Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber

34 reviews

xoxlululuxox's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0


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katvou's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25


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betweentheshelves's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I'll admit, I audibly stopped and said "what?" at the end of this book because that's where it's going to end? What the heck. This is why I have been mostly waiting to read series once they are all published. But I digress!

The stakes were risen in this book, and I thoroughly enjoyed the chemistry between Evangeline and Jacks. Between all the running and the curses and the magic, their relationship is growing and changing, even if they don't want to admit it. As readers, you definitely want them to get together. Definitely a will they, won't they kind of situation.

While I still haven't read Caraval (it's on my list, I swear!), I've found I've been able to understand what's going on in this series without much difficulty. So if you're thinking about jumping in without having read the original trilogy, you can do it with this one!

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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Second reread (October 2023): 5 Stars* 
This was one of my most anticipated books of the year. I went out the morning of its release, purchased a copy, and proceeded to come home and read the entire book in one sitting. I love Stephanie Garber and I LOVE this series (possibly more than I enjoyed Caraval). 
This sequel picks up right at the end of where "Once Upon a Broken Heart" ended. Jacks has betrayed Evangeline, and Evangeline has vowed to never trust him again. But to her dismay, Evangeline needs Jacks to help break the curse on her husband, Apollo. Forced to work together, Evangeline and Jacks set off to find the stones needed to unlock a very mysterious gate that is rumored to hold the secrets needed to bring Apollo back. 
I believe this is Stephanie Garber's best book yet. The descriptions for the world are so vivid and immersive, and the magic with the fates is so enchanting. I loved every second I spent reading this book, and I have never been so lost in a book world before. I particularly loved seeing a softer side of Jacks. Jacks is a good guy deep down, but through circumstance he needs to play the villain to get Evangeline to play her part. I am normally not a fan of enemies to lovers, but boy am I rooting for Evangeline and Jacks to be together. Jacks is always there for Evangeline but he never pushes her to believe in him more than what she sees. I really love Evangeline as a character, because she still remains soft where she needs to, and she never lets the absolute anarchy change her good heart. 
As with every other review of this book: THAT ENDING! I screamed, I cried, and I am contemplating writing my own fanfiction for this book, because that CANNOT be the end. I am rarely so distraught over an ending in a book, and I need Evangeline and Jacks to have their redemption arch. BOOK THREE NEEDS TO BE OUT NOW!
You better believe I will read the next book the day it comes out!

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