The Thirteenth Fairy (The Chronicles of Never After #1)
Published December 1st 2020 by Roaring Brook Press, Hardcover 336 pages
Nothing ever happens in Filomena Jefferson-Cho's sleepy little suburban town of North Pasadena. The sun shines every day, the grass is always a perfect green, and while her progressive school swears there's no such thing as bullying, she still feels bummed out. But one day, when Filomena is walking home on her own, something strange happens.
Filomena is being followed by Jack Stalker, one of the heroes in the Thirteenth Fairy, a series of books she loves about a brave girl and her ragtag group of friends who save their world from an evil enchantress. She must be dreaming, or still reading a book. But Jack is insistent--he's real, the stories are real, and Filomena must come with him at once!
Soon, Filomena is thrust into the world of evil fairies and beautiful princesses, sorcerers and slayers, where an evil queen drives her ruthless armies to destroy what is left of the Fairy tribes. To save herself and the kingdom of Westphalia, Filomena must find the truth behind the fairytales and set the world back to rights before the cycle of sleep and destruction begins once more.
User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
I spent a week reading all of the Goodreads Choice Awards finalists in the Middle Grade category, complete with my entire thoughts on each book, and which books I think should have won and in what order. You can check out my vlog here: https://youtu.be/d7or1qfinfo
Rating: really liked it
Imagine being 12 years old and rushing to the bookstore on release day to FINALLY get the final book in your favorite series only to find out the book mysteriously wasn’t published. And on your way home, you’re almost killed by one of the creatures from that same series.
Oh that’s just the life of Filomena in
Never After by Melissa De La Cruz.
This is such an incredible story. You have the examination of middle school life where Filomena is bullied for her multi ethnic background coupled with being an adoptee. This is contrasted with the magical world of Westphalia where Filomena is the strong and independent heroine who bands together with her beloved characters and friends to save the day
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.
Rating: really liked it
The first clue that Filomena Jefferson-Cho finds that something is wrong is when the thirteenth book in her favorite series fails to arrive at the bookstore as promised. She is disappointed, to say the least. But when characters from the series start following her, she is downright scared. Does Filomena hold the key to finishing the thirteenth book and saving the kingdom of Never After?
My overall feelings are that this is a fun, light read for younger middle-grade readers who are into fantasy or fairy tales.
I think for the length of this book, I would have liked to see more elaborate world-building and more depth to the main characters. There was a lot of going back-and-forth between worlds and excessive, silly drama in Filomena's "real world" that felt like filler and did not add enough to the story. Never After could have been fleshed out a lot more and the main characters were pretty superficial.
What I loved the most was the wit and humor. For example, the popular kids at Filomena's school weren't just bullies. They were the Fettucini Alfredos -- the kids rich enough to order lunch daily from the fancy, Italian restaurant across the street. She later refers to them as the Linguini Losers, the Petulant Pasta Posse, the Rotten Rigatonis, and a variety of other pasta-related epithets.
I think younger readers will find this book really fun!
Rating: really liked it
I listened to an audiobook and seem to think it would have been better in print. The narrator did a fine job of projecting the different characters, but somehow I felt that something was missing to get the flavor of the story.
The plot isn't complicated and what made the story interesting is the re-imagined fairytales that are woven into the Never After narrative. Tales like Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Jack and Jill, and Aladdin are cleverly spun and blended into an entertaining tale of a missing princess, and the heroic efforts of a mixed group of fairytale heroes to save the land of Never After.
I read the novel from a middle grade perspective and found it to be very entertaining. It is simplistically written and with just enough suspense, adventure and humor for the middle grade reader. Five stars.
Rating: really liked it
This felt so rushed to me. The plot moved so fast that I didn't have time to connect with any of the characters and the plot lacked any real development. My best description of this is if someone who is bad at storytelling is summarizing this book for you and they forgot a lot of details that help the story make sense. You get the gist of the story but you lack the essence or any connection with it. Also even though it was a fantasy some aspects of this was beyond unbelievable especially involving her parents at the end. Pass.
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
The plot is cute, but I hated the writing style. The rhymes were bad and the narration, written in the present tense, was cumbersome. It completely pulled me out of the story every time the author switched from large chunks of dialogue, written in the past tense, to narration, written in the present. I was also annoyed that the author kept calling the interwoven flashbacks “prologue” even though they were in the middle of the story.
Rating: really liked it
This thoroughly enjoyable middle grade novel from Melissa De La Cruz is the great start to a new series (I hope!)
Filomena Jefferson-Cho is a HUGE fan of the Never After book series and so she's thrilled that it's finally release day for the 13th and final installment. However, when she gets to the bookstore she, and all the other fans, is crushed to discover that the author of her favorite series actually died years ago and the publisher has been publishing the books posthumously, hoping to find the 13th one before the publishing date arrived. On her way home from the bookstore she is followed by none other than Jack the Giant Stalker, the dashing hero from the Never After series.
Filomena is thrust into a world of fairy tales, ogres, fairies, and magic. Can she find out what happened to the author and how the story ends?
Filomena is a strong female protagonist (which I love!), while still being vulnerable and insecure, like every middle school girl. She makes mistakes and tries to learn from them. She finds strength she didn't know she had. She has a functional family and a good relationship with her parents (rare in a lot of middle grade novels). This book has it all - adventure, suspense, friendship, danger, fairy tales, magic, and fun. I highly recommend it!
Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss.com in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Rating: really liked it
I thought this was an enjoyable middle grade story. I loved the way the fairy tales were twisted into something almost new but with familiar faces. I can’t wait to see where else the author takes this universe she has created. Filomena Jefferson-Cho is an average 12 year old girl with over protective parents and quite the imagination. She is excited at the start of this book to finally get to read the 13th and final book to her favorite series, Never After. When she gets there she is disappointed to learn that it may never be published as the estate of the author could not find book thirteen so it may not even exist. On her way home some strange things happen and before she knows it what she thought about reality and fiction will take quite the battering. What could be better than reading the next book in your favorite series? Entering that world and staring in it yourself. She meets familiar characters who need her help to stop Olga and ogres from taking over all of Never After.
Rating: really liked it
I’ve always been a huge fan of fairy tales my whole life, so this book was right up my alley. It was a super fun and fast read that I couldn’t put down. I absolutely loved the plot, the characters, and I can’t wait for book 2!
Rating: really liked it
What an adventure! Filomena is a reader. She’s eagerly anticipating the last book of a fantasy series that she has read so many times, she cannot count. On the day the last book is scheduled to be released, her parents allow her to travel to the bookstore after school to get her copy. But when she arrives, she learns the book wasn’t released and no one even knows where the author is! While she’s reeling from this news, she notices someone following her around. And when she learns that her stalker is THE Jack Stalker from the favorite book series, she realizes life will never be the same. He desperately urges her to come with him to save his kingdom. Suddenly she’s coming face-to-face with various characters, both good and evil, and realizing her role in saving the world. Wow, does this book pack a lot into a very small space. It’s the first in the series and I’ll definitely be reading book #2 when it’s released!
For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!
Rating: really liked it
This book is a great start to a new middle-grade series that i hope will continue with all new adventures and fairy tale friends.
Filomena Jefferson is obsessed with the Never After book series that races tot he bookstore in hopes of getting the thirteenth and final book of the series only to discover the author has been dead and her estate has been publishing the books. The author's estate cannot locate the thirteenth boo, therefore is won't ever be published. After hearing this devastating news, Filomena slogs back home only to be followed by someone resembling the hero in her books and soon after finds herself in the world of Never After for real!
This was the cutest, funniest, more imaginative middle-grade book I've read in a very long time. Filomena is a fierce protagonist whose obvious flaws almost drag her down. But she picks herself up when she realizes the fate of Never After rests on her shoulders. She's a character that young girls and boys can cheer for.
For all these reasons, NEVER AFTER is a five-star read for me. I am excited to see whats happens if the series continues.
Rating: really liked it
Really quite brilliant! I picked this up from my library's audible line up and listened to it in a day because it was just so entertaining. Funny and exciting and all the fairy tale and story book characters reimagined kept me grinning all the way through. A fast paced, page-turning (or compulsive listening) wonder.
Rating: really liked it
I wasn't particularly crazy about the narration. I think it could have used some editing. The story was interesting and would be especially enjoyable for kids who like retold fairy tales. I was a little disappointed in the ending - not because I think it's leading up to a sequel, but because it seemed contrived and a little anticlimactic.
Rating: really liked it
I loved this book!!! It was witty, exciting, and everything a middle-grade book should be!
First, I wanted to make sure I pointed out how funny this book was! I think that's what initially caught my attention from page one. The author uses jokes that can be appealing to both adults and children and make the book enjoyable for all. There were multiple times were I laughed out loud so now I'm going to have to read more de la Cruz books to experience her humor once more.
Also, the voice of Filomena, the main character, is strong and unique. She has already experienced some hardship in her life (a lot of bullying), but she carries herself so well. She's kind, thoughtful, a bit adventurous, and ever curious. I'm eager to learn more about her in the coming books in the series.
As I briefly mentioned above, this book covers the topic of bullying a little bit. It doesn't focus on it too much, but it's a large enough theme to help those who may have previously or may currently be struggling with this issue. The bullies in this book are dealt with in a humorous and justified way, but I suspect this topic will return in later books.
We get to meet so many fun and interesting characters in this book as we follow Filomena on her journey to discover the world of Never After. By the end, we have a whole posse of friends that I can't wait to go on more adventures with. They all add something different to the group, be it humor, strength, knowledge, fashion (I'm looking right at you Gretel), etc.
For so many reasons, only a few of which are mentioned above, this book is a 5/5 for me. It was a great beginning to a new series and I can't wait to get more of it!! I'm officially a STAN of Melissa de la Cruz.
Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.Blog | Instagram | Twitter
Rating: really liked it
Unfortunately this book just was not for me. It started out strong and I loved the premise, it’s basically my dream! It just was not fleshed out how I wanted it to be.
I liked the characters though they could have been stronger, and the overall idea of a lost princess, bad ogre queen, a young girl finding out her favorite series is a real life other world etc sounded like a lot of fun, but the exposition and story in general just was not there in my opinion. It wasn’t even that it was rushed, it was just missing a lot of the
middle, and sometimes that’s the most fun part! Hours of traveling pass by in a sentence, a fight scene over in a paragraph or two. So much happened in this book but what was happening was ALL that happened. There wasn’t much in between and that’s a real miss. I love middle grade, some of my absolute favorites are MG and I’ll probably never stop reading that genre, but there was just a lot missing in this for me and overall I was pretty disappointed.
Also, this was written in third person present and I realized that present tense is
really not for me. I got over it eventually but there for a while I was unintentionally translating to past tense as I read because it was such a struggle. Maybe if done well but I don’t think it was here.
