Happy BOOK BIRTHDAY week to... SO THIS IS EVER AFTER by F.T. Lukens - REVIEW!

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

If you follow me on other social media platforms (and I hope you do!), you may have already caught sight of today's book of choice and book birthday week celebrant. It's a NEW RELEASE via Simon and Schuster's Children's Publishing and is so much fun, filled with so much heart, and will keep you holding your breath until the final pages are turned.  So, if you're a fan of Young Adult Fiction, love fairytale-esque tales with a modern day twist, KEEP READING as we jump between the pages of today's book of choice...

So This is Ever After

by

F.T. Lukens

9781534496866

Margaret K. McElderry Books

About the book...

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.

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So, this book... so much love for this book!

It's a YA lit adventure that takes place after the big to-do, aka a wizard given prophecy seen to completion by a motley crew turned lifelong friends. It's what happens after that we never really think about. 🤔 I mean, the baddie is overcome (beheaded, awfully yet not without humor), the followers dispersed, and the kingdom set free... but THEN what? Well, let's just say the newly crowned 👑 king is about to find out not only the power of words, but just what responsibilities come with a magically charge rule.

Okay, so you see how the story will snag you, but the characters will too! From Arek to Matt, Sionna to Rioan, Bethany to Lila, even Harlow, Meredith, and the princess that wasn't, they all leave their mark. Their personalities, the solidity of their bonds, and all the antics they get up to, will keep you coming back for more. Even the fluidity of their relationships is something to remark at because the openness with which various couplings are accepted without a second glance was heartwarming and definitely a message that can be taken out into the real world.

So come for the story, stay for the snark, and keep reading to see just how they find their way from athe expected HEA to THEIR HEA.

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About the author...

F.T. Lukens is the author of In Deeper Waters and five young adult novels published through Interlude Press. Their book The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths & Magic was a 2017 Cybils Award finalist in YA Speculative Fiction, the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Gold Winner for YA fiction, the Bisexual Book Award for Speculative Fiction, and on ALA’s 2019 Rainbow Book List. F.T. lives in North Carolina with their spouse, three kids, three dogs, and three cats. Visit them at FTLukens.com.

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Special thanks to Cassie at Simon & Schuster's Children's Publishing for the ARC/copy for review.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title is newly available, so snag your copy today!

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!