carolina's Reviews > The Ballad of Never After

"In a world where there were Fates and magic and curses and prophecies, Evangeline couldn't help but believe there was also the potential for everyone to find a happily ever after.”

rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

I am devastated. My heart is broken. I can't believe the book ends like this, it's cruel and painful.

I have just finished the book and need to talk about it, so this review is probably going to be very messy. I'll start by saying that I loved this book so much and it's a million times better than the first one - there's a huge difference between the two.

The plot is so good and intriguing, it kept me on the edge of my seat and it was so hard to put the book down. I loved how the story developed, it's all so interesting and this book has taken a darker turn, it still has the fairytale feel of the first book, but more dangerous and nerve wracking. Although some parts were predictable, I was still shocked by some of the plot twists - but let me tell you, nothing shocked me more than the ending! I was not expecting it at all.

The characters are amazing, and even though we only get Eva's pov, everyone feels so layered and complex. I absolutely love that. I love Evangeline, I really do, and I admire her strength and her ability to hope for the best even in the face of chaos. But there were so many times I wanted to scream at her for making such stupid decisions. Jacks Jacks Jacks... where do I start? I'm so in love with him, he's fascinating and captivating and so charming. The things he says? I go insane. I just want to know more about him, I have so many questions.

The tension between Eva and Jacks was so good, there are so many great scenes between them that made my heart burst. For a story so focused on love, the romance is not the main focus, so I found myself hanging on to every moment of it.

"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.”

I love the fairytale aspect of this story, it is the best kind of escapism from the real world. I loved all the dark twists and magical elements, this series really reminds me of how great ya fantasy can be. And I adore how there’s this lingering feeling of hope throughout the story, reminding us that things can change and they can be better. It makes me nostalgic, it transports me to my childhood and times spent reading stories that made me believe in the happily ever after.

I'm not giving it 5 stars because I think the worldbuilding is a bit confusing, I still have a lot of questions. And I wish I'd seen a better character arc for Evangeline, she's still very naive. Even after everything that has happened and everything she has seen, she still makes stupid decisions. And maybe it's cute that she hasn't lost hope, but there's a difference between being hopeful and being completely delusional. I hope to see her make better decisions in the next book and stand up for herself more.

All in all, I really loved this book and I'm counting the days until the third book. It better have a happy ending, I won't accept anything else.