Book review: The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber

The Ballad of Never After by Stephanie Garber
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The second book was heart-wrenching as well. There are so many lines that I have highlighted. I could guess he was the Archer. I could guess that Castor was the chaos. But Apollo in the end was a huge twist and her losing her memories despite Jacks not using the stones for that purpose was truly heartbreaking. The part where she died was twisted. The writing is magnificent, just like the north. The stories are amazing, intriguing and beautiful. The ballad of the Archer and the Fox was a heartbreak in itself.
I love Jack's. I love Evangeline. She's perfect. Too perfect, like an angel. He is perfect in her heartbreak and mournful kind a way. I want them to be together soon. Onto the last book.


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My favourite quotes :

“It hurts, Jacks.”
“I know, love. I’m going to take you somewhere safe.”

“He held her with the type of intensity that only happens when a person wants something that isn't quite theirs.”


“The girl was dead. If her lifeless body had not confirmed it, then it would have been made clear by the horrible scream of the Fate who held her in his arms. The story curse was familiar with pain, but this was agony, the sort of raw grief that was only seen once in a century. The Fate was every tear that anyone had ever shed for lost love. He was pain given form.”

“I do not want you dead, and I’ll kill anyone who tries.”

“Glad to know you're thinking about me when you kiss your husband.”

“Jacks no longer felt like her enemy, he felt like her home.”

“Whatever it is, Jacks, you won't feel the same in a minute."
He swalloved hard and clenched his jaw. "You have no idea what I'm feeling now."
He looked at her lips, and the most tortured expression she'd ever seen crossed his face.
When Jacks wanted something, it was with an intensity that could break worlds and build kingdoms. That was the energy pouring off him now, as if he wanted to destroy her and make her his queen all at once.”

“It smelled of him; of apples and magic and cold,moonlit nights.”

“Jacks’s chest was heaving, his clothes were soaked, his hair was a mess across his face—yet in that moment, Evangeline knew he would carry her through more than just freezing waters. He would pull her through fire if he had to, haul her from the clutches of war, from falling cities and breaking worlds. And for one brittle heartbeat, Evangeline understood why so many girls had died from his lips. If Jacks hadn’t betrayed her, if he hadn’t set her up for murder, she might have been a little bewitched by him.”

“Jacks looked down on her from the dark nightstand where he’d perched himself. His long legs draped negligently over the edge of the furniture as his hands played with an apple and a knife.
“You talk in your sleep,” he drawled. “You said my name—a lot.”
Evangeline felt a rush of heat crawl up her neck. “Obviously, I was having a nightmare.”
“It didn’t look that way to me, Little Fox, and I was here all night.”

“She feared that dreams were like fairytales, a little bit true and not entirely trustworthy”

“She used to think love was like a house. Once it was built, a person got to live in it forever. But now she wondered if love was more like a war with new foes constantly appearing and battles creeping up.”

“In the morning you can forget it. You can go back to pretending you dont like me. and i can pretend i dont care.But for tonight, let me pretend youre mine”

“You're good at this,' she murmured. 'Do you often travel with girls who've been flayed?'
That earned her a soft laugh. 'No.' Then quietly, as he ran a cloth along her lower back, just below the dip in her waist. 'Would you be jealous if I did?'
I'm not a jealous person was what Evangeline intended to say, but instead the words 'of course' came out.
Jacks laughed, louder this time.
Embarrassment surged through her. 'That's not what I meant to say.'
'It's all right. I'd probably kill another man if I found him with you like this.' Jacks' hands pressed harder as they went to her shoulders and, one by one, ripped off the sleeves of her dress so that what remained of the gown completely fell away.
She made a sound somewhere between a squeal and a gasp. 'What that really necessary?'
'No, but everyone should have their clothes ripped off at some point.'
She imagined Jacks was mostly trying to distract her from all the pain, yet she blushed all the way from her cheeks to her chest.
Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw him smile.
And for a second, nothing hurt.”
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My favourite scenes in The ballad of Never After :

The secret hallway of Slaughterwood
The ride to hollow
The Hollow
The vampire lair just before the end.


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