345 pages
Published 2022
Read from October 9 to October 11
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
This one is a high fantasy rom-com in which, after defeating the Big Bad Evil Guy and fulfilling the prophecy, the Chosen One and his band of adventurers settle in to rule the kingdom they accidentally inherited -- and also the Chosen One needs to find true love or he'll die. It's a charming set-up for a book and I had high hopes for it. Further, the cover is absolutely lovely.
Alas, Ever After eschews any real tension (romantic, humorous, or otherwise) regarding who Arek's soulmate is going to be. We know who it's going to be from the first chapter. That's not so bad in and of itself. This could have been a charming novella, a comedy of courtly manners as one complication after another impedes the course of True Love. What sours the book for me is how it stretches out a straightforward premise and places the burden of that extra length on our two romantic leads being absolutely oblivious idiots who can't communicate to (literally) save a life. That's a tried and true rom-com scenario, of course, but it long outlasted its welcome for me.
Beyond our two romantic leads, the main band of adventurers is a delightful cast. I'd happily read novels about Bethany's lusty adventures, about Sionna learning to loosen up and have fun, or Rion being the kingdom's sweetest himbo paladin. And I have to admit, when our two numbskull leads finally make things right at the end, I cried at how sweet and winsome it all was. The journey to get there could have been considerably shorter, though. Or maybe the focus could have been spread more evenly across the cast.
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