Never Ever After - bookrastinating.com

English language

Published Sept. 23, 2025 by Little, Brown Books.

ISBN:: 978-0-316-57620-8

Not all fairy tales end happily ever after in this Cinderella-inspired fantasy by the bestselling author of Daughter of the Moon Goddess—for fans of Renée Ahdieh, Tahereh Mafi, and Stephanie Garber.

Life in the Iron Mountains is harsh and unforgiving. After the death of her beloved uncle, Yining has survived by becoming a skilled thief and an even better liar. When she acquires an enchanted ring that holds the key to a brighter future, it is stolen by her step-aunt, and Yining must venture into the imperial heart of the kingdom to seize it back.

Amid the grandeur of the palace, Yining catches the eye of the ruthless and ambitious prince, who tempts her with a world she’s never imagined. But nothing is as it seems, for she’s soon trapped in a tangle of power, treachery, and greed—her only ally the cunning advisor from a rival court who …

Not all fairy tales end happily ever after in this Cinderella-inspired fantasy by the bestselling author of Daughter of the Moon Goddess—for fans of Renée Ahdieh, Tahereh Mafi, and Stephanie Garber.

Life in the Iron Mountains is harsh and unforgiving. After the death of her beloved uncle, Yining has survived by becoming a skilled thief and an even better liar. When she acquires an enchanted ring that holds the key to a brighter future, it is stolen by her step-aunt, and Yining must venture into the imperial heart of the kingdom to seize it back.

Amid the grandeur of the palace, Yining catches the eye of the ruthless and ambitious prince, who tempts her with a world she’s never imagined. But nothing is as it seems, for she’s soon trapped in a tangle of power, treachery, and greed—her only ally the cunning advisor from a rival court who keeps dangerous secrets of his own. To break free, she must unravel the mystery of her past and fight for a future that both frightens and calls to her.

This sweeping fantasy romance inspired by Cinderella and a Chinese fairy tale is the first in a breathtaking new series by the acclaimed author of Daughter of the Moon Goddess.

2 editions

Soh Kam Yung reviewed Never Ever After by Sue Lynn Tan (Never Ever After, #1)

A mix of Cinderella, a cruel prince and a voyage of discovery.

3 stars

A story that features some elements of the Cinderella fairy tale, mixed in a tale full of political intrigue. It starts with Yining, a thief and pickpocket that is barely surviving and living with her (evil) stepmother. She then discovers, and loses, a magical ring that hints at her actual background. Regaining that ring would involve her in political intrigue between the Iron Mountains and another kingdom that is nominally in league with the kingdom.

Her first real test would be winning the right to go on a quest to recover the royal daughter of another kingdom from a witch. But that would be the start of her voyage to discover who she really is, and where her loyalties (and her heart) should lie: with a cruel prince with an unexpected relation to her in the past, or with a devious aid to a rival kingdom whose motives may …

A story that features some elements of the Cinderella fairy tale, mixed in a tale full of political intrigue. It starts with Yining, a thief and pickpocket that is barely surviving and living with her (evil) stepmother. She then discovers, and loses, a magical ring that hints at her actual background. Regaining that ring would involve her in political intrigue between the Iron Mountains and another kingdom that is nominally in league with the kingdom.

Her first real test would be winning the right to go on a quest to recover the royal daughter of another kingdom from a witch. But that would be the start of her voyage to discover who she really is, and where her loyalties (and her heart) should lie: with a cruel prince with an unexpected relation to her in the past, or with a devious aid to a rival kingdom whose motives may be hidden from her, or perhaps with the kingdom from which she originally came from.

The story starts off with Yining being a victim of circumstances, and it is only in the later half of the story when her origins are revealed to her does she being to assert herself. But it would be one act at the end that would define what she is and what she intends to do with the knowledge she has gained.

This is the first part of a duology, so it remains to be seen what she will do to head off the danger that threatens not only her kingdom, but other kingdoms too.