The Ballad of Never After: the stunning sequel to the Sunday Times bestseller Once Upon A Broken Heart Paperback – 29 Jun. 2023

The Ballad of Never After, Evangeline’s story continues, this book is amazing. I loved it, full of magic, wonder, fates, stones, valors and a key. So thankful there is a book three to see how Evangeline’s story completes! Romance and fairytales that seem to not want to have hea’s.Book two of three. Thank the lord I can read them back to back!

Garber picks up the tale of Evangeline Fox in this middle instalment of the latest trilogy set in the same world as the 'Caraval' novels. I wish there had been a recap or more explanation given within the text as I did struggle to remember what had happened in the previous book. It does annoy me when authors assume their readers will remember all the detail from past instalments. But I got there eventually.Evangeline, the heroine, is now a princess, but her prince is in a magically induced coma and most of the world believes him to be dead. She is desperate to find a cure, but with the new ruler of the principality shortly to arrive, time is running out. Meanwhile the ironically heartless 'prince of hearts', Jacks, is still trying to manipulate her into using her power to open the mysterious Valory Arch and unleash whatever lies behind it.As ever, Garber doesn't waste time. The story is packed with action and incident from beginning to end and is never dull to read - in fact, it's generally hard to put down. Evangeline is a likeable enough heroine, but the hero (or antihero) is always Jacks. Garber has taken the trope of the loveable bad boy that everyone believes can be redeemed, and distilled it into this character. In fact, she is the absolute master of this trope. Even though I know it is a cliche, and generally am a cynical person not easily swayed by romance in books, I find myself utterly invested in the will-they-won't-they romance between Jacks and Evangeline.As a middle book, the ending is very open (as in, hanging off the edge of a cliff) but it does have a satisfying trajectory in its own right. Some central volumes in a trio lack that and suffer for it, but 'The Ballad of Never After' can stand on its own. It lacks the magic and wonder of Caraval and its sequels, but it's a really compelling read.I'm not sure if it is officially a young adult book or not, but certainly it would be suitable for teenage readers (I would have probably loved it even more when I was that age). There's nothing explicit in it and the characters are young, which makes it 'feel' like a YA novel. I read as an adult and also hugely enjoyed it.I'm looking forwards to the conclusion, as Garber has set up for an interesting finale, and then to see what she does next with this 'world' she has built. The concept of the fates has huge scope for other spinoff series, and Garber is a skilled writer who can create a good yarn even out of much less good material than she has created here.

I bought the first book in an airport bookshop and wow I have never bought the next series so quickly. I read the first book in a day and bought the next two that night - even paid for overnight delivery because I just couldn’t wait. This was an excellently written and gripping book that had me screaming and fawning all at the same time.

The book looks amazing and exactly like the picture. Super excited to read it.

great book,fantasy and romance

Screams into the abyss.I knew after reading the Caraval series and loving the second book more than the first that this would be the case here too. And it WAS!The second book follows straight on from the first and just has so much more in terms of Evangeline and Jacks as well as the story. The stakes are higher and the plot in this book is definitely my favourite due to the level of angst and action we got.But the relationship between Jacks and Evangeline now that... that is the reason for this rating. The slow burn, the angst, the sexual tension, the hurt comfort. The way their relationship developed made my heart sing. It really is everything you want from a fairytale romance.Even though I read this about a month ago now, I still think about certain scenes because they are just that 900dAlso that 'The End' nearly made my head burst.This book was amazing. Everything that you (1) could want in a book. It ticks every box, and honestly is worth the hype. You've got to make sure you have book 3 to hand though because you're going to want to dive right into it after reading this!!!

My friends daughter loved this book.

10/10 could not put down