I loved Once Upon a Broken Heart so much, and I was a bit worried the sequel wouldn't like up to expectations, but it succeeded it! Everything I wanted out of book 2 and more.

This book follows Evangeline, a pink haired princess who will not trust the Prince of Hearts ever again. Or so she says. But with the knowledge that her husband, Prince Apollo is actually alive, Evangeline is determined to do whatever it takes to save him.

But, things take a turn for the worst when Evangeline is placed under yet another curse. And the only way to break it? Do the two things she swore she’d never do: trust Jacks and open the Valory Arch.

After agreeing to team up again, Evangeline and Jacks go on a hunt for the four missing Valory stones: luck, youth, mirth, and truth. Their journey takes them all over the north, and place them in the paths of friends and foes both new and old. Will Evangeline save her prince? Or will she fail at the one task she was created to do?

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for sending me an early copy of this audiobook! All opinions are my own!

The audacity of this series to have me so obsessed with it! Everything about the world of these books is just so magical and beautiful, and the worldbuilding in this book was really amazing. I loved that there is so much building off of Caraval, and it's more than I ever would have thought would come from it. But everything feels so well planned out and there's nothing that makes me feel like it's out of place.

At first I wasn't sure how much I liked Evangeline, but this book was really a time of growth for her. She's spunky but not in the "not like other girls" way. And the more she learns about herself and what she actually wants out of life, the more I find myself relating to her.

Do not get me started on Jacks!! This book really delves into his life and backstory, and I loved every second of it. It really humanizes him and gives such light to his story. It makes him and Evangeline so much more real and emotional.

If you're a fantasy lover, this is a world you won't want to miss out on!

Anyone who has read Once Upon a Broken Heart will dive into this sequel, anxious to see what Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, is up to. He’s the delicious villain who swaggers, drawls, and titillates Evangeline at every turn. She has written a note to herself with a reminder to never trust him because he lies and is dangerous. But whenever they are together, the heat between them sizzles with electricity. Complicating matters is the fact that Evangeline is married to Prince Apollo and should only be thinking about her husband who’s cursed and held in suspended animation.

Ultimately, Evangeline reluctantly agrees to help Jacks find magical stones that are needed to break the curses plaguing Apollo and many others. When a curse results in threats to her own safety as well as her husband’s, she realizes how imperative it is to do as Jacks and others insist. She is key to finding the Valor stones that are necessary to open the Valor Gates and undo the curses. But there may be further danger unleashed if she does this.

Jacks is very elusive. One minute he stands by her side and the next he disappears. Not only can she not trust his words, she isn’t always sure of what he wants. But she knows how she feels when he’s nearby.

The ending is jaw dropping, which is not surprising since Garber has done this to her readers before. Fantasy lovers who love Holly Black, want an electric story of attraction and who love the lure of the bad boy, will devour this. The audio is wonderfully done by Rebecca Soler. She enhances the story and fully engages the reader.

I love this series on how magical it is Stephanie garber did it again she sucks you in from the first page. I love how she can have you fall in love with all her characters over again in this sequel. I hate how she leaves you yet again wanting to read more books in this land by her.

The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber
Publish Date: Sept 13th

This is book is as magical as the others, a wild ride from beginning to end. I love how intricately the stories are woven. I never know who to trust or what to believe.

There are so many twists and turns and I love that I’m always left guessing. The character development is strong, the storyline even stronger, and the prose is as magical as the world Garber has created.

I love the world of Caraval. I’m obsessed with Jacks and Evangeline, I’m desperate for them to be end game. I NEED the third book pronto.

Content: kisses, violence

Well, this was unexpected. I’m a big Stephanie Garber fan. She can spin and tell and immerse you in a world as easily as some people breathe. Unfortunately, this book fell short. Evangeline was lost, fickle, indecisive and weak. She seemed to fall in love with any guy that batted his eyelashes at her. She was all over the place. While the ending isn’t what I would have liked, I wasn’t surprised. Unfortunately, I just wish I would have skipped this one and waited for the third book. I would also add that there seemed to be missing text in the audio between Chapters 43 and 44. Maybe then Evangeline will have grown up a bit. 2.5 stars rounded down.

I enjoyed the world building in this book and the unfolding of the story. Garber is a good storyteller and there is plenty of mystery and intrigue. It was a little heavy on the romance and I found myself getting frustrated with the female protagonist. She seemed always to be acted upon rather than having any agency of her own. I also hope there are more redeeming characters in the next installment. More characters with integrity would make for a stronger story.

I absolutely adore Jacks, so getting more of his backstory was amazing! This book was good amount of action packed and chemistry between Evangeline and Jacks. While I saw a lot of it coming, nothing that was predictable felt like it was supposed to be a shocker, more like you’re in the journey with Evangeline, discovering things as she does. And the twists were great! The ending killed me. I so hope that this is a trilogy because I need more after that ending!
The narrator was really good, with the overall vibe of the audiobook fitting the fantastical setting.

I am screaming! The cliffhanger at the end of this book may just kill me.

Excellent second installment. 4.5 stars only because there were some parts that dragged in this book. I feel like the second book in a series really sets the tone for the series overall. Is book 2 just a filler novel for the series or does it add more to the story and entice the reader? This second installment answers some questions while also bringing up new questions and curiosities. Though this book felt a little slower paced there was still plenty of adventure and wonderfully romantic moments. I can’t begin to imagine what twists the next book will hold. I’ll be missing these characters and this beautiful fairytale until the next book comes out. Absolutely wonderful second book.

I really enjoyed this audiobook narration, and Rebecca Soler did an excellent job! I think this edition in the series did drag and wasn't as fast-paced as the first book, but I was still highly entertained. The world-building is well done and I'm looking forward to reading the finale.

Thank you Macmillan audio and Netgalley for an advanced readers copy of The Ballad of Never After. I’m so grateful I got to read one of my most anticipated reads of the year I’m advance!
I’m not going lie I’m pretty disappointed in this book. Maybe it’s because I loved loved loved the first book so much and I had such high expectations for the second but the sequel really fell flat.
1. This book could have been a duology instead of a trilogy, I feel like most of what happens in this book has no real consequence and it was just to add more books to the series.
2. Evangelina’s constant optimism and “seeing the best in everyone” is really getting to the point of dangerously naive. Like how many times do you have to almost die before you realize that you can’t trust your own instincts.
3. The magic of the first book was really lost in the sequel, I don’t know if it goes back to my first problem of their just not being enough plot to carry it through but the first book has great pacing and set up. The sequel for me fell flat.
Although I didn’t enjoy the second book I have a good feeling about the next one!

When I started listening to this book, I had not yet read the previous title in this series. It was so good, I had to pause, go back and listen to that one, then continue.

The world-building and characters were fantastic. I believe this series is an offshoot of Stephanie Garber's Caraval series and now that's on my list of listen-to's.

This story follows Evangeline Fox, who is caught up in the machinations of Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, and his attempts to manipulate the fates and courts to achieve his own ends. Jacks has already betrayed Evangeline once, and with no real allies, she never knows who to trust.

This story does NOT have a HEA, so many fantasy fans will be unsatisfied. It's a good change of pace, however, to not have a HEA and the ending is so good, it's hard to stay mad about it for too long.

The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber
5/5 Stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

•••Spoiler free review below•••

I binged the Caraval trilogy + Once Upon a Broken Heart and then continued with The Ballad of Never After right away. I can't believe I put off this series for so long! The world is so magical and whimsy - filled games and twists and fun characters who do the wrong thing but you can't help but root for anyway.

Jacks was my favorite character from the Caraval series so I was so excited he was getting his own story. Once Upon a Broken Heart did not disappoint and The Ballad of Never After was even better. The character growth is phenomenal. Jacks and Evangeline's game of cat and mouse is thoroughly enjoyable and kept me guessing through the entire story.

I loved the ending and was basically screaming for the last 10% of the book. I don't want to say too much or spoil anything but just know, if you've been putting off this series, it's time to start it.

The Ballad of Never After will be released September 13th, and if it's not already on your tbr, it should be!
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Special thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for sharing an arc with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

4.25⭐️ Oh my gosh this book! I enjoyed this book more than the first. I loved Jacks and I can’t wait to see what happens next in the story. This is a great series and I like the Caraval references. I need the next book as soon as possible because that end was crazy!!

I was given as ARC of the audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

THERE BETTER BE A BOOK 3!!!!!

Seriously, this book was so good. I love Evangeline and Jacks so much. The slow burn is real and makes their banter so good to read. Jacks is the perfect morally gray character and I love that Evangeline never gives up hope, despite knowing she should. I don't know if this is meant to be a trilogy, but with that ending (OMG!!! I did not see it coming!), there needs to be. Stephanie Garber did not disappoint with the world-building and storytelling here. Her language is beautiful and I literally could not stop listening.

This book was devastating in the best way possible. We knew from Caraval and Once Upon a Broken Heart that Stephanie Garber lives to make us cry, and she delivers more sorrow with The Ballad of Never After. She has a way of writing characters that are at once so relatable but also so maddeningly oblivious that I found myself at times screaming out loud for a character to do something, or not do something, or berating them for what they'd just done. The ending broke my heart--I haven't had an emotional response like this to a book in months. It was refreshing in a way that only fantasy lovers will understand. We love the pain. As for the narrator, I thought she was lovely. I appreciated that she made the small, odd noises that happen occasionally in the book--tsk, tsks-s and chuckles under breath. It made it feel more real.

If you’re here then you should already know what you’re getting into. Lots of sartorial descriptions and pretty people doing pretty people things. Smiles and evil at every turn. Emotions swirling through every page. Enough drama and prevarications to make a CW show jealous.

Evangeline is still naive and idealistic, now reprimanding herself every other page to trust nobody and nothing. Jacks is still Jacks. Puzzle pieces are slowly coming together amid action and sniping and sallying forth into dangerous situations, albeit in pretty clothing. It’s entertaining and consuming in that slightly maddening way.

My only gripe is the number of times Evangeline blushes and the multitude of ways she constantly questions if this person, or that person, or a book is telling the truth. It’s got to be half the words in the book. It’s part of the framework of the story, that everything and nothing is true, but just like my notes from book 1, her thoughts are repetitive and tedious here too. It’s not a deal breaker, it just hits me every now and again while reading.

I listened to the audio, and for the most part, it’s great. But I feel like the last 5 or so chapters would be better in print. There are some story breaks, that I won’t spoil, that might benefit from being seen instead of heard.

It kicks up more and more into the end, creating an addicting read. The final act of the book is pretty spectacular, I couldn’t stop reading. Overall, I still completely invested and I need the next book (even if this one isn’t even officially out yet… grrr.).

<spoiler> Slight SPOILER ALERT here, at least in tone and structure: that is one of the “meanest” cliffhanger endings ever. Damn. </spoiler>

The narrator Rebecca Soler does a great job, she has a very clear voice that kept my attention and sounded very nice. The book itself however is just not for me. I quite liked the first one but once this one started, I could tell it wasn't going to be a good time. The first 30% of the book was very slow and the last 70% took off at a breakneck speed, I couldn't keep up and by that point I didn't really care.

Again, the narrator does a great job, I really enjoyed her voice and I'd like to listen to more of her work in the future! The book itself was a 3 Star but the narration is definitely a 4 Star.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Luckily I decided to find the first book in the series before listening to this audio book. Do not go into this book without reading the first, you will be lost.

A YA fantasy that is heavy on the YA mindset (this is not a bad thing, more of a warning). Overall, the fantasy aspects of this book lead to different twists and turns, but none that were unexpected or jaw dropping. My main thought about this book is that the story of Evangeline and Jacks continues.

Unlike the ending of the first book, I am not waiting on the edge of my seat for the next in this series, and I won't be running to find the Caraval series.

Rebecca Soler narrates this book expertly, drawing the listener in and keeping their attention until the very end.

I want to thank Netgalley, and Macmillan Audio (from Flatiron Books), Macmillan Young Listeners for an advanced listening copy of this book.