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So This Is Ever After
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction (2022)Carry On meets Arthurian legend in this funny, subversive young adult fantasy about what happens after the chosen one wins the kingdom and has to get married to keep it…and to stay alive.
Arek hadn’t thought much about what would happen after he completed the prophecy that said he was destined to save the Kingdom of Ere from its evil ruler. So now that he’s finally managed to (somewhat clumsily) behead the evil king (turns out magical swords yanked from bogs don’t come pre-sharpened), he and his rag-tag group of quest companions are at a bit of a loss for what to do next.
As a temporary safeguard, Arek’s best friend and mage, Matt, convinces him to assume the throne until the true heir can be rescued from her tower. Except that she’s dead. Now Arek is stuck as king, a role that comes with a magical catch: choose a spouse by your eighteenth birthday, or wither away into nothing.
With his eighteenth birthday only three months away, and only Matt in on the secret, Arek embarks on a desperate bid to find a spouse to save his life—starting with his quest companions. But his attempts at wooing his friends go painfully and hilariously wrong…until he discovers that love might have been in front of him all along.
Arek hadn’t thought much about what would happen after he completed the prophecy that said he was destined to save the Kingdom of Ere from its evil ruler. So now that he’s finally managed to (somewhat clumsily) behead the evil king (turns out magical swords yanked from bogs don’t come pre-sharpened), he and his rag-tag group of quest companions are at a bit of a loss for what to do next.
As a temporary safeguard, Arek’s best friend and mage, Matt, convinces him to assume the throne until the true heir can be rescued from her tower. Except that she’s dead. Now Arek is stuck as king, a role that comes with a magical catch: choose a spouse by your eighteenth birthday, or wither away into nothing.
With his eighteenth birthday only three months away, and only Matt in on the secret, Arek embarks on a desperate bid to find a spouse to save his life—starting with his quest companions. But his attempts at wooing his friends go painfully and hilariously wrong…until he discovers that love might have been in front of him all along.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 29, 2022
About the author
F.T. Lukens
15 books3,838 followersF.T. Lukens is a New York Times bestselling author of YA speculative fiction including the novels Otherworldly, Spell Bound, So This Is Ever After (2023 ALA Rainbow Booklist; 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards nominee), In Deeper Waters (2022 ALA Rainbow Booklist; Junior Library Guild Selection), and the forthcoming Love at Second Sight (2025) as well as other science-fiction and fantasy works. F.T. resides in North Carolina with their spouse, three kids, three dogs, and three cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 6,033 reviews
July 6, 2022
We were all thinking it, this is what Merlin could’ve been if the writers weren’t scared to make Arthur and Merlin the power couple they were meant to be and with all the shenanigans and heart that show had.
January 26, 2023
a cute story and one i did enjoy. but i cant help but think this could have been better if it had included all of the stuff that happened before the “after.”
theres a ragtag team of teens who just took down an evil king, but the reader doesnt experience any of their journey, how they reacted to the prophecy, how they developed their friendships, how they came to terms with their role and destiny. i think all of this would have been vital for the reader to see in order to believe what happens in this book.
because i didnt. its one of the slowest of slow burns i have ever read and, yet, i feel like everything important occurred before the first page. i will admit it does have its moments of cuteness and humour. if you like trope-based romances that nod to fairy tales, then this is the book for you. but i was just hoping for a little more plot, depth, and development.
↠ 2.5 stars
theres a ragtag team of teens who just took down an evil king, but the reader doesnt experience any of their journey, how they reacted to the prophecy, how they developed their friendships, how they came to terms with their role and destiny. i think all of this would have been vital for the reader to see in order to believe what happens in this book.
because i didnt. its one of the slowest of slow burns i have ever read and, yet, i feel like everything important occurred before the first page. i will admit it does have its moments of cuteness and humour. if you like trope-based romances that nod to fairy tales, then this is the book for you. but i was just hoping for a little more plot, depth, and development.
↠ 2.5 stars
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April 20, 2023I didn’t know I needed a fantasy romcom until I picked this book up. There was something so wonderfully chaotic about, So This Is Ever After, a book that was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. When I grew up reading books, I was always drawn to mythology and Arthurian legend. Merlin was one of my favourite TV shows and I’d always wanted those stories to have even the slightest hint of queerness. None of them ever did, which is why I was so excited to hear about this book. The book was so effortlessly queer, and I love fantasy stories where queerness is normalised and not acknowledged as something that makes you different. Stories like this are long overdue.
So This Is Ever After, has a unique angle that I enjoyed. It follows the heroes after they defeat the big villain and must decide what to do next with their lives. The protagonist, Arek, is a wilder version of king Arthur, and must choose a spouse or literally die. His Mage, Matt, is a serious and sensitive counter to the protagonist, and so hopelessly in love with his best friend. This is a slow burn, friends to lovers romcom, and I believe the book executes the tropes well. Much of the plot relies on the miscommunication trope, and things could easily be tied up with one simple conversation. If you love books with chaotic characters who are totally oblivious, this is definitely for you!
The best way I can describe this is a contemporary romcom set in a medieval castle. The tone of the writing felt very modern. I would have loved more of the fantasy element but appreciated that this was a character driven book. The queer found family aspect was so wonderful, and I adored the secondary characters. Lila was an absolute queen. Matt and Arek were so sweet together, and their eventual get together was a joy to read. This is the light-hearted romcom you need to read when you’re feeling down because it will pick you right back up!
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So This Is Ever After, has a unique angle that I enjoyed. It follows the heroes after they defeat the big villain and must decide what to do next with their lives. The protagonist, Arek, is a wilder version of king Arthur, and must choose a spouse or literally die. His Mage, Matt, is a serious and sensitive counter to the protagonist, and so hopelessly in love with his best friend. This is a slow burn, friends to lovers romcom, and I believe the book executes the tropes well. Much of the plot relies on the miscommunication trope, and things could easily be tied up with one simple conversation. If you love books with chaotic characters who are totally oblivious, this is definitely for you!
The best way I can describe this is a contemporary romcom set in a medieval castle. The tone of the writing felt very modern. I would have loved more of the fantasy element but appreciated that this was a character driven book. The queer found family aspect was so wonderful, and I adored the secondary characters. Lila was an absolute queen. Matt and Arek were so sweet together, and their eventual get together was a joy to read. This is the light-hearted romcom you need to read when you’re feeling down because it will pick you right back up!
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March 20, 2022
Much like Lukens' earlier cryptid series, "The Rules", this new book was fun and quirky, and let's face it, a little weird, too. In other words, it was right up my alley. 😁
The book began at the very end of what we're told was an exciting and arduous campaign to fulfill a prophecy, with the Vile One's head freshly separated from his body.
I really liked how the entirety of this story was the answer to the question, "Okaaaaaay, but NOW what?", instead of quickly getting to "And they lived happily ever after" and the book ending.
That change flipped the typical dynamic on its head, which I greatly enjoyed, as I'm not sure I've ever seen that approach in a romance before, so that fresh take was kind of cool.
But when prophecy-fulfilling Arek was dared to remove the bloody crown from the lopped-off head and put it on, he had no idea of the magical, permanent requirement that he'd be required to fulfill. Or die. And soon.
The dynamic of Arek's young group of kingdom rescuers was pretty awesome and diverse, ranging from Arek's mostly unserious flippancy to his best friend and mage Matt's more earnest approach to the problems that they faced in trying to save Arek's life, all while attempting to govern an entire country in the process.
One aspect of the story that struck me was how Arek and his friends were all around 17, so *technically* I suppose the book would be Young Adult. However, in spite of a good amount of humor and silliness, those characters felt more New Adult, so there wasn't any vast overabundance of immaturity to be found, at least in my opinion.
The more of the book that I read, the more that I loved it, with my only real complaint being how utterly next-level oblivious that the two MC's were in regards to seeing how the other felt, with one of them when anyone with half a brain would've clued in, and they were truly needed the most. That part felt like a forced plot point, when the remainder of the book had felt entirely organic up to that point.
As the story was YA, other than kissing, all of the steam was strictly fade-to-black, and I'm happy to report that the angst was kept to both manageable and believable levels.
Overall, I'd rate the book at around 4.5 stars and highly recommend it, mainly because it kept me smiling or laughing the entire time, so I found it to be pretty damn delightful. I count that as a big win this time out for Lukens.
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My ARC copy of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley for a fair, unbiased review.
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February 11, 2025
There’s a reason why classic fantasy stories end when they do, because otherwise our heroes are just left wandering around for hundreds of pages. I’m sorry, but this is a fantasy book that doesn’t want to be a fantasy book, which is honestly my least favorite kind of thing! A genre flick that feels like it has disdain for the genre it's in? Yuck. This aspect is mostly shown in the fact that everybody speaks like they’re in a contemporary setting for some reason? All "I'm in the mood to help you du~ude" or whatever. Look, I don't need Lord of the Rings, but give me something more than that smarmy annoying person at a party who isn’t taking the D&D game seriously and clearly thinks they're above it all by making jokes every other sentence, and I'd be more than happy.
This book is Marvel movie funny, so it’s pretty much a joke a minute, firing off so quick that you don't even get a chance to think back to whether or not any of them were actually funny in the first place. Spoiler alert: they weren't. The problem is that because of this airy tone, whenever the narrative tries to touch on some emotion other than snark and irreverence, I think it falls a little flat. A lot of the time it’s just like, “joke, joke, joke, oh and also we all have PTSD, now we're sad... anyway… joke, joke, joke!” It's mind-numbingly dull. Oh yeah, and it doesn't help that a lot of the humor is like, “Hey y'all, remember that time when we did that thing and this thing, isn't it obvious how close we are because of that amazingly grand adventure we all went on? That we totally remember.” No, unfortunately I don't remember, because I WASN'T THERE! I kind of wish I were, though. But nah, instead let's allude to a story that sounds a million times more interesting than the one we're currently in, because that's always a fun thing to do in a story. That was sarcasm, it really isn’t. A large dose of sensitivity and sincerity would have easily made this a new favorite for me.
Oh, and that blurb!? "Carry On meets Arthurian legend" my ass! Pshhhhhh... this is only similar to the Simon Snow books in that the magic system is so poorly defined that it's barely worth mentioning. What can anybody do in this fantasy world, you ask? Who even knows. I'll try to break it down for you: Arek, our main character becomes the king despite him not wanting the crown, and when he tries to abdicate from the throne, he’s stopped from doing so by… magic or whatever. And then later he’s forced to find a spouse in three months because of reasons… but I'm guessing it's magic or whatever! Do you see what I’m getting at? You can’t just scream “magic” every time you need to solve a plot point! I don’t know, I think it reads more like a parody, which was maybe the point? I hope not, because that kind of sucks. I mean, I appreciate the attempt and I think more books like this should exist, just… better? Genuine, maybe? It's whatever, though. But hey, extra star for the cover. Great cover.
This book is Marvel movie funny, so it’s pretty much a joke a minute, firing off so quick that you don't even get a chance to think back to whether or not any of them were actually funny in the first place. Spoiler alert: they weren't. The problem is that because of this airy tone, whenever the narrative tries to touch on some emotion other than snark and irreverence, I think it falls a little flat. A lot of the time it’s just like, “joke, joke, joke, oh and also we all have PTSD, now we're sad... anyway… joke, joke, joke!” It's mind-numbingly dull. Oh yeah, and it doesn't help that a lot of the humor is like, “Hey y'all, remember that time when we did that thing and this thing, isn't it obvious how close we are because of that amazingly grand adventure we all went on? That we totally remember.” No, unfortunately I don't remember, because I WASN'T THERE! I kind of wish I were, though. But nah, instead let's allude to a story that sounds a million times more interesting than the one we're currently in, because that's always a fun thing to do in a story. That was sarcasm, it really isn’t. A large dose of sensitivity and sincerity would have easily made this a new favorite for me.
Oh, and that blurb!? "Carry On meets Arthurian legend" my ass! Pshhhhhh... this is only similar to the Simon Snow books in that the magic system is so poorly defined that it's barely worth mentioning. What can anybody do in this fantasy world, you ask? Who even knows. I'll try to break it down for you: Arek, our main character becomes the king despite him not wanting the crown, and when he tries to abdicate from the throne, he’s stopped from doing so by… magic or whatever. And then later he’s forced to find a spouse in three months because of reasons… but I'm guessing it's magic or whatever! Do you see what I’m getting at? You can’t just scream “magic” every time you need to solve a plot point! I don’t know, I think it reads more like a parody, which was maybe the point? I hope not, because that kind of sucks. I mean, I appreciate the attempt and I think more books like this should exist, just… better? Genuine, maybe? It's whatever, though. But hey, extra star for the cover. Great cover.
June 16, 2026
"Well, your princess isn't in another tower. She's dead."Arek fulfilled the prophecy, he defeated the evil king, and just as he was about to call it a night, he and his merry band of friends realized that the kingdom would be without a king.
Annnnd considering how horrible the last king was, Arek is inclined to follow the advice of his friend's advice. After all, Matt has never steered him wrong.
"The point is, with no current royal family to assume the throne, and with you being the individual who hacked off the head of the Vile One, the job to rule the kingdom falls on your shoulders."
Until this time. Turns out that by assuming the crown and throne, Arek is set under a magical contract to find a partner to help him rule the kingdom by his eighteenth birthday (just a few weeks away).
And when his first choice thoroughly rejects him, Arek knows he must be careful on who he chooses to enter the magically binding oath...which leads to shenanigans. Lots and lots of shenanigans.
Mind. Numbing.
"My chance of telling Matt how I felt about him - free and clear of any obligations to quests and prophecies - was slipping further away."
But gosh dang give that cover artist a raise.
Cause this is the second time I've totally been drawn into this author's books only to realize that the best part was the cover.
What frustrated me the most was what a waste of space most of the "plot" and the "romance" of this story is.
The Plot - aka the snoozefest
The story begins with an ending - the cast of characters defeat the evil kingdom and free the people from 40 years of a cruel reign...so the whole "plot" focuses on the afterparty.
Aka, is this kingdom fiscally sound? Do we have resources? What about defenses? Has anyone seen a knight? No? Okay, lets start training the squires from ground up.
Sometimes I absolutely LOVE a building story - Legends & Lattes or The Spellshop really get that sweet spot of having the story occur "after" the main events but still is fun and interesting to watch.
That was not the case here. Arek isn't interested, barely pays attention, and throws around words and commands like nobody's business.
And it all works out, somehow.
Because their rogue is SUPER good at counting money and lets them know that they can financially do anything they want. And the fighter good is SUPER good at fighting so he can train the squires from ground-up. And Arek gives the palace staff a huge raise so no one will betray them.
And everyone cheered!
Basically, it felt like the characters didn't bother to do much research and were running the kingdom as a bunch of random teenagers would...and yet it magically worked out perfectly.
If there was more tension, more interesting twists, more of ANYTHING, I could see myself being interested and invested...but when every conflict is resolved two paragraphs down...I got bored.
The Romance - aka the snoozefest
(yes, I'm using the same tagline, no you can't do anything about it. Nya nya nya. )
Regarding the romance, as the reader you absolutely KNOW what direction the story will be going based off the first couple of chapters.
And it took SO. FREAKING. LONG. for the characters to catch up on that.
Like, 9 hours of the 10 hour audiobook could've been CUT if we just used our words in the first chapter. But nooooo, we need to PINE and PINE (and whine a bit) instead. Great for the word count, not for my sanity.
I kept expecting some sort of twist or event to make things interesting...but it was just Arek banging his head against the wall swearing that he's tried everything except the one thing that would guarentee results.
Overall thoughts - it was a snoozefest.
(third time's the charm for that tagline). Anyway, what can I say...the cover got me. Again.
April 30, 2023
Bardzo urocza i kochana książka ale potrzebuje jeszcze jednej części, gdzie byłoby opisane jak wszyscy się poznali.
June 19, 2023
Los libros de F. T. Lukens son muy tiernos y este no fue la excepción.
Esta historia empieza en donde normalmente terminan los libros de fantasía, es decir, cuando el grupo de héroes derrota al rey malvado y liberan al reino. En este, no obstante, todo empieza después de que un grupo de amigos logra decapitar a un rey malvado. Esperaban rescatar a la princesa también para que tomara su posición como reina, pero resulta que la princesa también murió, así que el trono se queda vacío.
Sin embargo, por una ley mágica, el trono no puede quedarse sin monarca ni un momento, entonces uno de los protagonistas, que se llama Arek, se deja convencer por sus amigos para tomar el trono mientras encuentran a alguien más apto para ser rey. Lo malo es que las cosas no salen muy bien, pues después de que lo han nombrado rey, aparece una especie de juramento extraño que dice que si el rey no tiene esposo o esposa cuando cumpla la mayoría de edad, entonces morirá. ¿Y cuántos años creen que tiene el protagonista? Exacto, casi 18. Así que Arek necesita apurarse a encontrar a su alma gemela o a cualquier persona que se case con él para no morirse.
Y a partir de ese momento todo el libro es bastante gracioso porque él está intentando seducir o convencer a sus amigos, tanto chicos como chicas, de que se casen con él, pero siempre terminan enamorándose entre ellos y dejándolo de lado. Además, él siempre ha tenido un gran crush por Matt, que es su mejor amigo. Sin embargo, toda la vida ha sentido que Matt no está interesado en él, entonces existe mucha tensión entre ellos.
En general me pareció un libro bastante gracioso, divertido e innovador, pues tomó la fantasía no desde la perspectiva de la búsqueda y las grandes misiones, sino desde el qué pasa después. Además, todo fue hermoso al final porque obviamente es de romance y todos sabemos cómo acaba eso.
May 18, 2022
➵ 1.5 stars
"So This Is Ever After" is a story that begins at the end. The plot is really unique and unlike anything I have read before. But the book, in a nutshell, is as bad as they go...
✯ We follow our main character Arek throughout the whole book. A prophecy said that Arek was destined to save the Kingdom of Ere from its evil role. And it did come true. Arek was chosen and he saved the Kingdom. But he never really thought much about what would happen once he and his ragtag team of friends complete the prophecy. What Arek definitely didn’t expect, though, was finding himself accidentally crowned king and caught up in a curse that requires him to find his soulmate before he turns 18 or either end up killed.
✯ This book is hilarious. It's witty, it's charming and offers the readers lots of cute moments to swoon over. It made me laugh out loud several times. I also enjoyed the plotline and the writing style. The friendship among the rag-tag group is phenomenal. They are so amazing together. The lgbtaq+ representation is really good too...
✯ Now, let's move to the part where I talk about the defaults and errors of this book. The romance is shitty. Sorry for straight up calling it shitty, but it actually is. There are lots of moments of pinning and miscommunication. The main couple talk to each other about everything but their feelings. They have such an easy and funny banter going on, yet all in vain. They don't get together until the very last chapter or so. I know the characters are young, they aren't supposed to act with maturity...still it was too much for me to handle. They defeat the biggest evil, they rule the entire Kingdom, yet they act like the stupidest persons in the world. At times, I thought they (specially Arek) don't even deserve to be the rules (or King in Arek's case). The characters are easily forgettable and do not have much of any sorta personality. Truly underwhelming and disappointing.
✯✯ Now now now....minor spoilers ahead.
Arek loved Matt. But he never confesses. He stays oblivious when Matt starts to give him clues or tries returning his feelings. Instead he sets off to "Woo" other poeple. He spends sooo much time on "Wooing" others but he has no time for at least try and see what's in Matt's heart. Stupid. Stupid Stupid. Okay, it still was okay. I didn't mind the whole miscommunication plot...
But then Arek has to go on and get a "boner" for another person. Several "boners" maybe...and he thinks that's totally cool.
I am ending this review here. I have sudden lost my appetite to write...I don't even think about all those weird and improper things that happened in this book...
Don't read it if you want to keep your sanity intact. Bye.
"So This Is Ever After" is a story that begins at the end. The plot is really unique and unlike anything I have read before. But the book, in a nutshell, is as bad as they go...
✯ We follow our main character Arek throughout the whole book. A prophecy said that Arek was destined to save the Kingdom of Ere from its evil role. And it did come true. Arek was chosen and he saved the Kingdom. But he never really thought much about what would happen once he and his ragtag team of friends complete the prophecy. What Arek definitely didn’t expect, though, was finding himself accidentally crowned king and caught up in a curse that requires him to find his soulmate before he turns 18 or either end up killed.
✯ This book is hilarious. It's witty, it's charming and offers the readers lots of cute moments to swoon over. It made me laugh out loud several times. I also enjoyed the plotline and the writing style. The friendship among the rag-tag group is phenomenal. They are so amazing together. The lgbtaq+ representation is really good too...
✯ Now, let's move to the part where I talk about the defaults and errors of this book. The romance is shitty. Sorry for straight up calling it shitty, but it actually is. There are lots of moments of pinning and miscommunication. The main couple talk to each other about everything but their feelings. They have such an easy and funny banter going on, yet all in vain. They don't get together until the very last chapter or so. I know the characters are young, they aren't supposed to act with maturity...still it was too much for me to handle. They defeat the biggest evil, they rule the entire Kingdom, yet they act like the stupidest persons in the world. At times, I thought they (specially Arek) don't even deserve to be the rules (or King in Arek's case). The characters are easily forgettable and do not have much of any sorta personality. Truly underwhelming and disappointing.
✯✯ Now now now....minor spoilers ahead.
Arek loved Matt. But he never confesses. He stays oblivious when Matt starts to give him clues or tries returning his feelings. Instead he sets off to "Woo" other poeple. He spends sooo much time on "Wooing" others but he has no time for at least try and see what's in Matt's heart. Stupid. Stupid Stupid. Okay, it still was okay. I didn't mind the whole miscommunication plot...
But then Arek has to go on and get a "boner" for another person. Several "boners" maybe...and he thinks that's totally cool.
I am ending this review here. I have sudden lost my appetite to write...I don't even think about all those weird and improper things that happened in this book...
Don't read it if you want to keep your sanity intact. Bye.
May 2, 2022
What do you do when a book friend, a soon-to-be-famous author, tells you to rate this story five stars; otherwise, he’ll take it personally? Well, rate the story five stars 😂!
For the last couple of days, it seemed to be autumn outside instead of spring. The wind was blowing around my house, and enormous amounts of water were pouring down from heaven. I started seeking desperately for some rays of sunshine, and then I picked up So This is Ever After. This story brought light back into my life! I grinned and smiled and suddenly laughed out loud.
Somehow this story reminded me of Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall. It’s as hilarious, ridiculous, marvelous, glorious, and amorous. It’s also full of banter, and so vibrant and sweet, and sometimes almost over the top. But don’t let the tone of the writing fool you; there are heavier hitting topics underneath.
My actual rating is 4.5 stars, but because of this soon-to-be-famous author’s pressure, I rounded it up to five mesmerizing stars. That missing half star is because the romance was the slowest of slow burns, and I wanted Arek and Matt to be together desperately! The longing and the pining were perfect, though! And a shoutout to Matt because he’s another one of those cute cinnamon rolls I love so much!
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For the last couple of days, it seemed to be autumn outside instead of spring. The wind was blowing around my house, and enormous amounts of water were pouring down from heaven. I started seeking desperately for some rays of sunshine, and then I picked up So This is Ever After. This story brought light back into my life! I grinned and smiled and suddenly laughed out loud.
Somehow this story reminded me of Something Fabulous by Alexis Hall. It’s as hilarious, ridiculous, marvelous, glorious, and amorous. It’s also full of banter, and so vibrant and sweet, and sometimes almost over the top. But don’t let the tone of the writing fool you; there are heavier hitting topics underneath.
My actual rating is 4.5 stars, but because of this soon-to-be-famous author’s pressure, I rounded it up to five mesmerizing stars. That missing half star is because the romance was the slowest of slow burns, and I wanted Arek and Matt to be together desperately! The longing and the pining were perfect, though! And a shoutout to Matt because he’s another one of those cute cinnamon rolls I love so much!
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October 7, 2022
Ugh, why do I always have to be a hater?
I guess this was not terrible, but it definitely wasn't good.
The premise of this is fun, but the execution is very fanfic-esque, both in plot and writing style. Arthurian legend is mentioned in the synopsis, but if you are actually looking for something with any significant connection to Arthurian legend I would probably not recommend this. (Side tangent: I really wish the marketing trend of saying, "This book is XYZ book meets Blah Blah Blah other book" would die because it's almost always wrong and almost never helpful.) This book features modern characters with modern sensibilities and speech patterns dropped into a vaguely medieval, fantasy world. I guess there's a sort of Merlin character and a guy who acquires a magic sword in a weird way, but that's as far as the Arthurian thing really seems to go.
When I say this is fanfic-esque, I mean that this story happens after some sort of big conclusion to a different story. There is an already established group of characters with already established personalities and relationships. In a fanfic, you already know all the characters, so you can fill in the backstory and the missing pieces of the characters’ personalities in your head. But the reader isn't going to know any of the characters or backstory in this, and unfortunately F.T. Lukens doesn't really fill in the missing pieces. All the characters remain bland stereotypes and we don't learn a whole lot about their past together.
So This Is Ever After is extremely formulaic and the whole story relies on egregious miscommunication between the main character Arek and his love interest Matt. So I spent the whole book knowing exactly what was going to happen next and fighting my annoyance towards two supposed best friends who can't have a conversation with each other to save their lives . And when I say formulaic, I don't mean just in the way where you know Arek and Matt will end up together by the end because it’s a romance book. I mean in the way where you can basically predict the outcome of every scene and what's probably going to happen in the next.
My final complaint is that this reads more like a middle grade novel than YA. Something about the writing style and the way the characters behave feels very Percy Jackson. However, at the same time, the main character is wildly horny and constantly getting inappropriate boners, so I probably wouldn't recommend this to anyone of standard middle grade reading age. I don't think I've ever even read an adult romance novel with so many references to boners. I'm not trying to be a prude or get all pearl clutchy about this, but the inclusion of constant boners in combination with the juvenile writing style was just jarring and awkward.
So This Is Ever After has the components that are fun in a short fanfic you might read about beloved characters you know everything about but that don't work in a full length, published novel. I thought the premise was fun, and though I didn't have a bad time reading this, I can't help but feel that it's really lacking in so many ways.
I guess this was not terrible, but it definitely wasn't good.
The premise of this is fun, but the execution is very fanfic-esque, both in plot and writing style. Arthurian legend is mentioned in the synopsis, but if you are actually looking for something with any significant connection to Arthurian legend I would probably not recommend this. (Side tangent: I really wish the marketing trend of saying, "This book is XYZ book meets Blah Blah Blah other book" would die because it's almost always wrong and almost never helpful.) This book features modern characters with modern sensibilities and speech patterns dropped into a vaguely medieval, fantasy world. I guess there's a sort of Merlin character and a guy who acquires a magic sword in a weird way, but that's as far as the Arthurian thing really seems to go.
When I say this is fanfic-esque, I mean that this story happens after some sort of big conclusion to a different story. There is an already established group of characters with already established personalities and relationships. In a fanfic, you already know all the characters, so you can fill in the backstory and the missing pieces of the characters’ personalities in your head. But the reader isn't going to know any of the characters or backstory in this, and unfortunately F.T. Lukens doesn't really fill in the missing pieces. All the characters remain bland stereotypes and we don't learn a whole lot about their past together.
So This Is Ever After is extremely formulaic and the whole story relies on egregious miscommunication between the main character Arek and his love interest Matt. So I spent the whole book knowing exactly what was going to happen next and fighting my annoyance towards two supposed best friends who can't have a conversation with each other to save their lives . And when I say formulaic, I don't mean just in the way where you know Arek and Matt will end up together by the end because it’s a romance book. I mean in the way where you can basically predict the outcome of every scene and what's probably going to happen in the next.
My final complaint is that this reads more like a middle grade novel than YA. Something about the writing style and the way the characters behave feels very Percy Jackson. However, at the same time, the main character is wildly horny and constantly getting inappropriate boners, so I probably wouldn't recommend this to anyone of standard middle grade reading age. I don't think I've ever even read an adult romance novel with so many references to boners. I'm not trying to be a prude or get all pearl clutchy about this, but the inclusion of constant boners in combination with the juvenile writing style was just jarring and awkward.
So This Is Ever After has the components that are fun in a short fanfic you might read about beloved characters you know everything about but that don't work in a full length, published novel. I thought the premise was fun, and though I didn't have a bad time reading this, I can't help but feel that it's really lacking in so many ways.
April 27, 2026
My assessment of this book falls victim to the fact that I’m currently reading some other really well-written and fascinating stories at the same time. And this story here just lacks substance.
The book is well-written, it’s entertaining, and filled with many interesting characters.
But the characters are already a family; they’ve already completed the great quest that brought them together. As a reader, you’re presented with a fait accompli, and at the beginning I had to search through the author’s entire work because I was under the absurd impression that there must be a book preceding this one.
Unfortunately, this annoyed me throughout the entire book. Time and again, there are little hints about past adventures or the circumstances under which the characters met.
It might have been a good book for me if there had been even a hint of a plot. Instead, you’re forced to watch King Arek try to charm all his friends. To get to know them better and find out if romantic feelings might be possible.
Um... I’m not usually like this, but right at the beginning, on the second or third page, it becomes clear that he’s also attracted to one or two others in his gang, even though he’s supposedly soooo in love with his best friend.
Grmpf.
Damn, now I’ve worked myself up into a rage, even though I wanted to write something positive.
I think it’s a pointless endeavor.
I mean, I finished the book, so it can’t have been that bad. But the level of annoyance was really high.
“So Sionna and Meredith, huh? That sucks. Not for them. I think it’s nice. But for you. What are you going to do?”
“Move on to Bethany.”
“Really? You won’t even mourn for what could have been?” 🙄😕☹️
The book is well-written, it’s entertaining, and filled with many interesting characters.
But the characters are already a family; they’ve already completed the great quest that brought them together. As a reader, you’re presented with a fait accompli, and at the beginning I had to search through the author’s entire work because I was under the absurd impression that there must be a book preceding this one.
Unfortunately, this annoyed me throughout the entire book. Time and again, there are little hints about past adventures or the circumstances under which the characters met.
It might have been a good book for me if there had been even a hint of a plot. Instead, you’re forced to watch King Arek try to charm all his friends. To get to know them better and find out if romantic feelings might be possible.
Um... I’m not usually like this, but right at the beginning, on the second or third page, it becomes clear that he’s also attracted to one or two others in his gang, even though he’s supposedly soooo in love with his best friend.
Grmpf.
Damn, now I’ve worked myself up into a rage, even though I wanted to write something positive.
I think it’s a pointless endeavor.
I mean, I finished the book, so it can’t have been that bad. But the level of annoyance was really high.
“So Sionna and Meredith, huh? That sucks. Not for them. I think it’s nice. But for you. What are you going to do?”
“Move on to Bethany.”
“Really? You won’t even mourn for what could have been?” 🙄😕☹️
October 16, 2023
I really don’t like being mean to gay books because you know, they’re gay, but this book was just so incredibly lackluster.
No plot, no character development, no setting, no world building, nothing. Was it funny and entertaining, yeah! Was it a good book? No, far from.
I’ve been looking for fantasy books with gay main characters in a world where being gay isn’t a big deal or their sexuality isn’t a plot point, and this book is perfect in that sense, but it was just not doing it for me in every other way.
This book was just pure vibes and I wish I didn’t care about anything else lol.
One thing I did enjoy is the way the book started with the end of a different adventure, that was really fun and different.
Other than that… no thank you <3
No plot, no character development, no setting, no world building, nothing. Was it funny and entertaining, yeah! Was it a good book? No, far from.
I’ve been looking for fantasy books with gay main characters in a world where being gay isn’t a big deal or their sexuality isn’t a plot point, and this book is perfect in that sense, but it was just not doing it for me in every other way.
This book was just pure vibes and I wish I didn’t care about anything else lol.
One thing I did enjoy is the way the book started with the end of a different adventure, that was really fun and different.
Other than that… no thank you <3
January 17, 2023
“Una cosa es seguir una profecía que tiene punto final y otra es quedarse de manera indefinida, sin un final cerrado, sin saber que te deparará el futuro ni cual será tu papel.”
No todos los libros que tengo ganas de leer pueden gustarme y mira que no me estaba disgustando cunado lo estaba leyendo. Sin embargo, una vez que he terminado y he reflexionado sobre ello me he dado cuenta que en realidad ha sido una novela que no me ha gustado y he intentado engañarme a mi misma todo el rato.
En este caso el problema no ha sido el libro sino yo. Creo que esperaba tanto y me esperaba otra cosa. Entiendo que sea una parodia sobre este tipo de fantasía y el autor quiere darle la vuelta. Sin embargo, siento que podría haberse argumentado de otra manera y sacarle más partido. Por otro lado, creo que no me considero fan de la idea de mejores amigos con ganas de ser algo más, pero tienen miedo de no ser correspondidos. No sé, igual en otro libro igual me gusta esta idea, pero por el momento es un no.
“Todo el tiempo pensaste que lo único que debías hacer era sobrevivir, que vivir era lo único que se te daba bien y ese era tu propósito”
A todo esto, no me arrepiento de haberlo leído, me entretuve y hubo alguna parte en la que me reí. Los personajes son tiernos, pero ya, olvidables. Ni siquiera me acuerdo del nombre del protagonista solo del interés amoroso. Así que imagínense. En fin, a otra cosa mariposa.
Otra cosa, esto no quiere decir que no lo recomiende, ojo. Siento que a mucha gente que conozco le puede gustar -encantar, pero como he dicho para mí no ha sido el caso.
“Por los nuevos amigos”.
PD: este libro lo comparaban con Carry On. Lo siento, otra opinión impopular pero siento esta novela está mejor. (Lo único que se salva de esa novela es Bast). Tenía que decirlo y se dijo.
No todos los libros que tengo ganas de leer pueden gustarme y mira que no me estaba disgustando cunado lo estaba leyendo. Sin embargo, una vez que he terminado y he reflexionado sobre ello me he dado cuenta que en realidad ha sido una novela que no me ha gustado y he intentado engañarme a mi misma todo el rato.
En este caso el problema no ha sido el libro sino yo. Creo que esperaba tanto y me esperaba otra cosa. Entiendo que sea una parodia sobre este tipo de fantasía y el autor quiere darle la vuelta. Sin embargo, siento que podría haberse argumentado de otra manera y sacarle más partido. Por otro lado, creo que no me considero fan de la idea de mejores amigos con ganas de ser algo más, pero tienen miedo de no ser correspondidos. No sé, igual en otro libro igual me gusta esta idea, pero por el momento es un no.
“Todo el tiempo pensaste que lo único que debías hacer era sobrevivir, que vivir era lo único que se te daba bien y ese era tu propósito”
A todo esto, no me arrepiento de haberlo leído, me entretuve y hubo alguna parte en la que me reí. Los personajes son tiernos, pero ya, olvidables. Ni siquiera me acuerdo del nombre del protagonista solo del interés amoroso. Así que imagínense. En fin, a otra cosa mariposa.
Otra cosa, esto no quiere decir que no lo recomiende, ojo. Siento que a mucha gente que conozco le puede gustar -encantar, pero como he dicho para mí no ha sido el caso.
“Por los nuevos amigos”.
PD: este libro lo comparaban con Carry On. Lo siento, otra opinión impopular pero siento esta novela está mejor. (Lo único que se salva de esa novela es Bast). Tenía que decirlo y se dijo.
June 7, 2026
3.75 Silver Stars
with Golden Sparks
rounded it up because it's better than most of my 3s
I enjoyed it
& there is a possibility of re-read
good times
in a land of myth and a time of magic...
there were two dorks who saved the kingdom but didn't know they have feelings for each others or how to express them.
A fairytale-ish Merthur
but it was more like a comedy Romance drama in a fantasy land with magic, not having much exciting events of a Fantasy adventurous story
I liked the characters & the comedy, but I preferred it to be more exciting & epic adventurous, not just sitting around & after that high moment the story begins, those flashbacks sounded exciting & somewhat reminded me of Deltora
I mean, yeah okay, the author said it was more like comedy romantic in a fantasy land, so I guess expecting more fantasy is a lot, while it's the third sub-genre or something.
but I still expected more fantasy adventures, so a mild disappointment :D
-
Plot: ★★★/5
Characters: ★★★★/5
Writing style: ★★★(★)/5
World building: ★★★/5
Concept: ★★★★/5
-
Pre-read:
so this is some kind of Arthurian-?
wait a second....
could it be...
Merthur!!!???????????
OH
MY
GOD!
I repeat,
OH
MY
GOD!
I WANT IT NOW!
(well, it's not exactly Merthur, but I'm NOT complaining.😁)
with Golden Sparks
rounded it up because it's better than most of my 3s
I enjoyed it
& there is a possibility of re-read
good times
in a land of myth and a time of magic...
there were two dorks who saved the kingdom but didn't know they have feelings for each others or how to express them.
A fairytale-ish Merthur
but it was more like a comedy Romance drama in a fantasy land with magic, not having much exciting events of a Fantasy adventurous story
I liked the characters & the comedy, but I preferred it to be more exciting & epic adventurous, not just sitting around & after that high moment the story begins, those flashbacks sounded exciting & somewhat reminded me of Deltora
I mean, yeah okay, the author said it was more like comedy romantic in a fantasy land, so I guess expecting more fantasy is a lot, while it's the third sub-genre or something.
but I still expected more fantasy adventures, so a mild disappointment :D
-
Plot: ★★★/5
Characters: ★★★★/5
Writing style: ★★★(★)/5
World building: ★★★/5
Concept: ★★★★/5
-
Pre-read:
so this is some kind of Arthurian-?
wait a second....
could it be...
Merthur!!!???????????
OH
MY
GOD!
I repeat,
OH
MY
GOD!
I WANT IT NOW!
(well, it's not exactly Merthur, but I'm NOT complaining.😁)
June 28, 2022
This book was unbearably cute, and I don’t know how to cope with it. I binged the whole thing in a day while cycling through laughter, the prickle of tears in my eyes and a persistent warmth in my heart….
I mean, im a sucker for both the best-friends-to-lovers and found family tropes, so what did we expect? I was doomed to fall in love with this book. A high rating is obligatory solely due to the amount of serotonin I felt while reading.
~★~ What is So This is Ever After about? ~★~
Arek has just defeated the villain reigning over his kingdom, successfully completing the prophecy he was destined for. He and his friends soon find the only heir dead, leaving the rather unexperienced Arek to step up as king before another corrupt ruler can take the throne.
To complicate matters further, Arek’s best friend and mage, Matt, uncovers a law that states Arek must find a soulmate to bond with before his next birthday, or he will die on the throne. If life was easy, Arek would profess his feelings for Matt right there, having been silently in love with him for ages.
Instead, Arek goads Matt into helping him woo their other friends, hoping that one will reciprocate and save Arek from death. All the while, Arek pines over the mage and best friend who’s been by his side for years, oblivious to the fact that love may have been right in front of him all along.
────── {⋆★⋆} ──────
Kicking off summer break with a lighthearted, character driven rom-com (featuring a slow burn best-friends-to-lovers romance!!) was so perfect. I adore how carefree this story is! The casual trope subversion and unabashedly queer cast offered a twist on fantasy that kept me endlessly entertained. I fell in love with Arek and his rag-tag bunch within a few pages, snickering at their dumb humour more often than I’d like to admit.
The romance had me in a chokehold from the start. If I haven’t implied it a thousand times in this review alone, best-friend-to-lovers is my absolute favourite romance trope, so I was bound to love Matt and Arek fiercely. Their opposing personalities made their dynamic all the more interesting, with Arek being impulsive and sarcastic, while Matt was his counterpart, responsible and put-together. The miscommunication trope is rampant, relied upon to drive the conflict between Matt and Arek, though I found I was surprisingly unbothered by it, too swept up in the whimsy of the story as a whole.
Bethany might take the cake as my favourite character. Her demeanor reminded my of the beloved Nina Zenik; her easy flirtation and friendship with the rest of the cast charmed me to no end. Sionna, Lila and Rion each had their moments, too. It was so funny getting to know them better through Arek’s failed attempts at romancing each of his friends. The ending made my heart soar (the climax had me capital S Stressed, even though a happy ending seemed the only possible outcome for a book like this). Matt and Arek are so sweet!! I presume I’ll be coming back to So This is Ever After whenever I’m in need of a mindless read that’s guaranteed to having me smiling throughout.
I mean, im a sucker for both the best-friends-to-lovers and found family tropes, so what did we expect? I was doomed to fall in love with this book. A high rating is obligatory solely due to the amount of serotonin I felt while reading.
~★~ What is So This is Ever After about? ~★~
Arek has just defeated the villain reigning over his kingdom, successfully completing the prophecy he was destined for. He and his friends soon find the only heir dead, leaving the rather unexperienced Arek to step up as king before another corrupt ruler can take the throne.
To complicate matters further, Arek’s best friend and mage, Matt, uncovers a law that states Arek must find a soulmate to bond with before his next birthday, or he will die on the throne. If life was easy, Arek would profess his feelings for Matt right there, having been silently in love with him for ages.
Instead, Arek goads Matt into helping him woo their other friends, hoping that one will reciprocate and save Arek from death. All the while, Arek pines over the mage and best friend who’s been by his side for years, oblivious to the fact that love may have been right in front of him all along.
────── {⋆★⋆} ──────
Kicking off summer break with a lighthearted, character driven rom-com (featuring a slow burn best-friends-to-lovers romance!!) was so perfect. I adore how carefree this story is! The casual trope subversion and unabashedly queer cast offered a twist on fantasy that kept me endlessly entertained. I fell in love with Arek and his rag-tag bunch within a few pages, snickering at their dumb humour more often than I’d like to admit.
The romance had me in a chokehold from the start. If I haven’t implied it a thousand times in this review alone, best-friend-to-lovers is my absolute favourite romance trope, so I was bound to love Matt and Arek fiercely. Their opposing personalities made their dynamic all the more interesting, with Arek being impulsive and sarcastic, while Matt was his counterpart, responsible and put-together. The miscommunication trope is rampant, relied upon to drive the conflict between Matt and Arek, though I found I was surprisingly unbothered by it, too swept up in the whimsy of the story as a whole.
Bethany might take the cake as my favourite character. Her demeanor reminded my of the beloved Nina Zenik; her easy flirtation and friendship with the rest of the cast charmed me to no end. Sionna, Lila and Rion each had their moments, too. It was so funny getting to know them better through Arek’s failed attempts at romancing each of his friends. The ending made my heart soar (the climax had me capital S Stressed, even though a happy ending seemed the only possible outcome for a book like this). Matt and Arek are so sweet!! I presume I’ll be coming back to So This is Ever After whenever I’m in need of a mindless read that’s guaranteed to having me smiling throughout.
September 19, 2022
5 Stars
This is a must-read for fans of T.J. Klune’s Tales from Verania series (just way more YA in vibe), bringing a quirky, lovable cast of found-family characters to the forefront of a delicious fantasy world setting, that mixes the fun and adventure perfectly with some emotionally gripping high-stakes and a heart-melting romance (or two, or three).
The premise is a fun one, following “Chosen One” Arek, and his group of ragtag friends, as they face the realities of their heroic success AFTER fulfilling the fated prophecy by defeating The Vile One and saving the realm from his evil reign.
In a sort of, “huh, what do we do now?!” moment, Arek finds himself the next King of Chickpea (ha!), which sounds epic in theory but is much more weighted in responsibility than he was prepared to undertake at not quite eighteen.
But a hero’s journey is rarely one and done, and I loved watching Arek navigate his new reality, working fairly impressively to restore the kingdom to rights, with the support and guidance of his most trusted companions and dearest friends, Matt the mage, Rion the knight, Lila the rogue, Sionna the warrior, and Bethany the bard.
To throw a spanner in the already murky works, Arek finds himself in a magically induced “marry or die” situation, needing to find a soul bond before his upcoming eighteenth birthday if he wishes to stay alive. Thankfully, Arek is bisexual and has four perfect prospects among his friends, but he can’t help but long for the one person he feels most ardently towards—Matt, his lifelong best friend and newly appointed royal mage, who Arek is certain doesn’t feel the same.
In classic silly boys and their silly miscommunication style, Arek and Matt continue to overlook their powerful connection, as Arek goes on a bit of a farcical journey of awkward and waylaid attempts at wooing his other friends, to much failure and often embarrassment on his part.
The friends-to-lovers, pining from afar, SLOW BURN romance, was enough to make my cold and withered heart grow three sizes before all was said and done. The miscommunication not bothering me the way it often does, proving again that it can work really well in any story when executed correctly.
Arek and Matt were wonderful characters and I adored their love story, but I also absolutely loved their other friends, who were all fantastic characters their own right, supporting, confiding and challenging Arek at every necessary turn of his new reign.
The quirky sense of humour and the cast of strong, intelligent, kind-hearted characters really shone brightest here, making this an all too easy fantasy YA story to devour at a potentially alarming rate.
F.T. Lukens is quickly becoming a favourite author of mine, and I gotta say, I’m not mad about it.
This is a must-read for fans of T.J. Klune’s Tales from Verania series (just way more YA in vibe), bringing a quirky, lovable cast of found-family characters to the forefront of a delicious fantasy world setting, that mixes the fun and adventure perfectly with some emotionally gripping high-stakes and a heart-melting romance (or two, or three).
The premise is a fun one, following “Chosen One” Arek, and his group of ragtag friends, as they face the realities of their heroic success AFTER fulfilling the fated prophecy by defeating The Vile One and saving the realm from his evil reign.
In a sort of, “huh, what do we do now?!” moment, Arek finds himself the next King of Chickpea (ha!), which sounds epic in theory but is much more weighted in responsibility than he was prepared to undertake at not quite eighteen.
But a hero’s journey is rarely one and done, and I loved watching Arek navigate his new reality, working fairly impressively to restore the kingdom to rights, with the support and guidance of his most trusted companions and dearest friends, Matt the mage, Rion the knight, Lila the rogue, Sionna the warrior, and Bethany the bard.
To throw a spanner in the already murky works, Arek finds himself in a magically induced “marry or die” situation, needing to find a soul bond before his upcoming eighteenth birthday if he wishes to stay alive. Thankfully, Arek is bisexual and has four perfect prospects among his friends, but he can’t help but long for the one person he feels most ardently towards—Matt, his lifelong best friend and newly appointed royal mage, who Arek is certain doesn’t feel the same.
In classic silly boys and their silly miscommunication style, Arek and Matt continue to overlook their powerful connection, as Arek goes on a bit of a farcical journey of awkward and waylaid attempts at wooing his other friends, to much failure and often embarrassment on his part.
The friends-to-lovers, pining from afar, SLOW BURN romance, was enough to make my cold and withered heart grow three sizes before all was said and done. The miscommunication not bothering me the way it often does, proving again that it can work really well in any story when executed correctly.
Arek and Matt were wonderful characters and I adored their love story, but I also absolutely loved their other friends, who were all fantastic characters their own right, supporting, confiding and challenging Arek at every necessary turn of his new reign.
The quirky sense of humour and the cast of strong, intelligent, kind-hearted characters really shone brightest here, making this an all too easy fantasy YA story to devour at a potentially alarming rate.
F.T. Lukens is quickly becoming a favourite author of mine, and I gotta say, I’m not mad about it.
August 20, 2022
(4.5/5)
THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD I'M STILL TRYING TO WRAP MY HEAD AROUND HOW MUCH I LOVED IT.
the blurb that describes it as 'carry on' crossed with arthurian legend? spot on.the writing style reminded me of 'carry on' so much that i very much wondered if i was reading merthur fanfiction towards the beginning. i have literally never read a more accurate description, which is funny because a lot of newer ya fantasy novels are compared to older, more popular ones and usually end up disappointing, usually because what we get isn't what we were promised.
this book, though? it absolutely delivered.
i loved the concept that this book was centered around. usually fantasy novels of this sort show the process of the main character/Chosen One™ and their lovable allies going on adventures that ultimately culminate in defeating the antagonist and living 'happily ever after'. the end, and the story is over.
so this is ever after, however, completely omits the 'adventure' that occurred and which brought all of the main characters together, choosing to instead give snippets of recollections of their adventures together occasionally throughout the book. it takes the epilogue, showing all of the characters happy and successful, and builds on it instead, telling us about what it took to get there, and i adored that.
honestly, when i first started reading this, it seemed more like a crazy idea that someone once had with their friends and ended up writing an entire novel around(i definitely do not speak from experience). but the more i read, i actually found myself engrossed in the mishaps and ordeals that the characters experienced, to the point where i finished the whole thing in one sitting (literally, on my couch) while reading this on the tiny screen of my phone.
if that doesn't scream obsessed, i don't know what does.
arek, the main character, embodied the whole concept of being the 'chosen one', which was to be expected. however, he had a personality that was developed apart from that trope, which is honestly what made this book so enjoyable to read, along with the rest of the characters. they were funny and i loved their dynamic and just the general way they all worked together and interacted with one another.
the plot was HILARIOUS. not laughing-out-loud-and-then-awkwardly-stopping-because-people-are-staring hilarious, but funny enough that i screenshotted parts to bait my friends into reading this with me (none have joined me as of yet but i refuse to give up). the plot was based around a seemingly simple concept, however, the hijinks, mishaps, and chaotic clownery are what really made it so memorable.
and, of course, there was the romance. THE ROMANCE. bdksjbakdsbcjsdbkajdsbk the ✨r o m a n c e✨. it was glorious, and honestly peak idiots-in-love with all of the misunderstandings and denial. i might just be saying that because i'm weak for good best friends-to-lovers romances but what can i say—it really delivered.
that being said, however, i did find a few things lacking.
the first being the magic system and general world-building. although we are told of various kingdoms and nations that surround the nation that the characters have taken over (does it even have a name??? i certainly can't remember it, at any rate), and a ball is thrown in which 'ambassadors' essentially visit, but we never really learn anything solid about the world??? it doesn't take away from the story but i was definitely curious.
as for the magic, however, i was seriously expecting more. it's never explained how it works-not just matt's magic but also the magic binding arek to the throne—all that we know is that it works, no explanation. i think it would have been interesting if this was delved into more, or even just expressed in scenes where magic was being performed in general.
we're not told what time period this book is set in—or even if it would translate to a real world time period seeing as to how it's fantasy—but i found it a bit strange how formally some of the characters would speak compared to arek, the main one, like he'd transmigrated from the modern world into the world of a fantasy novel.clearly i've been reading too many webtoons lately.
i did, however, find it really funny how some modern sayings and idioms were basically rewritten so they'd make sense in the context of the world this book is set in. just off the top of my head i remember reading a line where someone is told to be quiet or something and they "button" their mouth closed instead of "zipping" it.
overall, i really, really, REALLY liked this book; definitely way more than i was expecting to. i had such a fun time reading this that i actually have motivation to read again (!), which is great. that, and i'm almost certain that the cover alone added ten years to my lifespan.
THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD I'M STILL TRYING TO WRAP MY HEAD AROUND HOW MUCH I LOVED IT.
the blurb that describes it as 'carry on' crossed with arthurian legend? spot on.
this book, though? it absolutely delivered.
i loved the concept that this book was centered around. usually fantasy novels of this sort show the process of the main character/Chosen One™ and their lovable allies going on adventures that ultimately culminate in defeating the antagonist and living 'happily ever after'. the end, and the story is over.
so this is ever after, however, completely omits the 'adventure' that occurred and which brought all of the main characters together, choosing to instead give snippets of recollections of their adventures together occasionally throughout the book. it takes the epilogue, showing all of the characters happy and successful, and builds on it instead, telling us about what it took to get there, and i adored that.
honestly, when i first started reading this, it seemed more like a crazy idea that someone once had with their friends and ended up writing an entire novel around
if that doesn't scream obsessed, i don't know what does.
arek, the main character, embodied the whole concept of being the 'chosen one', which was to be expected. however, he had a personality that was developed apart from that trope, which is honestly what made this book so enjoyable to read, along with the rest of the characters. they were funny and i loved their dynamic and just the general way they all worked together and interacted with one another.
the plot was HILARIOUS. not laughing-out-loud-and-then-awkwardly-stopping-because-people-are-staring hilarious, but funny enough that i screenshotted parts to bait my friends into reading this with me (none have joined me as of yet but i refuse to give up). the plot was based around a seemingly simple concept, however, the hijinks, mishaps, and chaotic clownery are what really made it so memorable.
and, of course, there was the romance. THE ROMANCE. bdksjbakdsbcjsdbkajdsbk the ✨r o m a n c e✨. it was glorious, and honestly peak idiots-in-love with all of the misunderstandings and denial. i might just be saying that because i'm weak for good best friends-to-lovers romances but what can i say—it really delivered.
that being said, however, i did find a few things lacking.
the first being the magic system and general world-building. although we are told of various kingdoms and nations that surround the nation that the characters have taken over (does it even have a name??? i certainly can't remember it, at any rate), and a ball is thrown in which 'ambassadors' essentially visit, but we never really learn anything solid about the world??? it doesn't take away from the story but i was definitely curious.
as for the magic, however, i was seriously expecting more. it's never explained how it works-not just matt's magic but also the magic binding arek to the throne—all that we know is that it works, no explanation. i think it would have been interesting if this was delved into more, or even just expressed in scenes where magic was being performed in general.
we're not told what time period this book is set in—or even if it would translate to a real world time period seeing as to how it's fantasy—but i found it a bit strange how formally some of the characters would speak compared to arek, the main one, like he'd transmigrated from the modern world into the world of a fantasy novel.
i did, however, find it really funny how some modern sayings and idioms were basically rewritten so they'd make sense in the context of the world this book is set in. just off the top of my head i remember reading a line where someone is told to be quiet or something and they "button" their mouth closed instead of "zipping" it.
overall, i really, really, REALLY liked this book; definitely way more than i was expecting to. i had such a fun time reading this that i actually have motivation to read again (!), which is great. that, and i'm almost certain that the cover alone added ten years to my lifespan.
April 5, 2024
This feels decidedly as a comedy of errors, no one is oblivious as Arek, and the magic is overly convenient (if less unbelievable than the obliviousness of the main character). The effortless portrayal of sexuality and gender is commendable
I’m seventeen years old! I spun on my heel. I can’t choose a spouse. I can barely choose my clothes in the morning.
We’re aware, Matt said dryly.
Casual and completely normal portrayal of bisexuality and non-binary characters propel this rather predictable narrative just slightly above 2 stars. I am maybe too old and cynical but I never felt any tension or uncertainty how the story of So This Is Ever After would play out, and none of the characters, who seem like DnD templates (Arek the chosen one, Matt the mage, Sionna warrior, Rion knight, Lila rogue thief and Bethany mage), develop much, with the potential exception of Sionna (who we strangely don’t even get to see her family of, despite some pain and depth being suggested there).
Also, is a horrid face a good thing? Arek thinks this of Matt a lot.
The banter was fun enough, but veered dangerously into predictable as well (not to mention everyone, besides Rion maybe, talks like they are directly taken from Tumblr discourse). I feel this is written towards 12 to 14 year olds.Some of the banter below will also illustrate this:
I’m making a point.
Is the point that you’re pedantic?
Your first act as king is to not want to be king.
Well we’re a group. We’ve congealed into something that works.
For the record, I hate you all.
We really need to work on your charm, King Arek. And your mouth and the sewage that spills out of it.
And I didn’t stare at Rion because, despite the muscles… Okay, well, I did stare at the muscles. Who am I kidding? His forearms were chiseled, and his abs were works of art. Of course I peeked. Who wouldn’t?
Did I mention I was seventeen and had been living in close quarters with five beautiful people the last nine months?
When she asked me my preferences, I almost blurted out “brunettes”, then realized she meant food.
I do have good ideas sometimes.
We could debate that.
Bethany rolled her eyes. We all know Matt is the top - about advisors, right 😜
He pointed his finger at me with all the threat of a hissing, puffed-up kitten.
Luckily, I was kind of good at improvising - no Arek, you’re probably just conventionally good looking
I’m an open book.
In a different language.
But that’s my point. Your perception of me is not the real me.
That’s it? That’s it? Oh right, I forgot who I was talking to, the King of Flippancy.
I may be flippant, but I’m not ignorant - boy are you sure??
I’m an impulsive asshole. We both know that. - Arek the self aware?
That’s like next level. If I didn’t view you as my very annoying brother, I might have been swayed.
Well, I’ve never been accused of being overly smart.
I think you’re making it much harder than it needs to be.
Are you serious?
As a heart problem.
Well, you obviously can’t be put in charge of your own wellbeing.
Because you’re predictable I yelled
I thought you were being a good friend…?
Why do you always have to be so dramatic?
You’re an ass.
Well, they say couples take on each other’s traits.
I feel this is written for 12 to 14 year olds
I’m seventeen years old! I spun on my heel. I can’t choose a spouse. I can barely choose my clothes in the morning.
We’re aware, Matt said dryly.
Casual and completely normal portrayal of bisexuality and non-binary characters propel this rather predictable narrative just slightly above 2 stars. I am maybe too old and cynical but I never felt any tension or uncertainty how the story of So This Is Ever After would play out, and none of the characters, who seem like DnD templates (Arek the chosen one, Matt the mage, Sionna warrior, Rion knight, Lila rogue thief and Bethany mage), develop much, with the potential exception of Sionna (who we strangely don’t even get to see her family of, despite some pain and depth being suggested there).
Also, is a horrid face a good thing? Arek thinks this of Matt a lot.
The banter was fun enough, but veered dangerously into predictable as well (not to mention everyone, besides Rion maybe, talks like they are directly taken from Tumblr discourse). I feel this is written towards 12 to 14 year olds.Some of the banter below will also illustrate this:
I’m making a point.
Is the point that you’re pedantic?
Your first act as king is to not want to be king.
Well we’re a group. We’ve congealed into something that works.
For the record, I hate you all.
We really need to work on your charm, King Arek. And your mouth and the sewage that spills out of it.
And I didn’t stare at Rion because, despite the muscles… Okay, well, I did stare at the muscles. Who am I kidding? His forearms were chiseled, and his abs were works of art. Of course I peeked. Who wouldn’t?
Did I mention I was seventeen and had been living in close quarters with five beautiful people the last nine months?
When she asked me my preferences, I almost blurted out “brunettes”, then realized she meant food.
I do have good ideas sometimes.
We could debate that.
Bethany rolled her eyes. We all know Matt is the top - about advisors, right 😜
He pointed his finger at me with all the threat of a hissing, puffed-up kitten.
Luckily, I was kind of good at improvising - no Arek, you’re probably just conventionally good looking
I’m an open book.
In a different language.
But that’s my point. Your perception of me is not the real me.
That’s it? That’s it? Oh right, I forgot who I was talking to, the King of Flippancy.
I may be flippant, but I’m not ignorant - boy are you sure??
I’m an impulsive asshole. We both know that. - Arek the self aware?
That’s like next level. If I didn’t view you as my very annoying brother, I might have been swayed.
Well, I’ve never been accused of being overly smart.
I think you’re making it much harder than it needs to be.
Are you serious?
As a heart problem.
Well, you obviously can’t be put in charge of your own wellbeing.
Because you’re predictable I yelled
I thought you were being a good friend…?
Why do you always have to be so dramatic?
You’re an ass.
Well, they say couples take on each other’s traits.
I feel this is written for 12 to 14 year olds
January 7, 2023
… naur?
me pareció una trama muy superficial, personajes hiper superficiales que no tienen ningún tipo de desarrollo, final extremadamente predecible incluso la trama también es predecible, al principio me gustó que el libro empiece de esa forma extraña pero me pareció que al final lo terminó perjudicando.
no me produjo nada? tierno igual nose
me pareció una trama muy superficial, personajes hiper superficiales que no tienen ningún tipo de desarrollo, final extremadamente predecible incluso la trama también es predecible, al principio me gustó que el libro empiece de esa forma extraña pero me pareció que al final lo terminó perjudicando.
no me produjo nada? tierno igual nose
October 10, 2022
As soon as I saw So This Is Ever After, I knew that I had to read it. The book was marketed as “Carry On meets Arthurian legend,” and if there’s one book people can name drop that will get me to read something, it’s Carry On. I will say, because of that comparison, I kind of assumed this would be an enemies to lovers story. I even read the synopsis, but clearly I wasn’t paying much attention, because that should have dissuaded that notion. However! I was so excited to find out that this was not an enemies to lovers but a friends to lovers story! If there’s one thing I enjoy more than the former trope, it's the latter. I know that’s probably an unpopular opinion, but that’s how it is for me. So, imagine my surprise and delight when I discovered that Arek had been secretly pining over Matt for a long time. And it was so obvious (to everyone but Arek that is) that Matt returned his feelings. I was sold instantly.
From the very beginning, it was clear that this group of characters was super chaotic (in the best way possible). We have Arek, “The Chosen One,” who’s kind of oblivious, a bit of a mess, but totally loveable. He adores his friends and would do anything for them. Then we have Matt, Arek’s best friend and the mage; Lila, the rogue who’s very clever, but you should also watch your pockets when she’s around or else she’ll steal your things; Bethany, the bard who is the only reason the group was able to get out of many of the messes they created; Sionna, the warrior who while she seemed stoic at times, could be really funny and sweet, but could also cut you down if need be; and then there’s Rion, the sarcastic and witty knight. This story would not have worked if it wasn’t for these characters, because while it is a love story between Arek and Matt, it’s also a story of friends and found family, of characters who are hurting, but work together to heal each other.
Throughout the course of the story, Arek must find someone to soul bond to, or else he’ll wither away despite having finally completed his prophecy. Because of this, he plans to try to woo all of his friends, and it was absolutely hysterical. Even though Matt was assisting him, nothing ever went right. If Arek tried to woo Sionna by trapping the two of them into a tower together to talk things out, he somehow ended up smacking his head and getting trapped with Matt. The universe was so clearly pointing Arek towards Matt and Matt towards Arek, but they were both so unaware of this that it was kind of painful at times. This was definitely what I would consider a slow burn, but it was done so well. Usually I prefer for the romantic leads to get together sooner, but this one didn’t feel unnecessarily drawn out. Arek and Matt’s hesitance felt authentic, and it made sense to me that neither would be willing to risk their friendship for only the possibility of more.
Additionally, I cannot praise the world-building and plot development enough. In terms of setting and world, it was actually rather simple, but I preferred that over a super complex world that would have taken chapters and chapters of set up, when that wasn’t even necessary here. Because this book wasn’t trying to be a high fantasy, and was just having some fun, it made sense for the world to be more simplistic. Still, there were enough details for me to grasp how the world functioned and what each person’s role was, and I really appreciated this. There were no needless paragraphs of info-dumps that would have me falling asleep. Instead, the pace was quick, fun, and fit the theme of the book so well. The plot was also great. I was a little worried in the beginning because I wasn’t sure how it was going to be drawn out over a whole book, but I shouldn’t have been nervous, because the way the events unfolded was spectacular and engaging.
If I had to find one thing about this book to complain about, it would have been the lack of a prologue describing their quest to fulfill the prophecy. As it happens, So This is Ever After opens right as Arek is gearing up to finish his adventure, and the rest of the book follows Arek and friends as they try to navigate this new and uncertain world without a prophecy to guide them any longer. There were a few mentions to the quest here and there throughout the story, but I would’ve liked just a little bit more. It sounded like it would have been so much fun to read about, so even if we’d gotten a really watered-down version in a prologue, I would’ve appreciated that. Still, this didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book. I was wary it would in the beginning, because so many characters already had an established relationship with Arek, and I was uncertain I’d be able to keep them all straight, but because each character had such a unique and sparkling personality, it was much easier to remember all of them than I thought it would be.
This book was just so much fun! It’s everything I love reading about in stories, and the cast of loveable and memorable characters really added to it. I devoured this book as quickly as I could. Every minute of my free time was spent reading So This Is Ever After because I was so desperate to learn how it ended. I’m so glad I picked this one up. In Deeper Waters, FT Luken’s first book, was not my favorite, but after reading the synopsis for this one and seeing that stunning cover, I knew I had to give it a chance, and I am so grateful I did.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!
From the very beginning, it was clear that this group of characters was super chaotic (in the best way possible). We have Arek, “The Chosen One,” who’s kind of oblivious, a bit of a mess, but totally loveable. He adores his friends and would do anything for them. Then we have Matt, Arek’s best friend and the mage; Lila, the rogue who’s very clever, but you should also watch your pockets when she’s around or else she’ll steal your things; Bethany, the bard who is the only reason the group was able to get out of many of the messes they created; Sionna, the warrior who while she seemed stoic at times, could be really funny and sweet, but could also cut you down if need be; and then there’s Rion, the sarcastic and witty knight. This story would not have worked if it wasn’t for these characters, because while it is a love story between Arek and Matt, it’s also a story of friends and found family, of characters who are hurting, but work together to heal each other.
Throughout the course of the story, Arek must find someone to soul bond to, or else he’ll wither away despite having finally completed his prophecy. Because of this, he plans to try to woo all of his friends, and it was absolutely hysterical. Even though Matt was assisting him, nothing ever went right. If Arek tried to woo Sionna by trapping the two of them into a tower together to talk things out, he somehow ended up smacking his head and getting trapped with Matt. The universe was so clearly pointing Arek towards Matt and Matt towards Arek, but they were both so unaware of this that it was kind of painful at times. This was definitely what I would consider a slow burn, but it was done so well. Usually I prefer for the romantic leads to get together sooner, but this one didn’t feel unnecessarily drawn out. Arek and Matt’s hesitance felt authentic, and it made sense to me that neither would be willing to risk their friendship for only the possibility of more.
Additionally, I cannot praise the world-building and plot development enough. In terms of setting and world, it was actually rather simple, but I preferred that over a super complex world that would have taken chapters and chapters of set up, when that wasn’t even necessary here. Because this book wasn’t trying to be a high fantasy, and was just having some fun, it made sense for the world to be more simplistic. Still, there were enough details for me to grasp how the world functioned and what each person’s role was, and I really appreciated this. There were no needless paragraphs of info-dumps that would have me falling asleep. Instead, the pace was quick, fun, and fit the theme of the book so well. The plot was also great. I was a little worried in the beginning because I wasn’t sure how it was going to be drawn out over a whole book, but I shouldn’t have been nervous, because the way the events unfolded was spectacular and engaging.
If I had to find one thing about this book to complain about, it would have been the lack of a prologue describing their quest to fulfill the prophecy. As it happens, So This is Ever After opens right as Arek is gearing up to finish his adventure, and the rest of the book follows Arek and friends as they try to navigate this new and uncertain world without a prophecy to guide them any longer. There were a few mentions to the quest here and there throughout the story, but I would’ve liked just a little bit more. It sounded like it would have been so much fun to read about, so even if we’d gotten a really watered-down version in a prologue, I would’ve appreciated that. Still, this didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book. I was wary it would in the beginning, because so many characters already had an established relationship with Arek, and I was uncertain I’d be able to keep them all straight, but because each character had such a unique and sparkling personality, it was much easier to remember all of them than I thought it would be.
This book was just so much fun! It’s everything I love reading about in stories, and the cast of loveable and memorable characters really added to it. I devoured this book as quickly as I could. Every minute of my free time was spent reading So This Is Ever After because I was so desperate to learn how it ended. I’m so glad I picked this one up. In Deeper Waters, FT Luken’s first book, was not my favorite, but after reading the synopsis for this one and seeing that stunning cover, I knew I had to give it a chance, and I am so grateful I did.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!
January 3, 2023
Este libro es ridículamente divertido y me dio lo que pensé que iba a darme. Recuerda a Carry On (salvo que este se volvió saga y se tomó a sí mismo más en serio de lo que debería) y Tim Te Maro en el estilo de ser como una parodia de las clásicas historias de adolescentes que deben salvar el mundo en fantasía, pero cuyo eje es el romance del protagonista.
Arek no pensó que derrotar al Malvado sería sencillo, pero sí que esperaba una emoción distinta que solo el cansancio y el asco. Además, todo empeora cuando es coronado como rey y no puede escapar de ello, porque pondría en peligro su propia vida. Por suerte, tiene a sus compañeros de viaje y a Matt, su mejor amigo/ojalá algo más, para ayudarlo.
Partiré aclarando que este libro no es fantasía, transcurre en un mundo de fantasía, pero el eje de su historia no es ese, sino que el romance entre Matt y Arek. Así que no voy a analizar el mundo como si fuera un libro de fantasía en serio, ya que claramente lo que hizo fue tomar la idea del elegido y escribir una especie de parodia de ello. Y funcionó, creo que fue divertido cómo se burló de la figura del hechicero que crea las profecias, de la idea de un grupo de adolescentes a cargo de luchas de este tipo, la historia del elegido y todo lo demás.
Arek es quien va narrando la historia en primera persona desde que logró, con mucho esfuerzo, cortar la cabeza del Malvado. Así que fuimos conociendo sus pensamientos y, en especial, su enamoramiento de Matt. Como dije, fue un libro de romance que funcionó con enredos y confusiones, pues era claro que ambos estaban enamorados desde mucho antes, pero se pasaron todo el libro tomando cualquier indicio como una señal de que el otro no estaba enamorado. Resultó divertido, sí, un poco cansador en un punto porque se sentía como un continuo dar vueltas en lo mismo.
Me gustaron los demás personajes, sus personalidades y las relaciones de amistad que se dieron entre ellos. Por lejos, Lila fue mi favorita, era el personaje que me hacía reír con su personalidad. Al final, todos tuvieron algo como un romance, solo que salvo con Arek, los demás parecían sacados de la nada y solo a favor de la trama. De todos modos, por la forma en que estaban escritos solo estaban ahí para entorpecer los planes de Arek, más que entregarnos una novela con distintos romances.
A favor del libro tengo que decir que no se tomó a sí mismo muy en serio y eso es lo que me gustó, era consciente de sus errores y de sus límites. Esto se pudo notar en la parodia detrás de la magia y la trama de fantasía, como también en partes específicas en que un personaje le dijo a Arek que creía que estaba haciendo todo más complicado de lo que debería o cuando Arek y Matt bromean sobre sus problemas de comunicación. Efectivamente, este libro podría haber durado 20 páginas si ambos hubiesen conversado.
Así que esto es un felices para siempre es una historia sencilla y divertida que se lee en un par de horas, no tiene mucho contenido ni complicaciones, aunque en un punto parece dar vueltas en lo mismo demasiado. Aún así lo pasé bien con ella, es un libro de esos que los lees para solo entretenerte y, a mí parecer, cumple.
Arek no pensó que derrotar al Malvado sería sencillo, pero sí que esperaba una emoción distinta que solo el cansancio y el asco. Además, todo empeora cuando es coronado como rey y no puede escapar de ello, porque pondría en peligro su propia vida. Por suerte, tiene a sus compañeros de viaje y a Matt, su mejor amigo/ojalá algo más, para ayudarlo.
Partiré aclarando que este libro no es fantasía, transcurre en un mundo de fantasía, pero el eje de su historia no es ese, sino que el romance entre Matt y Arek. Así que no voy a analizar el mundo como si fuera un libro de fantasía en serio, ya que claramente lo que hizo fue tomar la idea del elegido y escribir una especie de parodia de ello. Y funcionó, creo que fue divertido cómo se burló de la figura del hechicero que crea las profecias, de la idea de un grupo de adolescentes a cargo de luchas de este tipo, la historia del elegido y todo lo demás.
"Me gustaba «rey Arek el Amable». Hay fuerza en la amabilidad"
Arek es quien va narrando la historia en primera persona desde que logró, con mucho esfuerzo, cortar la cabeza del Malvado. Así que fuimos conociendo sus pensamientos y, en especial, su enamoramiento de Matt. Como dije, fue un libro de romance que funcionó con enredos y confusiones, pues era claro que ambos estaban enamorados desde mucho antes, pero se pasaron todo el libro tomando cualquier indicio como una señal de que el otro no estaba enamorado. Resultó divertido, sí, un poco cansador en un punto porque se sentía como un continuo dar vueltas en lo mismo.
Me gustaron los demás personajes, sus personalidades y las relaciones de amistad que se dieron entre ellos. Por lejos, Lila fue mi favorita, era el personaje que me hacía reír con su personalidad. Al final, todos tuvieron algo como un romance, solo que salvo con Arek, los demás parecían sacados de la nada y solo a favor de la trama. De todos modos, por la forma en que estaban escritos solo estaban ahí para entorpecer los planes de Arek, más que entregarnos una novela con distintos romances.
A favor del libro tengo que decir que no se tomó a sí mismo muy en serio y eso es lo que me gustó, era consciente de sus errores y de sus límites. Esto se pudo notar en la parodia detrás de la magia y la trama de fantasía, como también en partes específicas en que un personaje le dijo a Arek que creía que estaba haciendo todo más complicado de lo que debería o cuando Arek y Matt bromean sobre sus problemas de comunicación. Efectivamente, este libro podría haber durado 20 páginas si ambos hubiesen conversado.
"Quedarse es el acto de lealtad más grande que cualquiera de ellos ha mostrado. Una cosa es seguir una profecía que tiene punto final y otra es quedarse de manera indefinida, sin un final cerrado, sin saber qué te deparará el futuro ni cuál será tu papel"
Así que esto es un felices para siempre es una historia sencilla y divertida que se lee en un par de horas, no tiene mucho contenido ni complicaciones, aunque en un punto parece dar vueltas en lo mismo demasiado. Aún así lo pasé bien con ella, es un libro de esos que los lees para solo entretenerte y, a mí parecer, cumple.
January 10, 2023
3.5 stars
This took me forever to read because it was definitely a very slow paced romance. This is friends to lovers, but they don't really realize they both want to be together until the very end, which was a little frustrating as the reader. Arek and his friends defeat an evil ruler, which means that Arek has to take over the kingdom, even though he doesn't want to. They quickly realize he must find the love of his life and marry them or else he'll just disappear. It's obvious to everyone Matt and Arek like each other, but they're best friends and neither will admit their feelings because they don't think the other likes them. So they spend their time trying to find Arek a match while he deals with threats to the crown. It was a fun read, I just wish they realized they liked each other sooner!
This took me forever to read because it was definitely a very slow paced romance. This is friends to lovers, but they don't really realize they both want to be together until the very end, which was a little frustrating as the reader. Arek and his friends defeat an evil ruler, which means that Arek has to take over the kingdom, even though he doesn't want to. They quickly realize he must find the love of his life and marry them or else he'll just disappear. It's obvious to everyone Matt and Arek like each other, but they're best friends and neither will admit their feelings because they don't think the other likes them. So they spend their time trying to find Arek a match while he deals with threats to the crown. It was a fun read, I just wish they realized they liked each other sooner!
May 17, 2023
The books by this author always make me smile. They’re so heartfelt and just overall super fun to read. This book in particular was just a straight up lovely gay fairytale and I really enjoyed reading it.
August 31, 2022
Je to jako když vezmete Srdcerváče a hodíte je do artušovské doby 👏🏻 Prostě feel good, queer, fantasy romantika, která je neskutečně (ale fakt neskutečně) fajn! Někdo tu na Goodreads napsal do recenze, že „I didn’t know I needed a fantasy romcom until I picked this book up.“ A jo, přesně! Je to trochu praštěné, trochu ňuňu, trochu já-nevím-co, ale celkově boží čtení, co vás hlavně BUDE BAVIT ☺️
Celé to začíná ve chvíli, kdy parta přátel v čele Arekem (ehm Artušem) porazí záporáka, super zlého krále, co všechny terorizoval. No a co teď? Usekli jsme zlounovi hlavu, ale nikdo neví, co dál. Chvíli se přešlapuje z místa na místo, až se to nějak seběhne tak, že teda Arek asi bude nový král nebo co, ale neboj, jen na chviličku, než zachráníme z věže právoplatnou dědičku. Borka je ale mrtvá, ups, a navíc s královskou korunou přichází i kletba – do svých osmnácti se oženíš, nebo umřeš. A protože se Arekovi nechce umírat, tak si teda řekne, že asi sbalí někoho z party, protože to jsou alespoň kámoši, které zná, a nebude to tím pádem tak hrozné jako s někým cizím. Jo a ještě je teda zamilovaný do svého čaroděje Matta (ehm Merlina), ale je to komplikované 😜
První lásky, nepovedená rande, má mě rád, nemá mě rád… Křičíte do stránek, ať se kluci už teda doprčic vzpamatují a řeknou si to, ale vlastně jste rádi, jak kolem sebe našlapují, protože je to sladké a chcete to ještě chvíli číst 🥰
Celé to začíná ve chvíli, kdy parta přátel v čele Arekem (ehm Artušem) porazí záporáka, super zlého krále, co všechny terorizoval. No a co teď? Usekli jsme zlounovi hlavu, ale nikdo neví, co dál. Chvíli se přešlapuje z místa na místo, až se to nějak seběhne tak, že teda Arek asi bude nový král nebo co, ale neboj, jen na chviličku, než zachráníme z věže právoplatnou dědičku. Borka je ale mrtvá, ups, a navíc s královskou korunou přichází i kletba – do svých osmnácti se oženíš, nebo umřeš. A protože se Arekovi nechce umírat, tak si teda řekne, že asi sbalí někoho z party, protože to jsou alespoň kámoši, které zná, a nebude to tím pádem tak hrozné jako s někým cizím. Jo a ještě je teda zamilovaný do svého čaroděje Matta (ehm Merlina), ale je to komplikované 😜
První lásky, nepovedená rande, má mě rád, nemá mě rád… Křičíte do stránek, ať se kluci už teda doprčic vzpamatují a řeknou si to, ale vlastně jste rádi, jak kolem sebe našlapují, protože je to sladké a chcete to ještě chvíli číst 🥰
October 19, 2021
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I don't know. I think it's time for me to realize that this author's style just isn't for me. This book wants to be high fantasy-ish but the language and events (don't even get me started on the characters names or the name of the kingdom) that take place just make the entire book feel almost anachronistic. It just doesn't work for me at all.
The premise was super interesting (and the cover is gorgeous!), and I wanted to give this author another chance. But, as mentioned before, something about the style and diction just doesn't work for me. Everything was super predictable and it all happened just as I expected it to. I didn't really care what happened to any of the characters; honestly, around page 25 I just wanted the book to end.
Honestly, this entire book just seems to be a Dungeons and Dragons game gone wrong (or right, I guess, depending on your cup of tea). There's so much potential there, but in the end, I just didn't care.
I don't know. I think it's time for me to realize that this author's style just isn't for me. This book wants to be high fantasy-ish but the language and events (don't even get me started on the characters names or the name of the kingdom) that take place just make the entire book feel almost anachronistic. It just doesn't work for me at all.
The premise was super interesting (and the cover is gorgeous!), and I wanted to give this author another chance. But, as mentioned before, something about the style and diction just doesn't work for me. Everything was super predictable and it all happened just as I expected it to. I didn't really care what happened to any of the characters; honestly, around page 25 I just wanted the book to end.
Honestly, this entire book just seems to be a Dungeons and Dragons game gone wrong (or right, I guess, depending on your cup of tea). There's so much potential there, but in the end, I just didn't care.
April 21, 2022
literally the two most oblivious idiots i have ever read about
Arek hadn’t thought much about what would happen after he completed the prophecy that said he was destined to save the Kingdom of Ere from its evil ruler. So now that he’s finally managed to (somewhat clumsily) behead the evil king he and his rag-tag group of quest companions are at a bit of a loss for what to do next. Arek’s best friend and mage, Matt, convinces him to assume the throne until the true heir can be rescued from her tower. Except, she’s dead. Now Arek is stuck as king, a role that comes with a catch: choose a spouse by your eighteenth birthday, or wither away into nothing. With his eighteenth birthday only three months away, and only Matt in on the secret, Arek embarks on a desperate bid to find a spouse to save his life—starting with his quest companions.
This review is probably going to be very chaotic, which is very fitting for this book.
I read F.T. Lukens's In Deeper Waters at the end of last year, and ever since then I've been DYING to read this book. I love this type of fantasy- soft, fun, that almost feels like contemporary but isn't (Carry On and In Other Lands are other ones that come to mind). And every time, it SLAPS.
I had so much fun reading this. One of the few complaints that I had with In Deeper Waters is that I wanted less plot to spend more time with the characters, and this book delivered on that. We have such a lovely cast of characters and found family excellence!!. I love their dynamic together, how they all support one another, the casual queer rep!!
They were all so well developed. Arek grew so much in his ambitions, in accepting his role as king and as a friend. And Matt, who secretly pines in the distance, who just wants protects everyone - I love him; he was my fave 🥺
This book did an amazing job creating an entire world and developing it while not being too info-dumpy and confusing. It reminded me of a D&D campaign, which just made it even more fun.
his, at its heart, is a romance. A book that starts at the end, following the consequences that come after the fantasy plot is over; it's about the characters' relationship. It was so so sweet and cozy to read.
And the romance? I love a slow burn, oblivious, good idiots-to-lovers/friends-to-lovers, but OH MY GOD, AREK AND MATT ARE IDIOTS. I cannot stress this enough. There were so many times I wanted to jump into the book to smash their faces together, BECAUSE WHY WON'T YOU TWO KISS ALREADY !!
I feel like this is another book that I will always recommend because it's so easy to like. I hope F.T. Lukens continues writing these types of stories because I eat it up every single time 😌
Arek hadn’t thought much about what would happen after he completed the prophecy that said he was destined to save the Kingdom of Ere from its evil ruler. So now that he’s finally managed to (somewhat clumsily) behead the evil king he and his rag-tag group of quest companions are at a bit of a loss for what to do next. Arek’s best friend and mage, Matt, convinces him to assume the throne until the true heir can be rescued from her tower. Except, she’s dead. Now Arek is stuck as king, a role that comes with a catch: choose a spouse by your eighteenth birthday, or wither away into nothing. With his eighteenth birthday only three months away, and only Matt in on the secret, Arek embarks on a desperate bid to find a spouse to save his life—starting with his quest companions.
This review is probably going to be very chaotic, which is very fitting for this book.
I read F.T. Lukens's In Deeper Waters at the end of last year, and ever since then I've been DYING to read this book. I love this type of fantasy- soft, fun, that almost feels like contemporary but isn't (Carry On and In Other Lands are other ones that come to mind). And every time, it SLAPS.
I had so much fun reading this. One of the few complaints that I had with In Deeper Waters is that I wanted less plot to spend more time with the characters, and this book delivered on that. We have such a lovely cast of characters and found family excellence!!. I love their dynamic together, how they all support one another, the casual queer rep!!
They were all so well developed. Arek grew so much in his ambitions, in accepting his role as king and as a friend. And Matt, who secretly pines in the distance, who just wants protects everyone - I love him; he was my fave 🥺
This book did an amazing job creating an entire world and developing it while not being too info-dumpy and confusing. It reminded me of a D&D campaign, which just made it even more fun.
his, at its heart, is a romance. A book that starts at the end, following the consequences that come after the fantasy plot is over; it's about the characters' relationship. It was so so sweet and cozy to read.
And the romance? I love a slow burn, oblivious, good idiots-to-lovers/friends-to-lovers, but OH MY GOD, AREK AND MATT ARE IDIOTS. I cannot stress this enough. There were so many times I wanted to jump into the book to smash their faces together, BECAUSE WHY WON'T YOU TWO KISS ALREADY !!
I feel like this is another book that I will always recommend because it's so easy to like. I hope F.T. Lukens continues writing these types of stories because I eat it up every single time 😌
September 9, 2022
❤️ So This Is Ever After - F.T. Lukens ❤️
* fantasy romance
* Arthurian retelling
* childhood best friends to lovers
* slow burn
* the chosen one
* found family
* chaotic bisexual king × mage
* oblivious
* adventure time
* marriage or death
* fantasy romance
* Arthurian retelling
* childhood best friends to lovers
* slow burn
* the chosen one
* found family
* chaotic bisexual king × mage
* oblivious
* adventure time
* marriage or death
November 25, 2023
to była najśmieszniejsza i najgłupsza książka jaka czytałam od dawna/pos
April 25, 2022
This book is bad. And, even worse, it is boring, which is a capital sin for a book.
The premise was interesting: what happens after the Chosen One fulfills his destiny and kills the Evil One, restoring peace to the land? Unfortunately the answer to this question seems to be: who cares?
Arek gets stuck with a kingdom he doesn't want and he finds out that, according to some very vague magical law, if he doesn't find a spouse to bound his soul with before his 18th birthday, he's going to die. Then, he proceeds to spend most of the book wooing his friends one after the other in an attempt to find his soulmate. All the while, obviously, he's in love with his best friend Matt and Matt is in love with him, so the solution is right there but none of them sees it.
Now, the book is basically set in three rooms - it's extremely static - and the wooing of each character happens in the same way with only small variations and with Arek repeating what he must do and why he has to do it over and over before every wooing attempt. This is it. This is the book. The published equivalent of AO3's "Five times Arek tried to woo his friends and one where he succeeded (and didn't die)".
The characters are cardboard cutouts, defined exclusively by their role in the party. There's no depth to them at all. And last but not least, the major drama of this story - we love each other but we doen't know it - is built on literally nothing. The author wants to feed us this big misunderstanding on both parts, but in the facts it isn't there. Both Arek and Matt are pretty obvious in their feelings for each other, and if they don't get it is only because the author says they don't, which is not how you write anything. An example above all: Arek and Matt know each other since they were little. It is stated that they are very affectionate with each other, that they sleep together often, it's normal for them to be close, even if it's in a friendly way. But once Matt acts a little bit pouty (because he's jealous, clearly), out of the blue Arek says "it's clear he doesn't want to be pysically close to me"... they have slept together literally two pages before. There's no logic in their not understanding each other.
The ending is super predictable (not a single spark of originality throughout the book) and at that point you just want the story to end.
This book proves two things:
one - if you write fanfictions, it doesn't mean you know how to write books. Actually, most of the time you don't. Fanfic writers turned good real writers are very rare.
two - reppresentation is important, but the book will still suck if you don't know how to write. LGBTQ characters don't make a book valuable on their own, you need a good plot.
I wanted to read In Deeper Waters too, but I'm not sure anymore.
The premise was interesting: what happens after the Chosen One fulfills his destiny and kills the Evil One, restoring peace to the land? Unfortunately the answer to this question seems to be: who cares?
Arek gets stuck with a kingdom he doesn't want and he finds out that, according to some very vague magical law, if he doesn't find a spouse to bound his soul with before his 18th birthday, he's going to die. Then, he proceeds to spend most of the book wooing his friends one after the other in an attempt to find his soulmate. All the while, obviously, he's in love with his best friend Matt and Matt is in love with him, so the solution is right there but none of them sees it.
Now, the book is basically set in three rooms - it's extremely static - and the wooing of each character happens in the same way with only small variations and with Arek repeating what he must do and why he has to do it over and over before every wooing attempt. This is it. This is the book. The published equivalent of AO3's "Five times Arek tried to woo his friends and one where he succeeded (and didn't die)".
The characters are cardboard cutouts, defined exclusively by their role in the party. There's no depth to them at all. And last but not least, the major drama of this story - we love each other but we doen't know it - is built on literally nothing. The author wants to feed us this big misunderstanding on both parts, but in the facts it isn't there. Both Arek and Matt are pretty obvious in their feelings for each other, and if they don't get it is only because the author says they don't, which is not how you write anything. An example above all: Arek and Matt know each other since they were little. It is stated that they are very affectionate with each other, that they sleep together often, it's normal for them to be close, even if it's in a friendly way. But once Matt acts a little bit pouty (because he's jealous, clearly), out of the blue Arek says "it's clear he doesn't want to be pysically close to me"... they have slept together literally two pages before. There's no logic in their not understanding each other.
The ending is super predictable (not a single spark of originality throughout the book) and at that point you just want the story to end.
This book proves two things:
one - if you write fanfictions, it doesn't mean you know how to write books. Actually, most of the time you don't. Fanfic writers turned good real writers are very rare.
two - reppresentation is important, but the book will still suck if you don't know how to write. LGBTQ characters don't make a book valuable on their own, you need a good plot.
I wanted to read In Deeper Waters too, but I'm not sure anymore.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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