57 pages • 1 hour read
Stephanie GarberA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Background
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Tools
Explore the different types of manipulation present in The Ballad of Never After. Choose one and discuss the function of this form of manipulation in the novel in terms of narrative and character development.
In Chapter 31, Jacks says that Petra got the ending she deserved as a villain. How does the novel represent villains? Does Petra compare with the novel’s representation of villains? Support your answer with evidence from the text.
In Chapter 43, Evangeline is upset by the idea that reversing time will make her forget Jacks. Using Evangeline’s thoughts in this scene, examine the novel’s explorations of reality and memory. What makes something real in the novel, and how do memories and outlook establish reality in this example of the fantasy genre?
Much of the plot and conflict of The Ballad of Never After relies on miscommunications and assumptions. Choose three instances in which one of the characters miscommunicates or assumes, and analyze how these moments drive Garber’s development of story tension, conflict, and plotting in the novel.
Garber often has Evangeline question herself and talk herself out of what she knows. Based on how the story plays out with Evangeline as the protagonist, explore the notion of perspective in the novel and discuss the ways in which the story depends on the perspective of the protagonist.
Throughout the novel, Evangeline forgives or thinks the best of people, even when they directly or indirectly harm her. How do Evangeline’s character traits relate to the novel’s theme of Manipulation?
In Chapter 19, Evangeline defines love as a battle that one must keep fighting. Choosing the romantic arc of one character, discuss how Garber uses this analogy of love as a battle throughout The Ballad of Never After.
Why do the four stones required to open the Valory Arch stand for mirth, youth, luck, and truth? What does each of these things offer toward unlocking ancient magic and secrets, and what do the four stones represent? Support your answer with evidence from the text.
Compare and contrast LaLa’s and Jacks’s Fate origin stories. How are they similar and different? How does Garber present their separate character arcs alongside their similar origin stories?
What do the secondary characters of Luc, Marisol, and Tiberius offer to The Ballad of Never After? Given their small roles in the story, why does Garber choose to include them?
By Stephanie Garber