The Ballad of Never After: the stunning sequel to the Sunday Times bestseller Once Upon A Broken Heart

Latest novel in Broken Heart Trilogy. Would be better read alongside the remaining reads in the Trilogy. This novel is book 2. Evangaline is back and is on the trail of magical stones to open up a magic arch, which may or may not release either magical treasure or a dangerous monster depending on who you believe. Also back is Jack, aka The Prince of Broken Hearts, and also a Fate who has hus own reasons for wanting the arch opened. Apollo, now under a deadly curse with Evangiline in his sight plus all manner of creatures, including vampires Luke and Chaos. All adds up to a fast-paced and magical read that you won't want to end.

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.

Loved fairytales as a child. Loving this adult trilogy. Such a pleasure. Easy to read and entertaining. Something I have wanted to find since I read the 12 dancing princesses. Thanks to the author!

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!

Enthralling. Once I started reading I couldn’t stop. I would rate it 5 starts. You should most definitely read this book you won’t be disappointed

My Initial Thoughts I was so excited to start the series again, and I was worried I wouldn’t remember much of OAUBH, but it all came back to me quite quickly. I was immediately drawn back into Evangeline and Jack’s world and remembered what was happening. The covers for this series are also so beautiful. I always worry going into popular books as I tend to read a lot of lesser known and I worry about the hype. That being said I was not disappointed. Plot I loved the plot and how it picked up from book one. It has been a few years since I read that one but I remembered when I started reading, and the flawless picking up from the previous book is always something I love when it is a series! The plot kept me hooked and I found myself reading so much in small periods of time because the writing was easy and flowed well. Characters The characters just make this book. The tension between them throughout did not let me down. I had thoughts will reading like this is who they are and was not disappointed when I was right. In fact it made me love Jacks and Evangeline more. Apollo’s storyline also kept me hooked and wondering how it would ever work. But the tension between the MC’s is what gives this book everything that you could want. The character’s have a lot of hidden depth as well that gets slowly unearthed as the story progresses. Recommend If you like YA fantasy, with sparks of romance and tension… this Is the series you need to pick up! Favourite Quote “The secret to staying in love is having someone who will catch you when you start to fall out of it.” Favourite Chapter/s My favourite chapters were 5, 12, 21 and 27. Summed up in one sentence The roller-coaster of emotions that I didn’t know I needed. Overall Wrap up I was so absorbed in this. The emotions it provoked throughout and the ending? Well don’t get me started on that one! What I will say is that I have not read a book with the unique style that the last chapters happen in before and it really adds more character to the book. How can you not love it when there is a quote’s like this “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.” Stars – 4 Dates read – 11th October 2025 till 15th October 2025. Book Information – The Ballad Of Never After by Stephanie Garber. Genre – YA Fantasy. Pages – 433 pages. Tropes – Curses and Fates. Tension from MC’s. Forced proximity. Magic. Denied feelings. Available on Kindle Unlimited – The series is not available on kindle unlimited. Available Formats – Available on kindle, paperback, hardback and audiobook. Publishing Information – Published on 13th September 2022 by Gollancz. Format in Which I Read – I read this in paperback. Where my copy come From – My copy came from the library. POVs – This is written in single POV – Evangeline. Single/Dual/Multiple Timelines – This is written on a single timeline. 1st, 2nd or 3rd person – This is written in third person. HEA, HFN or Cliff hanger – Ends on one huge cliffhanger! Series or Standalone – This is book 2 in the Once Upon A Broken Heart series. Trigger Warnings – Please check content warnings before reading if necessary and please always remember that your mental health matters.

The book is perfection! Actually, the whole series is magical!

Really cute cover . Wasn't damaged at all.

This book left me in a dilemma. Ever get that hollow feeling inside your heart when you finish a great books? This is whar this books gave me. This book delivered absolute bangers of plot twists after plot twists. 6/5. It broke my scale😆

Ho acquistato questa edizione per la bellezza della sovracoperta e soprattutto della copertina nascosta decorata della prima stampa! Anche gli interni sono molto belli ed è presente la mappa. Per quanto riguarda il contenuto, avendo amato “C’era una volta un cuore spezzato”, non vedevo l’ora di ritrovare Evangeline e Jacks e di tornare a immergermi nel mondo misterioso e fiabesco, pieno di magia e inganni! 😍 Dopo gli eventi del volume precedente, Evangeline non può più fidarsi di Jacks 💔, ma odiarlo è per lei impossibile: dopo tutto ciò che hanno passato insieme, non riesce a credere che dietro la maschera fredda e distaccata da Fato immortale, non ci sia anche il ragazzo tormentato che combatte continuamente contro il destino che ogni volta gli strappa via ciò che desidera proprio quando lo sta per raggiungere 🏹 Evangeline ben presto si renderà conto che non ha altra scelta che imbarcarsi in una nuova pericolosa avventura con Jacks per trovare le quattro pietre magiche in grado di aprire l’Arco del Valory 💎, ma il viaggio che intraprenderanno porterà alla luce non solo verità celate sulle storie del Magnifico Nord, ma li aiuterà anche a comprendere meglio sé stessi, i loro sentimenti e ciò che vogliono davvero 🥰 La ricerca dell’amore e del lieto fine che è stata fin dall’inizio al centro di questa storia diventa sempre più una lotta contro il destino ⚔: amore e lieto fine non sono più oggetti che una volta trovati dureranno per sempre, ma qualcosa per cui lottare ogni giorno. ✒Lo stile di scrittura della Garber mi ha completamente rapita anche questa volta. Rende ogni cosa magica e meravigliosa: i suoi libri sono sogni impressi su carta. La storia affascina ed emoziona e diventa sempre più coinvolgente man mano che si prosegue nella lettura fino allo scioccante finale 😱 Concludere un libro così è davvero crudele! 😭 Spero che uscirà presto l’ultimo volume di questa trilogia e che Jacks e Evangeline avranno il finale che meritano 💖

I think this one is my favourite in the trilogy

Het eerste boek las ik helemaal uit in een week, het tweede boek (dit boek) is voor mij wat moeilijker om erdoor te geraken. Maar het blijft een mooie serie van boeken en het was goedkoop!