Never Ever After: Characters, tropes, trigger warnings & review
Never Ever After is a Cinderella-inspired fantasy romance with a strong, compassionate and cunning main character Yining.
It’s dark, it’s whimsical, it’s imaginative, it’s luscious.
Yes there is a love triangle, but the focus is more on the fantasy. If that sounds like something you might be interested in, I wrote a wee little blog post and book review covering Never Ever After characters, synopsis, book review, trigger warnings and other FAQs, which you can find below.
As always, happy reading friends!
Never Ever After synopsis.
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.
Get Never Ever After here.
Never Ever After characters.
Character art shared by author @suelynntan via Instagram. Artist: Colin Verdi
Main characters.
Never Ever After is told in first-person narrative from our female main character, Yining’s, point of view..
Yining.
Yining is the female main character. When we first meet her, she is surviving the best she can in the Iron Mountains with her heinous step aunt.
Prince Zixin.
Meet Prince Zixin, our first male main character and villainous prince. He’s described as powerful, domineering and merciless.
Jin.
A mysterious foe or ally? I’m not sure. He seems calculated, but he does lots of helpful things for Yining.
Supporting and minor characters.
Dian
Princess Chunlei
Lady Ruilin
Shan
Daiyu
Mengli
Lord Chao
General Xilu
Mistress Henglan
General Suilan
Anli
Chief Attendant Mai
Mina
Madam Lau
Cook Nian
Cook Feng
Lady Mingli
Lord Liuming
Songmin
Farmer Lan
Captain Gao
Captain Hong
Duke Yuan
Deng
Shiji
Mei
Lord Chen
Little Dragon
Review: Never Ever After by Sue Lynn Tan.
View my review and follow me on GoodReads here.
When Sue Lynn Tan said this was Ever After/Cinderella × The Cruel Prince, I was excited because Jude Duarte and Danielle de Barbarac are icons, obviously.
Danielle fights the system with intellect and compassion and Jude survives it by becoming more cunning and dangerous than the people who built it. Therefore, I really appreciated FMC Yining’s character which had Danielle’s sense of justice, Jude’s distrustfulness and resourcefulness, as well as ethics that Robin Hood would approve of.
A little snippet of Danielle from Ever After:
The opening chapters went straight for the jugular using elements of the Chinese fairytale of Ye Xian, reminding me that the OG fairytales are not cute bedtime stories (maybe mind your triggers). We kept throwing out Game of Thrones/ASOIAF references throughout the entirety of our buddy read, which felt very fitting. To say which references would be spoilery, but once you read this, come back to me and we can talk.
Tan builds a picturesque world of lush landscapes, mouthwatering food and couture-level costumes, that it’s easy to get enchanted and completely miss the wee little reminder that systemic inequality doesn’t get solved with a nice pair of shoes, even if a magical fairy god-fish gifts them to you. Also, princes are overrated. I wouldn’t trust them, no matter how lethal their cheekbones. Magical found families are cool though. Always down for them.
Now, about the so-called “love triangle.” Personally, I wouldn’t even call it that. It’s more of a who-do-I-trust triangle… with romantic intrigue. If that sounds confusing, yes, I was confused. Every time I picked a side, something happened to make me go, “Wait, nope.” Even now, after the ending, I’m still not sure of anything except that Tan is a masterful storyteller and theories are rife. Waiting for the next book will be semi-torture.
Finally, what I loved most was how cunning everyone was. The women were complex and unpredictable. The dudes were sketchy and entertainingly so. As Ivana says, there were zero “limp noodles”.
This was my first time reading Sue Lynn Tan and I’m thrilled to have discovered a new favourite fantasy author of 2025.
I was lucky enough to do an immersion read with both e-arc and audio, and I have to give a shout out to the narrator, Natalie Naudus whose expressive tonal range for different characters had me captivated.
If you like incisive fantasy worlds with political scheming, whimsy contrasted with dark undertones, and romance that doesn't overshadow the fantasy, this one should be right up your alley.
A big thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for the DRC and Hachette Audio for providing the ALC of Never Ever After via NetGalley.
View my review and follow me on GoodReads here. I chat about books a lot.
Never Ever After FAQs.
SPOILER ALERT:
⚠️ Some answers may spoil Never Ever After if you haven’t read it already. Proceed with caution. ⚠️
Here are the answers to all your common FAQs.
Is Never Ever After a series?
Yes Never Ever After is the first book in a fantasy romance duology.
What is Never Ever After spice level?
Spice level: 0
There is zero spice in Never Ever After, being a young adult book.
What are the tropes?
The tropes in Never Ever After are:
Love triangle
Political intrigue and scheming
Found family
Magical creatures
Cinderella reimagining
What are the content and trigger warnings?
Animal death
Animal cruelty and captivity
Violence
Murder
Death of parent
Classism
Confinement
Death
Emotional abuse
Toxic relationship/friendship
Injury details
Blood
Bullying
Sexism
Misogyny
Grief
Kidnapping
Fire/fire injury
What is the age rating for Never Ever After?
Never Ever After is classified as YA (young adult).
Enjoyed reading Never Ever After by Sue Lynn Tan? You may also enjoy reading:
The Floating World by Axie Oh
A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim
The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
Heir by Sabaa Tahir
