit. It didn't really take much away from my enjoyment though.
The mystery of the Valory arch was so tantalizing throughout the whole book. We learn this and then that, we learn things might not be true or have hidden meaning. Finding the stones was a fun touch, I like quests in books and while this wasn't really a quest, it almost felt like one and I had a lot of fun with it.
I enjoyed the characters, Evangeline was pretty much the same from the last book. She trusts no one and nothing. She's trying to figure out how she fits into this prophecy. Jacks was tall, dark and handsome as always. He never said what he meant and he never meant what he said. He was a mystery. We get more of Chaos, Apollo and Lala and get a few new characters too.
Rebecca Soler was the narrator of the audiobook and she is my absolute favorite narrator. I think she just makes every story come to life and always does a wonderful job.

3 1/2 stars

Okay, if you haven’t read a Stephanie Garber book before you are in for a fun, rollercoaster of a ride. I highly recommend reading or listening to Once Upon a Broken Heart before reading/listening to this book or you will be lost. The second book picks right up after the first book leaves off with Apollo under Jacks’ sleeping spell. The only way he’ll reverse it is if Evangeline promises to open the arch. The mysterious arch is at the heart of this book. Should it be opened? What will happen when/if it is?

I listened to the audiobook version of the book and honestly had to listen to it twice because it really throws a lot at the reader. There are so many twists and turns and things you need to pay attention to while listening. So, if you happen to lose focus, you’ll miss something. It’s hard to know whom to trust, and over and over again it’s easy to be mislead.

The narration is amazing! I thoroughly enjoyed the narrator and the emotion she put into the audiobook. The way she distinguished each of the characters is perfect. Her narration made Evangeline much more sympathetic than I think she would be otherwise.

What I liked: Jacks is the bad boy, morally gray character you can’t help but love. He somehow manages to elicit sympathy despite all the awful things he does. This story delves more into his past and why he is the way he is. Does he really love Evangeline? That’s the question and while there is a grand gesture he performs, it’s still something I’ll be wondering about going into book 3.

I loved the fairytales and the setting. Stephanie Garber certainly has a talent for creating these well described, scenic worlds that capture the imagination and this story is no different. From the gorgeous costumes, to Hollow Inn, Chaos’ lair, the forests, and Wolf Hall, all were easily pictured in my mind.

That said, I did not like Evangeline in this book. She was so wishy washy with her feelings and easily attracted to any handsome face. It bothered me that this whole time, she is MARRIED to her poor cursed husband Apollo yet flirts and cozies up to Jacks especially and any other handsome male in the room. Her blind optimism and rose colored glasses view that love will solve everything just seems incredibly naive and leads her into lots of trouble. She writes herself a letter telling herself not to trust Jacks and forgets this at every turn.

This 2nd book in the series definitely fulfilled the main role of a middle book. It’s a little slower paced, though there’s plenty of action, with more focus on backstory and the characters’ history. While it’s closed door YA, the author pushes the limit a bit with the characters doing more than just kissing. For this reason, I’d not recommend it to younger teens.

All in all, the audiobook version is great and I’ll definitely be reading the third book. I received an advanced listener copy from the publisher and Macmillan Audio through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review.

This audiobook was fantastic! I love this narrator she was perfect!

I was so happy to be back in the world with Jacks and Evangeline! Their adventures seem to never end. And Stephanie Garber has a way of making a world and characters that you never want to leave. I was so sad when the story ended, especially because it seemed to fly by and all of the sudden I was at the end of the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook! This is my honest voluntary review

Give👏Me👏All👏That👏Bad👏Boy👏Energy👏. If Jacks is wrong, I don’t wanna be right 😂🖤. I’m 100% here for the morally gray antihero vibes. Give me a scoundrel with a heart of gold any day of the week 💜.

Evangeline is still holding out for that happily ever after Jacks stole from her. She has sworn to never trust him again. But after a mysterious curse puts Evangeline’s life at risk, Jacks might be the only one who can save her. Will he betray her and break her heart again? Will she finally find that HEA?

Garber is back with this twisty second installment of Once Upon a Broken Heart, and it does not disappoint! Fans of the Caraval series will love her second series set in the same magical world. Garber weaves dark and dangerous fairytales around complex characters. I loved learning about Jacks’s bad boy origin story. This is a slow-burn romantasy with tension, palpable chemistry, and a cliffhanger at the end that will make you scream!

I have listened to all of Garber’s books. I am always swept away by Rebecca Soler’s beautiful narration. Thank you to @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Ballad of Never After - Stephanie Garber
4.5/5⭐️

So this is not the end of a duology like I thought it was going to be!! Kinda ends on a cliff edge, doesn’t quite leave you hanging. I really love this storyline. All the characters, tension, and magic are so immersive. I sped through this and cannot recommend it enough.

Listened to an ARC audiobook version. Great narrator. Only problem, the end of chapter 43 cut off too soon. Kinda at an important point.

Check content warning.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook ARC.

"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!

What an absolutely incredible sequel!


I read Once Upon a Broken Heart in the beginning of the year and I have to say, I was conflicted. There were quite a few things I loved about the story: the magical world building that made me feel as if I was reading a fairytale, the intriguing plot, and, of course, Jacks, who I had already loved so much in the Caraval books and was excited to find out more of. But, as much as I loved those parts of the story, two important things fell flat for me as i read: Evangeline, who was so naive it made me incredibly frustrated, and the romance, which in my honest opinion, was pretty much none existent in the first book (like seriously, not development whatsoever, and no chemistry that I could feel). Regardless, the fact that the plot and setting were a winner for me made me very intrigued and excited to continue the series and see where the author was taking the story, and I can definitely say I'm glad I decided to give the series a second chance and pick up The Ballad of Never After.

Lets start off with the things I had not liked about the first book, and that were definitely improved in this sequel:

Evangeline. My biggest problem with her in the first book, as I previously mentioned, was how naive she was. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with hoping for the best in people and giving them multiple chances to be better... But Evangeline was frustratingly trusting to a point where I wanted to scream as I read the story, because it felt obvious to everyone but her that those people did not have their best interest at heart... and then they betrayed her and she acted so surprised and still gave them more chances time and time again. In this book, i felt like that definitely got better. She still hoped for the best in people, because of course thats just who she is as a person, but she wasn't as trusting as before which for sure made me character more bearable. I literally liked her character development in this one..

The romance between Jacks and Evangeline was 100x better developed in this book than in Once Upon a Broken Heart, and I finished the story rooting for their happy ending SO HARD. I definitely shipped them so much in this book. Their chemistry was written beautifully in this book and every scene between them made me giddy!

The positives from the first book continue to be positives for me after finishing this book. The world building, like very single other Stephanie Garber book I read, was magical and mysterious and very fairytale-like in the best of ways. The plot had me on the edge of my seats, and the plot twists in this one were jaw dropping and exciting; I literally had multiple times throughout the story where I was screaming "OH MY GOD" as something new got revealed. The last 30% of the story specifically had me flipping the pages so fast, wanting to find out where the story was going. It was just so so good and one of the things Garber does best in her books.

Lastly, Jacks. Ah Jacks, i already loved him in the first book, i saw his potential in Legendary and knew he could be an incredibly main character if given the chance, and The Ballad of Never After just proved that tenfold. Don't get me wrong, he is a villain in every sense of the word. Don't go into this story expecting him to be anything but that, otherwise you'll be very disappointed. But honestly, I think that's what i love about this character so much. Stephanie does a great job throughout her books of developing this character further and giving him more and more layers, and what she did with him this book was beautiful. We learn such a great deal about his past, there are so many reveals and twists, so much of his actions and personalities are better explained and readers get a better understanding of who he was and came to become throughout the years. He is definitely the highlight of this series for me, and I am officially so invested in his love story with Evangeline.


Overall, this was such a solid sequel that I did not expect to love as much as I did. If you were conflicted about book 1, I recommend giving this one a shot. So good, and I'll be over hearing waiting for the third book now (please???)

“Like all admirers of fairytales, she’d always loved the scent of books. She loved the paper dust in the air. The way it swirled in the light like little sprinkles of magic. And most of all, she loved the way fairytales always made her think of her mother, and endless possibilities.”

Wow. Just wow. This book was perfect in every way possible. The plot, the characters, THE ROMANCE, the world, the magic- everything about it was just extraordinarily spellbinding. Words cannot even begin to describe how much I adored this story, but I will try my best.

Evangeline is trying her best to cope with the betrayal of Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, from the last book, while also trying to find a cure for Prince Apollo. Jacks, of course, will only wake him, IF Evangeline opens the Valory Arch.

And thus, our story begins.

"Conceived in the north, and born in the south, you will know this key, because she will be crowned in rose gold. She will be both peasant and princess, a fugitive wrongly accused, and only her willing blood will open the arch."

It was super easy to step right back into the world of Once Upon A Broken Heart. We pick up almost immediately after the first book and are thrown right back into action. The pacing was wonderful. It was very quick but did not feel rushed. I could not put this book down once I started reading. Partly because this book does not let you have a single second to relax before another crazy twist happens again, and again, and again. MY JAW WAS ON THE FLOOR!

My most favorite part of this story (besides the romance of course), is definitely the characters. Especially Evangeline, Jacks, and LaLa.

It was so amazing to see things that were foreshadowed in the first book expanded on and then intertwined with new information so that we could finally learn the true story. We learn the characters backstories and motivations and I couldn’t help but root for them and fall in love with all of them even more than I already had… Well, most of the characters (you know who you are.)

Evangeline's character development in particular was truly brilliant to see. I loved seeing her fairytale ideals challenged and expanded on. She grew so much and became an even more amazing character than before. Jacks was a big part of this, he acted as an excellent foil to her.

Speaking of Jacks… do you need a hug????? Jacks is such a great villain (or hero depending on who you ask.) You can’t help but root for him to find his happy ending even after all that he has done.

”Yet in that moment, Evangeline knew he would carry her through more than just freezing waters. He would pull her through fire if he had to. Hall her from the clutches of war, from falling cities and broken worlds. And for one brittle heartbeat, Evangeline understood why so many girls had died from his lips.”

The romance between Evangeline and Jacks was so SO good!!! (My Evajacks heart!! These two are just so perfect for each other!!!!) This was such a perfect slow burn!! Their banter was just as good as ever, the chemistry was perfect, and the TENSION!!! Like- no notes. Best thing ever. Pure perfection. OTP. Changed my life. Crops are now thriving.

The plot was very enticing and so well done. ALSO THE LORE PEOPLE!! AND THE FORESHADOWING!!! WOW! The history of the Ancient North is very untrustworthy because of the story curse, so I was very skeptical about who and what to believe and so when we finally found out what parts were true, and what parts were just fairytales, I was literally shaking from the shock.

“Happy endings can be caught, but they are difficult to hold on to. They are dreams that want to escape the night. They are treasure with wings. They are wild feral reckless things that need to be constantly chased, or they will certainly run away.”

The ending of this book… I am in paiiiin :))))). It was heartbreakingly perfect. The second I finished the last page I was in PURE SHOCK AND AGONY!! But... like... In the most perfect way???? I had so many theories about how this book would end but I did not expect THAT! I AM NOT OKAY!!! (Stephanie I will be sending you my therapy bill!!)

Stephanie Garber's writing is truly beautiful. The way she describes things is the most wonderful thing ever. Every word truly felt like a fairytale. Just pure magic on every. Single. Page.

The narrator for this book, Rebecca Soler, is one of my favorite narrators of all time. She always captures the voice of the story so we’ll and the narration is absolute perfection. Each character was so distinct and unique from each other and you could just tell their personality so well because of all the little details and voices she added. Her voice made me truly feel as if I was right there in the story with Evangeline..

Overall, I am very, very, VERY emotionally damaged. All I want to do is reread this book over and over, and then cry… and then read it again.

Thank you to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Flatiron Books, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Young Listeners, and Stephanie Garber for the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook of The Ballad of Never After in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved the fairy tale allure of the first novel, Once Upon a Broken Heart, though the one thing that took me out of the story was the addition of vampires. Unfortunatley, they do play a pretty big part in The Ballad of Never After, but the reader also gets an excellent assortmet of Evangeline, Jacks, the Valory Arch, and some great ties and information about the fable "The Ballad of the Archer and the Fox."

This is the second (and maybe final?) novel in the series and picks up shortly after the ending of the first book. Evangeline discovers that her husband, Apollo the King, is not dead, but in a suspended life state. After Evangeline seeks to help restore him, she finds that he seems to be possessed by a curse, he an archer, and she the fox, hunter and hunted, just as in Evangeline's favorite tale.

Jacks continues to be an aloof wild card. He seeks the Valory Arch for reasons unknown (reasons which are revealed at the end of the book) and Evangeline is still disinclined to help. But strangely enough, she also seems to find an attraction to him. There are stones that Evangeline and Jacks need to open the Arch, and they make the people around them feel and act a certain way, depending on which stone it is.

Evangeline finds she truly wants to save Apollo and keep Jacks close, whether as a friend or something more. There is also a new king in Apollo's place (for now), that is revealed early on and a bit of a frustrating surprise. There also might be another key to the Valory Arch, in which circumstance, would Evangeline's usefullness to Jacks come to an end?

Like the first book, there are aspects of this book that do feel a bit all over the place, though the ending does have a decent resolution that might just bring a tear to the eye. I appreciate that this is a solid ending for a duology, though there is certainly potential if Garber wanted to continue the story. I don't believe there will be more, but writers do what they do. This is an enjoyable read with a fairy tale vibe that readers will devour in one sitting.

OH MY GOODNESS!
I truly am a fan of Stephanie Garber’s books - I cannot deny that. This book has brought my love of her storytelling to a whole new level. Her imagination is incredible and she is really good at immersing the reader in the world she has created. The descriptions make you feel like you are there.
Each and every one of her characters is wonderful. You even love the bad guys. Evangeline has grown so much from the first book. And Jacks… If you loved him before, you will love him even more while reading this book.
Towards the end I thought this series was going to be a duology. It really felt like it could come to a nice a tidy conclusion, but then Garber ripped up a shredded the very fabric of what I thought would be reality. That cliffhanger! My only complaint - How will I cope with the wait for the next book?
Thanks ou to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the priviledge of an advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for this honest review.

As always I love Stephanie Garber! This book was lots of fun with many dark bits and romance too. And the narrator is wonderful. She is one of my favorites. I listened to the audio book in just 3 days. It was engaging and kept me interested. I love the world of Caraval so it is nice to be able to keep going back to it. As with most middle books in a trilogy there is a HUGE cliff-hanger at the end which makes me very excited to see how Garber will finish the tale of Evangeline and Jacks.

First, I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book. I am leaving this honest review of my own will.

I love this book just as much as I love her others. She does an excellent job with world building, and has no problem getting you into the story quickly.