Review – The Ballad of Never After (Once Upon a Broken Heart, Book 2) by Stephanie Garber (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 405 pages
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Release Date: September 13, 2022
ASIN: B09NQPKL8L
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Once Upon a Broken Heart series
Source: Borrowed ebook from Library
Rating: 5/5 stars
“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. . . .”
Series Info/Source: This is the second book in the Once Upon a Broken Heart series. I borrowed this as an ebook from the library.
Thoughts: I adored this second book in the Once Upon a Broken Heart series. Garber’s writing is absolutely magical and I enjoyed every moment of it. This book picks up where the first one left off. Evangeline’s new husband, Apollo, is in a coma but rumored to be dead. When another curse strikes she has to form an uneasy truce with Jacks. Despite her vow to never open the gate that only she can open, she might finally be forced to do just that.
Okay so I am not going to talk much about the story or the writing style here because it was completely the characters that drove this book; in particular Evangeline and Jacks. There is so much heartbreak, pain, angst, and longing in this book it absolutely broke my heart. However, there is also a lot of witty banter and hope. Between the longing and sly humor, this book took my emotions and twisted them up again and again. It is pretty rare that I read a book like this where I am so absolutely engaged in the two lead characters that I could care less about what was happening around them…but this book pretty much did that.
The plot is excellent too (even if Evangeline and Jacks stole the show). The way everything is mirroring a classic folklore tale was clever. There were also some major twists and surprises here and I enjoyed them all. The ending did break my heart and I am dying to see what happens next. Really, absolutely dying. I know people are complaining about the ending but I thought it suited the tone of the story perfectly.
Garber’s writing style is just amazing. It is all magic and glitter, beautiful description, witty banter, and deep emotion. The dialogue between characters is spot on and highly entertaining. I really loved this book, it was a breath of fresh air and I can’t wait to read the next one.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I absolutely loved this second book in the Once Upon a Broken Heart series. This was a magical, amusing, and heart-wrenching read and I loved every second of it. Jacks and Evageline absolutely stole the show here and the plot took some unique and surprising turns. I would recommend to those who enjoy glittering yet dark themed fairy-tale-esque YA fantasies. I am absolutely dying to read the third and final book in this trilogy!
