Laurens.Little.Library's Reviews > The Ballad of Never After
The Ballad of Never After (Once Upon a Broken Heart, #2)
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Laurens.Little.Library's review
bookshelves: 2023_reads, didnt_live_up_to_hype, anti-hero, 2021-reads, enemies-to-lovers, fantasy, fantasy_romance
Jan 26, 2023
bookshelves: 2023_reads, didnt_live_up_to_hype, anti-hero, 2021-reads, enemies-to-lovers, fantasy, fantasy_romance
Between the awkwardly stiff narration style and the characters being generally obtuse, this series really isn't doing it for me. Which is a damn shame and I'm not happy about it.
I'm looking high and low for the magic, the umami, the sparkle that makes this series special--and I can't find it.
Alsooooo I cannot get past a YA book that reads as middle grade but then als0 tries to develop chemistry and sexual tension by having the love interest ogle her boobs or whoopsie! graze her boob. I never want to hear the word "breast" one more time in this goddamn series 😭
Will I finish the trilogy? Ugh, probably. But only as a library borrow. I'm never buying physical copies of these books.
I'm looking high and low for the magic, the umami, the sparkle that makes this series special--and I can't find it.
Alsooooo I cannot get past a YA book that reads as middle grade but then als0 tries to develop chemistry and sexual tension by having the love interest ogle her boobs or whoopsie! graze her boob. I never want to hear the word "breast" one more time in this goddamn series 😭
Will I finish the trilogy? Ugh, probably. But only as a library borrow. I'm never buying physical copies of these books.
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Reading Progress
January 24, 2023
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Started Reading
January 24, 2023
– Shelved
January 24, 2023
–
15.0%
"This just came through on Libby. I didn’t think book one was anything special, but seeing so many of my mutuals fall in love with this series, I’m keen to see that magic for myself"
January 25, 2023
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95.0%
"Okay so drama…. 👍 but… This still reads a basically middle grade to me. I can’t hate it for potentially being what it’s supposed to (I know it’s YA, I just mean very young YA??)
Considering I just read The Cruel Prince, I feel as if I am in a position to complain about a narrative style that feel insanely stiff 😬"
Considering I just read The Cruel Prince, I feel as if I am in a position to complain about a narrative style that feel insanely stiff 😬"
January 26, 2023
– Shelved as:
2023_reads
January 26, 2023
– Shelved as:
didnt_live_up_to_hype
January 26, 2023
– Shelved as:
anti-hero
January 26, 2023
– Shelved as:
2021-reads
January 26, 2023
– Shelved as:
enemies-to-lovers
January 26, 2023
– Shelved as:
fantasy
January 26, 2023
– Shelved as:
fantasy_romance
January 26, 2023
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-4 of 4 (4 new)
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by
Carrie
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rated it 4 stars
Jan 26, 2023 02:49PM
I’m so tempted by the physical copies just because they’re so pretty. And the special edition ones are goooorgeous. But I feel the same way as you lol
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Good to know I wasted $10 on a book I’ll most likely never read 😅 I also did not like the first for all the same reasons as you. I know I won’t like the 2nd either
You said it perfectly “looking for the sparkle that makes this series special.” Just finished book 1 and there was nothing compelling.