Book Review: The Ballad of Never After

I wish our story could have had another ending

Ooo, does the book club chaos continue! This was a fun book to read whilst on holiday - sure, it's diverted my reading list a little bit, but all in all, glad to read something lighthearted whilst traipsing around Porto for a few days. Evangeline is on a mission - she and her husband Apollo have been cursed by forces unknown. She has to pair up again with the untrustworthy Jacks to find the last four pieces of the Valory Arch, undo the curse and solve the mystery of the Valors. Emotions run wild, and danger beckons in the second instalment of the ‘Once Upon a Broken Heart’ trilogy.

I’m not sure what to make of this instalment. At times, there is magic, and it oozes charm. At other points, the story feels a little all over the place with its narratives. It constantly jumps around with characters like Luc and Marisol suddenly appearing out of thin air. We can understand why Jacks appears, as he is a sort of anti-hero to Evangeline. But there are moments that do rather disappoint. Again, with the first book, there are moments when everything just feels too easy. Like the exact book, Evangeline needs to magically appear to her and explain all the plot holes that have just happened. It feels too convenient.

What I do like is the character development of Jacks and Chaos. I appreciate that Garber delves deeper into the fairy tales and histories of The Magnificent North, exploring how they connect to Evangeline. It adds texture to the world and to the plot, which is very much needed. Fairytales seem shiny and bright -courtesy of Disney - but looking closer, they are a lot darker. It is really cool how Garber plays on that trope, but in the world of Evangeline, Fairytales and history are intertwined and yet the ‘Story curse’ makes it all the more intriguing. But Evangelines ‘should I or shouldnt I trust Jacks, but he is devilishly handsome’ internal monologues do get rather tiresome. But then I do have to forgive her - we were all sixteen once. We all loved the bad boy and we were all suckers for a devilishly handsome face.

The plot is fast paced, which I do enjoy, but I also enjoy a slow burn. Considering this is a romance book and Evangeline is embarking on a literal life-or-death epic quest, you'd think there’d be more ‘meat’ to unpack. But alas, no, there is not. Perhaps it is all connected to the numerous sub-plots that Garber has going. The storyline between Apollo and Evangeline, Evangeline and Jacks, the opening of the Valory Arch, the Archer and the Fox and the fate of the Great Houses. There is a lot going on. Many loose threads that need tying up. I’m curious to see how Garber does this in the last book. So read on I shall!