Review: So This Is Ever After

So This Is Ever After
by FT Lukens

Published By: Margaret K McElderry Books
Publication Date: March 29, 2022
Date Read: April 8, 2023
Genre: YA – Fantasy
Source: Bought
Format: Audiobook
Pages: 352

From Goodreads:
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.

“Magic. Always the problem and the solution rolled into one.”

So This Is Ever After is not a book I probably would have picked up, had it not been selected for the YA Book Club I am a member of. However, having said that, this is a really cute and fun YA Fantasy that is a definite quick read. I didn’t love it, but I did really enjoy it and think if you’re a big fan of Arthurian type legends with LGBTQ+ rep, then this is definitely the book for you.

One thing I really enjoyed about So This Is Ever After is that it starts at the end of a typical fairytale. It begs the question, what happens after the Happy Ever After? After the bad guy has been beaten and the good guy takes the throne… what then? I was really intrigued by this and I actually really enjoyed that concept. The main character has defeated the villain and found himself King but he doesn’t know how to rule… so what happens now? I really liked that idea and actually found it a pretty unique and interesting take on a fairytale.

I think the reason I am not head over heels in love with this book, is I typically love high stakes, action packed, dangerous… who is going to survive and who isn’t… kind of books. And with this one we’ve missed all of that high stakes action, and this is the low stakes, what does life look like afterwards, kind of book. That’s not to say it’s not good… it really is! The characters are wonderful and I really enjoyed learning about them in this slower pace of life… I just really missed the action and high impact of a fantasy story that I love.

There is such a huge increase of ‘cosy fantasy’ right now, and I would definitely put this book into that category. It really was a cosy fantasy about adapting to what life has thrown at you, and finding your place and your people. It’s such a cute, adorable and fun read. I probably won’t read it again, but I did really enjoy it and I would definitely recommend this one for people who are looking for a good YA cosy fantasy with amazing LGBTQ+ representation. If that’s you, this one ticks all of those boxes and I’m sure you’ll love this one.

“Well, your princess isn’t in another tower. She’s dead.”

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