A review by annad318
The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense 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

4.25

Continuously impressed by how likable this series is!

The dialogue is very well written, and despite how silly the plot can be at times, the characters bring a sense of maturity to the conversations that makes everything feel real and believable. There’s also a great sense of humor.

Evangeline is an exceptional female main character and she really sells this series for me. Her logic and reasoning is pretty sound, and she stays true to herself throughout. Whenever she makes a mistake, it’s not out of recklessness or a lack of critical thinking skills. For example, when

Luc invites her to Lala’s engagement party, Evangeline could and should have gone with Luc to make Jacks jealous—I was so there for the drama—but she doesn’t!

She impressed me a lot throughout this book. Loved to see Jacks and Evangeline’s relationship blossom as well. I liked the constant references to the intensity of his stare or the sound of his heart to communicate their mutual attraction. Nice use of show don’t tell, which was pleasant to read.

Not that I care much for her character, but where’s Marisol disappeared to? And Tiberius? On to the next book!