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Book Review – After Forever (Ever Trilogy 2) by Jasinda Wilder with Arc Giveaway

PrintDO NOT READ THIS REVIEW IF YOU HAVEN’T READ FOREVER & ALWAYS

After Forever: Book 2 in the Ever Trilogy by Jasinda Wilder. 200 pgs.
The first book is New Adult with sex, this one is more adult.
Does not stand alone. Not quite a cliffhanger but kind of.

“You promised, Ever. You promised me you’d never leave me. I know you didn’t want to, you didn’t mean to. But you still did, and I’m back to being numb and floating through life, through every day. Except now I don’t even have you, have your letters to keep me tied to the earth.”

This is going to be the hardest book review ever. After Forever by Jasinda Wilder begins right where Forever and Always left us hanging. Tragedy has struck our poor Caden once again. He is so lost and alone. He has nobody at all.

Jasinda’s writing was absolutely incredible. I applaud her courage for writing a book that will no doubt upset many readers. I was upset, angry, sad, broken, and praying it wouldn’t happen…yet I understood why it might. My emotions were all over the place.

The thing was…I couldn’t put it down. I almost pulled an all nighter. I was glued to the pages and have never been so tempted to jump ahead and see what happens. This is not an easy book. It leaves you with such conflicted emotions, and if it weren’t for a little sneak preview of book 3, I’m not sure I’d have liked it as much as I did.

Liked….hmmmm…did I like it? Well, I liked that I couldn’t put it down. That I needed to read it. I loved how engrossed I was. Did I like where the story went? No. Do I understand it? Yes, kind of.

It’s Jasinda’s writing that makes this book so phenomenal. The prose is poetry.  The confusion, heartbreaking loneliness, hopelessness, and guilt are written so powerfully that you can’t help but be moved by it all.

“I felt Ever slipping away. I found myself less and less able to keep up the one-sided chatter that Eden seemed to produce so effortlessly. Maybe it was I who was slipping away. I was retreating, I knew, back into the numb place I’d lived after Mom died, and even more so after Dad had. I was there again, and it was the only way I’d survive. I couldn’t bear to miss Ever. It was too deep a cut through my heart. Talking to her made me miss her. She was there, breathing, heart beating, but she wasn’t there. She wasn’t listening. I wasn’t sure if I believed she heard me or not.
I was slipping away.”

Cade has lost everyone. He even lost his art. He had absolutely nobody. No friends, not a soul to help him after the accident. He couldn’t walk, drive, cook and could barely make it to the bathroom. Ever’s sister Eden was a gifted cellist, and her cello and her sister where the only two constants in her life. Eden was alone too. So you can’t help but be relieved when Eden (who I did not like during the first book) shows up to help Cade.

As a reader, you know Cade needs help. Eden is there. But there is something between them…and at first it totally pissed me off.  This is Ever’s TWIN. Cade must be confused as hell, yet it makes a sick sort of sense that he feels something. But not so soon.

“My thoughts were raging out of control, haywire. I thought of Ever, missing her, hating missing her, hating feeling like she was slipping away from me. I hated being so dependent on Eden, hated that I had to see her every day and fight how much she reminded me of Ever and yet how clearly she was her own person, so distinct and so unique that I couldn’t deny having noticed it, having seen it every day for so many weeks.”

Cade and Eden visit Ever every single day. They never skip. They are forced together daily and have nobody else. They are both lost and alone and mourning.

“She’s gone! But she’s not dead, and I can’t mourn and can’t forget her and can’t move on. I can’t bury her, but I can’t have her! I can’t do anything! I’m coming apart”

Through alternating points of view, in this book we have Cade and Eden’s story spanning 18 months. I didn’t like Eden at all in the first book. In the second, I feel I understood her a lot more and could totally relate to being jealous of her sister. My sisters are both skinny and gorgeous. But there was something still holding me back from truly liking her.  I don’t think she even remotely wanted to do anything to hurt her sister, she absolutely loved her,  yet the way she coveted what her sister had played a part in this story, and I hold Eden 80-90% responsible for the outcome.

I was so torn reading this book. I didn’t want there to be any connection between these two. But poor Caden. He needed someone. There was nobody for him. He was so alone.  He was only with Ever 3 months before the accident. He is still a child and he has lost everyone he has ever loved, right in front of him. He needed the physical touch of someone who cared about him in any way he could get it.

Now what? Will Ever wake up? They don’t think so. What happens if she does? The guilt and horror of the way Eden and Cade cling to each other is palpable. But it was inevitable that when you spend day in and day out with someone in an emotional situation, that they would eventually veer off course.

Likes:

  • An all-consuming roller coaster of emotions.
  • The way Jasinda actually put me at war with myself.
  • The fierce need I had to peek ahead (I resisted).
  • The emotions leapt off the page.
  • Jasinda’s writing is brilliant.
  • That you never doubted Cade’s love, despite his actions.
  • That Jasinda made me care about what happens to a person I wasn’t really sure I liked or trusted.
  • The sneak peek for book 3

Dislikes:

  • The initial attraction was too soon.
  • I hated the way the story went but I absolutely loved the books.
  • Biggest dislike: Eden was a bit of a slut, there was never any talk of condoms (pet peeve).
  • Though Jasinda’s writing is pure poetry, sometimes it’s just a little too good for a first person story…these characters wouldn’t think such eloquent thoughts, (or use the word turgid) especially Cade.

Rating: 5 Stars 4 heat (sex, but guilty sex)

stars_5

Flame_FOUR copy

I know many of you are scared to read this series. I see why a bit. But I’m telling you, you need to experience the genius. You may not like the way the story goes, but you will still be glued to your kindle for the whole journey. Jasinda has assured me that the series DOES have an happy ending. At this point, I can’t imagine how in the hell she will do it.  After Forever doesn’t have a desperate cliffhanger like the Always and Forever does, but it does end unfinished. It appears the next book is more Eden’s book, and I absolutely LOVED the snippet!

I’m counting down till 2/14 for Saving Forever.

The Ever Series order (click covers to purchase in your country)


My 5 star review


Pre-order 2/14

Print

Purchase After Forever (Ever Trilogy 2) by Jasinda Wilder

Amazon | BN.com

 

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Comments

  6. Book one next on my TBR, cannot wait to see the lovely Ms. Wilder at Wicked Book Weekend!

    Reply

  16. I’m debating. I KNOW I’ll read it but I don’t know if I want to wait for book 3 and read them all together or not. .

    Reply

  18. Love, love Jasinda’s writing. I’m a little worried to read forever & always without having #2 & #3 ready and waiting. I keep staring at it on my Kindle, don’t know how long I can hold out. :/

    Reply

  20. Jasinda Wilder is one of my favorite writers. I’m adding this trilogy to my to-read list.

    Reply

  22. Saving Forever…cannot wait to see how it all turns out.
    Oh and thanks for the mention of the word turgid…I was skeptical about that one as well 😉 Still great reads though (books one and two)

    Thanks for the chance!

    Reply

  56. Love Jasinda’s books! I’m not very patient but I can wait until February for an ARC if I win. LOL.

    Reply

  82. I love her Falling Into You and Falling Into Us books. Can’t wait to read her next series! <3

    Reply

  94. I have to admit – I absolutely detested Eden and Cade (who I had adored) in this book. Their actions were morally abhorrent. Nevertheless, I still want to read the third, just because there’s going to be so much drama and fallout. My heart breaks for Ever. It’s a total soap opera. I also want to see if either can be redeemed. Anyway, thanks for the giveaway!

    Reply

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