Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber

59 reviews

adventurous lighthearted mysterious slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

While I loved the tension between the two main characters, a lot of this book felt slow and anti-climatic. It's almost as if the author forgot to develop the plot until she wrote the last 100 pages and just squeeze everything important into that part. Overall, still enjoyable, but I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it. I'll still probably read the third one when it comes out if not only for my insatiable curiosity and near inability to DNF trilogies.

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adventurous challenging funny medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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the way I started this book like ugh it's gonna be sooo Young adult like the last one and then like 80 pages in I'm having an absolute whale of a time?????? what's in this book???? crack????

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Even though this is a 2nd book in a series, it was better than the first! I couldn't put it down, the characters are delightfully complicated, and the ending had me screaming. Easily a fav in this genre!!!

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I didn't like it as much as the first one, but that doesn't negate the fact that it was still interesting. I don't know if it's just her books, but for some reason for me it's when I read her books I don't fully get into it until the later parts. But it might be on me because I've only read two and I'm just now getting back into fantasy. It was interesting enough to keep me going but nothing really immersing to me. I kept wanting to hit Evangeline for being too trusting, too quickly. It's cool how consistent Stephanie keeps Jacks character. The ending was crazy. Glad there's gonna be a third book.

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adventurous emotional lighthearted 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: Complicated

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Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

It was good, easily read it in half a day


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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This was a hard read for me. Not in the way I read it because I did consume it quickly. There’s a whimsy to Stephanie’s writing that is a person with synesthesias dream. But while it’s not described as such her books are horrors. Maybe a fantasy horror but damn dude. The gaslighting and terrible relationships? The betrayal and secrets? The freaking ending? I wanna know what happens after this but I’m also afraid. This book is easily very triggering for DV victims or someone such as myself that has trauma surrounding men. Ugh.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous mysterious fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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