![]() ![]() ![]() After an argument with Jacks, 17-year-old Evangeline drinks heavily at a party after telling herself she shouldn't. ![]() She gets saved by Jacks many times and takes it as a hint that he cares for her, easily dismissing his other behaviors, including his literal magical power to control peoples' thoughts and actions when he wants to. Evangeline is tempted by a "bad boy/tortured soul" figure named Jacks who is controlling and aloof and secretive and she spends much of the book trying to figure him out. In fact, all of the romance has an edge of malice to it that's well worth discussing with teen romance fans who are just starting relationships of their own. There's a passionate kiss that turns into a near-strangulation from a man controlled by a curse, and the main character, Evangeline, dressed only in a slip, writhes in a bed, fighting new-vampire urges to drink blood, with a man lying on top of her, holding her down. Of note is the escalation of sexual violence. There are a few deaths - one by stabbing and another from a vampire bite - and some injuries from arrows, knives, and lashes to the back that are all healed with magic. Expect the same level of violence in this sequel. Parents need to know that The Ballad of Never After is the sequel to Once Upon a Broken Heart, a spin-off of the popular Caraval trilogy by Stephanie Garber. ![]()
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