This book it the start of a hopefully stunning series. The story is best described as re-imagining of Cinderella set in ancient Chinese legend, steeped in magic. But as beautiful as the world-building is, the relationship can be dangerous, every decision potentially fatal. When intrigue and betrayal lurk around every corner, who can you trust and who will break your trust and your heart?

Ich liebe asiatische Fantasybücher und bei Never ever after habe ich mich umso mehr auf die Story von Sue Lynn Tan gefreut, die ich als Autorin von “Die Tochter der Mondgöttin” kennen und lieben gelernt habe. Never Ever After zeigt Parallelen zu Cinderella auf. Es ist jedoch kein klassisches Happy End Buch, wo man von vornherein weiß wie die Story ausgehen wird. Der Prinz gibt nicht vor wen er eigentlich zu sein mag, aber auch die feindlichen Figuren zeigen im Laufe der Story andere Charakterzüge auf, sodass ich mich am Schluss gefragt habe wer jetzt eigentlich der Feind ist. Das Worldbuilding ist poetisch und sehr detailliert beschrieben, was mir richtig gut gefallen hat. Die asiatische Kultur kommt hier sehr schön zur Geltung , welches durch die mystischen Fabelwesen gut zum Ausdruck gebracht wird. Ich hoffe auf eine Fortsetzung des Buches, denn ich möchte unbedingt wissen wie es mit Yining weitergeht.

if you love a female main character, that’s tough and ready to do anything to get what she wants you’ll love this book.it’s beautiful mixed with mythology, magic and a bit of alchemy and everything put in an Asian inspired setting. When I was starting the book, I was first thinking that it will be a book like so many others, where the poor girl just falls in love with her prince and they live happily ever after but oh my God, I was so wrong. We get not only one love interest but two and both of them are definitely following their own plans, the same way as our protagonist does. and while I was first a bit confused about what is going on with her ring and what is the whole fuss about I loved the turn of events. I loved the found family Trope, I loved how her history was unveiled during the book and I absolutely loved how she as someone who was on her own for a whole life was adapting to being someone who cares for other people and who actually fights for them. For my personal taste, I would’ve loved to see more of her abilities as a thief. I would’ve loved to see it more included and in later parts of this book I would’ve liked to hear more about the way how the magical plants are working and in what way they are actually magical and why not everyone can use their magical properties. But I definitely did not see it coming who actually was villain in the story. I was totally perplexed when I was reading the ending and I am absolutely looking forward to reading the next book in this series. Thanks to netgalley for the eARC.

I was lucky to get both the ebook and audiobook, as immersive reading is my favorite kind of reading. This is not a Cinderella fairytale as you might expect it - and Yining is definitely not a Disney princess. She is a thief and a liar, but she does it for survival after having experienced great loss. When her cruel step-aunt takes away the one thing Yining cares about - a wooden ring from her past that seems worthless to everyone but her - she makes her way to the court to get it back. This story is steeped in Chinese myth and folklore, packed into the kind of prose that just sends your head spinning. I loved how intricately woven everything was, the politics, the magic and even the romance. What I did not care about was the love triangle, but luckily it did not overshadow the plot and character arcs. There's a lot of depth and action for a YA novel, and it was darker than expected. Characters are morally grey, and the FMC and bold and headstrong. I really liked it and it definitely got more interesting the farther on I read, with twists and turns that kept my attention. The audiobook was perfectly narrated. Intense where it needed to be, action packed where suitable. Definitely a great way to experience this story! 4/5 stars Thank you @netgalley and @hodderbooks and @hachetteaudio for the eARC! #NeverEverAfter #Netgalley #Bookstagram

Die Geschichte hat Spaß gemacht☺️ Ich muss gestehen, dass ich bis gerade eben dachte, dass es ein Standalone sei. Das Ende ist zwar offen, aber an einer guten Stelle, sodass man die Geschichte tatsächlich beenden könnte. Aber da es doch der Anfang einer Reihe sein soll, freue ich mich grad total 😍 Ich sehe viel Potential für eine spannende Fortsetzung und möchte mehr über die Welt und die Charaktere erfahren! Am Anfang dachte ich, dass es zu sehr Cinderella mit asiatischen Elementen ähnelt. Aber im Endeffekt war es kein Retelling, sondern das Grundgerüst der Geschichte war lediglich davon inspiriert. Es gab einige unerwartete Plot Twists und interessante magische Elemente. Zwischendurch konnte ich das Buch gar nicht weglegen. Unerwarteterweise lag Romance überhaupt nicht im Vordergrund. Es gibt aber den einen oder anderen Love Interest. Die politischen Intrigen stehen im Vordergrund, sind aber sehr gut umgesetzt!