The ballad of never after, review.

 "They called it heartbreak, but Evangeline thought that losing someone you loved broke more than just a heart (...)"

First of all, I must say the book's cover, the fantasy map and its inner design are absolutely as beautiful as the previous ones, which is no small detail since all creative parts involved in a book should be equally praised and recognized for their dedicated work.

Now, to begin with this review, I'm pleased to say my excitement and anticipation were accurately placed upon this story's sequel and reciprocated with even more adrenaline and amusement from the very first chapter.

As much as I thought Evangeline's character was sort of naive during and after finishing the first book, I questioned myself about this in the moment I started this sequel. 

"Evangeline knew that her heart longed to hope for the best. She believed that people could change; she believed that everyone's life was a story with an ending that was not yet written, and therefore that everyone's future held infinite possibilities"

It appeared to me that I had mistaken hope and optimism for naiveness, and the fact that Evangeline had always trusted her noble heart and the dreams it held with unbending will, even if sometimes they were a little too optimistic, was what actually annoyed me about her, because most of the times I disagreed with her choices and thought process, which actually made my experience as a reader sort of frustrating yet exciting at the same time because of the constant state of inner conflict. However, the mere fact that I had all these feelings proves how much dedication Stephanie Garber has put into her characters, succesfully making them profound enough for a reader to question themselves, to feel with or because of them in their journey with such complexity.

To be honest, though, what I can't blame Evangeline for is for wanting to trust Jacks even when she feels she shouldn't, since I had the same desire throughout the whole first and second book from this series, finding myself unable to resist the Prince of Hearts's charms even when they were constanly surrounded by his doubtful and mostly selfish morality. I admit, however, this is another character who can put a reader in a situation of self-doubt, which for me would be the point where I can actually merge and agree with Evangeline's feelings. I connect with her in the sequel a lot more than I did in the first book, which also shows her character development, as well as we get to see Jacks's development, though I won't say much about it to avoid any spoilers.

Something else the author achieves in a pleasant manner is finishing almost every chapter with a question, leaving the reader either anxious, confused, intrigued or excited for more, which is an excellent and very effective way to keep an audience engaged with the story. Many times, she makes wonderful use of what we would call a "cliffhanger".

On the other hand, the increasing tension and both romantic and erotic scenes are inescapably attractive, captivating and bewitching the reader like a curse, yet a pleasant one. I think the author makes use of fantasy characters she loves such as vampires in a both conventional yet exciting and creative way. She explores their cliched tropes with enticing notes and hints of erotism and danger, as well as she does with the character of Jacks, although he's far more complex as a character due to his nature. 

More than ever, Stephanie Garber has the reader fighting between reason and feelings, rushed by a wave of adrenaline as the two remain conflicted.

Everything the first book contains gets increased in the sequel. The tension, the plot-twists, the adrenaline, the drama and romance. It's impossible to avoid getting attached to it.

I find the author made a wonderful job at handling the story's pace, as well as the worldbuilding and all the backstories. The way everything's related and pays off eventually in the plot captivates the reader, fulfilling every expectation.

What people want many times opposes to what they feel, and this is one of the human truths which the story carries along. As its protagonist firmly believes, there are infinite possibilities for a story to end, and as much as we only desire to hold onto the idea of a happy ending as we read through, we know there's so much more complexity to the plot and its characters than that, which makes our concerns linger even further.

The pain of almost having what we always desired several times at our fingertips's reach, only to get it taken away ir being forced to painfully refuse it, to sacrifice it for a greater good, a greater truth. Besides, there's also the fact that, what we want, isn't always what we need, and many times we despise us because of what we find ourselves longing for.

 This story constantly plays along with the conflict between what we wish and what we can have, what feels real and enough and what is truly happening around the characters, who become mortified by being forced to supress their deepest hopes time after time. It's as if we, as adult readers, were facing a fairytale and asking it why did it betray us, why did it lie to us and made us believe in the promise of something that, if it can ever be found, it's not as easy going and painless as it was supposed to be, or at least the road towards it it's not. It makes us wonder how much are we willing to give and to lose as we hold onto hope through many hurtful choices. 

So yes, The ballad of never after, as well as its prequel, it's about fairytales and hopes and dreams, yet it's not always about easy roads and happy endings. It's about a hopeful kind of love that is worth fighting for. Every process of seek and transformation carries a certain pain with it. "Because happy endings can be caught, but they are difificult to hold on to..."