Blog Tour Review: The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber

The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber
Series: Once Upon a Broken Heart #2
Published by Flatiron Books on September 13, 2022
Pages: 416
Format:ARC, eARC
Source:Copy provided by publisher for review, via Netgalley

The fiercely-anticipated sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller Once Upon a Broken Heart, starring Evangeline Fox and the Prince of Hearts on a new journey of magic, mystery, and heartbreak.

Not every love is meant to be.

After Jacks, the Prince of Hearts, betrays her, Evangeline Fox swears she'll never trust him again. Now that she’s discovered her own magic, Evangeline believes she can use it to restore the chance at happily ever after that Jacks stole away.

But when a new terrifying curse is revealed, Evangeline finds herself entering into a tenuous partnership with the Prince of Hearts again. Only this time, the rules have changed. Jacks isn’t the only force Evangeline needs to be wary of. In fact, he might be the only one she can trust, despite her desire to despise him.

Instead of a love spell wreaking havoc on Evangeline’s life, a murderous spell has been cast. To break it, Evangeline and Jacks will have to do battle with old friends, new foes, and a magic that plays with heads and hearts. Evangeline has always trusted her heart, but this time she’s not sure she can. . . .

After really enjoying Once Upon a Broken Heart, I was so excited to dive into the sequel. And no worries, it did not disappoint! It did take me a minute to get back into the world, I will admit, but once I did it kind of all came back to me. Just as with the first installment, this sequel is just simply so very readable. The characters are so likable, and I just wanted the best for Evangeline. Like, she’s been through it, right? And it certainly doesn’t seem like things will be letting up for her anytime soon.

Just as in the first book, I flew through this sequel. I adored the high stakes (and, not just for Evangeline, but for the world as a whole), and the gray morality. No one in this book is above having to make the tough decisions, and I am always here for that. Obviously, I want to keep this review vague, since saying much will give away spoilers for certainly the first book, but if you haven’t read book one, you should probably correct that immediately.

And now, I will be eagerly awaiting the third book, for this one left me with my jaw hanging, and yelling at the book that it could not possibly be so rude as to give me a bananas ending and make me wait a year for more!

Bottom Line: Another incredibly addictive installment in the Once Upon a Broken Heart series- and it left me beyond eager for the next!