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655 pages, Hardcover
First published July 21, 2015
That was a little above 3.5 stars which I’ll graciously round up to 4 because I’m a good person and also because the book was extremely easy to read, the silliness and hilarity helping despite being comparatively less amusing.
A major thing that contributed to me being significantly less satisfied, charmed and more ‘meh’-ed was the back and forth in this series, particularly in the last one. There was just SO much repetition when it came to the question of characters’ personalities and their allegiances. The first one and maybe even the second one gave more than enough ground to cover that but to my EXTREME annoyance, it continued throughout this one too.
SO. MUCH. BACK. AND. FORTH:
The book was darker than the previous ones but even though it tried to be more mature (through teenage angst, no less), the juvenile ‘air’ still lingered. All three of our heroes are 16 now but try as I might, I could not take them seriously. The irony here is amazing. I read the School for Good and Evil thinking that they were sixteen when in fact they were thirteen or fourteen. Here, they were actually sixteen but I kept seeing them as thirteen or fourteen.
I also noticed two things that kept happening throughout the book:
a) Tedros and other guys are mostly shirtless in every scene.
b) Tedros and some other people (Agatha and Sophie) sweat up a storm like they have faulty skin that leaks too much.
But mainly, Tedros did both of these things and he did them again and again and again. Oh, look at Tedros and his perfectly ripped, tan stomach. Oh look, Tedros is sweating, his rumpled shirt is drenched in sweat, showing off that smooth, jacked up body… I have a question: WHY?
These books try to add to the concept of happily ever after and transform it to include more than just a girl meeting a boy. It’s a nice message, that girls don’t always or necessarily need boys to be happy. They can manage that well enough on their own if they want to. And that realizing your worth and being true to who you are is more important. But… it gets lost in the befuddlement of it all!
So there you go. I hope that clears up why I was so frustrated the entire time.
Sophie and Agatha’s track is a fine example of writers not planning the end game and making it up as they go. I was way past the point of caring about them being together and that too a long time ago (because I shipped Tedros and Agatha) but I didn’t expect to be given something that would completely trump whatever came before it. Like, are we seriously expected to believe that?
Oh, sweet Catharsis. I feel so much better now.
I’ll say it again if anyone’s having trouble deciding whether this is a positive or a negative review: It’s a bit of both. The rating stars and review BOTH reflect how I feel, not just the stars. I enjoyed reading the Last Ever After but I had my problems with it and what better way to share those problems than write them up as long and vehemently as possible in your review? My review, my fingers, my rules.