| “ | For anyone who has ever feared they won't find true love. | ” |
—Stephanie Garber, The Ballad of Never After | ||
The Ballad of Never After is the sequel to Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber. It was released on September 13, 2022.[1]
Synopsis[]
Not every love is meant to be.
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. . . .[2]
Quotes[]
“In the morning, you can forget it. You can go back to pretending you don't like me, and I can pretend that I don't care. But for tonight, let me pretend you're mine.” - Jacks
"Do you often travel with girls who've been flayed?" - Evangeline
Characters[]
- Evangeline Fox: the protagonist of the Once Upon A Broken Heart series. She was trapped in a back-and-forth with Jacks, a Fate, hating the idea of needing his help, but needing it nonetheless. She resided at Wolf Hall in the Magnificent North.
- Apollo Titus Acadian: the prince of the Magnificent North. He was under a deep spell, keeping him unconscious. The kingdom believed him to be dead. He was awoken and put under two more curses, the Archer's curse, and a mirror curse with Evangeline.
- Tiberius Acadian: the younger brother of Apollo. He had been locked away after reportedly killing his brother, and attempting to kill Evangeline.
- Luc Navarro: was Evangeline's first love in the first story, but later became a vampire. Chaos organized for Luc to take the throne after Apollo's 'death', claiming he was a distant cousin of the Acadian brothers.
- Kristof Knightlinger: writer of The Daily Rumor in the Magnificent North, known as scandal sheets. He was Kutlass Knightlinger's cousin.
- Havelock: Apollo's personal guard. He aided Evangeline in looking for a cure to Apollo's deep sleep.
Fates[]
- Jacks: also known as the Prince of Hearts, and Lord Jacks, was a Fate. Jacks required Evangeline's help to find the stones to open the Valory Arch. In return, he would help wake Apollo.
- Lala: also known as the Unwed Bride or Ariel Lagrimas, was a Fate. She was Evangeline and Jack's friend. She became engaged to Lord Robin Slaughterwood.
- Chaos: also known as the Lord of the Order of Spies and Assassins, was a Fate and a vampire. He helped Jacks and Evangeline to find the stones to open the Valory Arch. He was revealed to be Castor Valor, a prince presumed to be dead for hundreds of years, and Jacks' oldest friend. Castor was the monster the Valor's created.
Background Characters[]
- Marisol Tourmaline: Evangeline's stepsister, and ex-friend. Marisol showed only aggression and jealousy towards Evangeline, while Evangeline tried to save her life from Luc.
- The Librarian: the librarian of Wolf Hall. He found Evangeline opening the door at the back of the library. He told she needed to find the stones for the Valory Arch before evaporating into a cloud of smoke.
- Robin Slaughterwood: the Lord of House Slaughterwood, one of the Great Houses. He becomes engaged to Lala.
- Petra Youngblood: a girl with long moonlight hair. She attended Lala's engagement party. During the party, Evangeline discovers that Petra was a key for the Valory Arch, as well. They had the same rose gold/pink hair. Petra attacked Evangeline in an attempt to kill her, but Evangeline killed her in self defence.
- Honora Valor: a long dead royal of the Magnificent North, and Chaos' mother. One of the people that created the Valory Arch.
- Aurora Valor: the daughter of Honora and Wolfric Valor, and Chaos' sister. She was an old friend of Jacks before she died, centuries ago. Evangeline found and read Aurora's diary in the Hollow.
- Almond Froggly: an attendee of Lala and Robin's engagement party. He spoke briefly to Evangeline before Jacks interjected.
- Merrick Redthorne: an attendee of Lala and Robin's engagement party. He was a member of House Redthorne. He was a tall young man with thick black hair, bronze skin, and a dazzling smile. Merrick spoke briefly to Evangeline before Jacks interjected. It was revealed that he had two previous wives that had both died.
- Giselle Darling: a member of House Darling. She attended Lala's engagement party with her two sisters. Jacks took her down a secret passage to kill her, but Evangeline stopped him.
- Maximilian Fox: Evangeline's father. He died a couple of months before Once Upon A Broken Heart was set. Liana was his wife. He owned multiple stores, with his main store being 'Maximilian's Curiosities, Whimsies & Other Oddities'.
- Liana Fox: Evangeline's mother and Maximilian's wife. She came from the Magnificent North, and would tell Evangeline stories that she grew up with. Liana died a few years before the books were set.
Trivia[]
- The Barnes and Noble Exclusive Edition is signed by Stephanie Garber and includes a bonus chapter in Jacks POV.
- The Indigo Exclusive Edition includes the same bonus chapter as the Barnes and Noble Exclusive Edition, except the books is not signed.
- The 2nd edition of B&N Exclusive Edition comes with annotations from Stephanie for the last chapter.
Gallery[]
Promotional[]
Alternate Book Covers[]
