While I liked the art style and concept for this comic I didn’t feel like there was enough backstory. It took a while to figure out what was going on and I’m still a bit confused at the details. The ending with a little twist kept this from being a 2 start read. It was a fine graphic novel but it just needed a bit more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this eARC
Unfortunately I did not find this interesting at all. Not sure if it was the translation or the fact that it was a graphic novel so there was not time but I did not get a sense of who the characters were or that they were interesting.
The graphics were good though

Dystopian. Zombies. I was in at first but started reading and was completely lost. It starts out at an underground mental institution, no explanation, it doesn't get better. 2 girls leave one city to go to another, they run into zombies and some weird person with half a face, again, no explanation. Super weird, not for me.

Weeeeell. That was supremely confusing. I still have no idea what the heck that was, though it has pretty art. What we know is that there was a zombie apocalypse, and Vivi, our main character survived but also somehow ended up in a mental health clinic where the warden took a weirdly unhealthy interest in her. When the warden gets mad, she sends her off to the perimeter fence where things get really bad REALLY fast. Also zombies are part plants... for some reason. And Vivi may be schizophrenic? And also depressed. And suicidal. It's all just a jumbled mess, which might be partially because of the "lost in translation" element as this was I thin originally written in German.

Set in Germany after a zombie apocalypse (onset not specified), Vivi escapes a congregate living facility (I initially read it as a residential mental hospital/ward, but I'm not sure that was ever specified...) and winds up traveling by foot with Eva, who had worked at the facility Vivi was living at. There's not a lot of a concrete plot to this book. The two figures travel, sometimes talking, sometimes fighting/running from zombies. I absolutely did not like the surface level of the book.

However, the other story going on was done quite well. By the other story, I mean that this is a book that seems to be a bit of an allegory for mental health issues, namely depression, and ways in which people can help and harm efforts to adapt or recover.

I received this as an eARC to read for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for giving me access.

**This graphic novel does come with a graphic violence and attempted suicide warning**

With Ever After being originally written in German, I feel like some things were lost in translation. There were plot holes and some artwork felt like it was supposed to be in a different part of the story.

I was left confused and I am still unsure of the ending.

I loved the art and colors in this book, but sadly the story didnt work for me. The story felt very rushed, and none of the world building was explained. I didn't feel any connection to either of the main characters. There was also many plot holes that left me feeling very confused at the end. Theres a possibility these issues are due to this book being translated from german.

Ever After by Olivia Vieweg is a graphic novel that followers two travelers in a world of the undead. I don't read zombie stuff, but I was drawn to the art on the cover. I did enjoy the art style and look forward to more by them. However, seeing as I am not a fan of zombie the story was good. It was a fast read and did enjoy the relationship between, Vivi and Eva, and how things unfold and play out. Overall, I wasn't blown away from the book but there were things I did enjoy. So if you like zombies, female relationships, and one of a kind art styles; then you may enjoy this book.

Personally, I think this story was rushed and underdeveloped but I understand its appeal. Whilst it transformed itself beautifully through the artwork, I did not think the story had a strong flow at all. I did not gel with any of the characters due to a lack of backstory, nor did I understand the society due to the lack of world-building. The zombie invasion and gore was a welcome bonus, but I feel like this should have been more developed and maybe in multiple volumes so ensure the story is told thoroughly.

I can't seem to escape zombies in media lately - and for some reason I'm fine with that! Ever After is a really interesting zombie graphic novel! The cartoonish and very cute art style makes the typical tropes of zombies cute and charming. The themes of loss and friendship are really interesting and unique to this graphic novel! I loved this iteration and feel this would be appropriate for younger readers!

A comic experience that combines eye-catching images, an intriguing story, and elements of supernatural suspense. Sure to grab young adult readers.

teen graphic novel (post-zombie apocalypse, brief touches on suicide/mental health & grief)
A fast-paced, satisfying read with a fresh take on all the zombie stuff. There's not really any romance between the girls, but Vivi seems to keep relationships with the ghosts, at least inside her head, and the ending is left up to interpretation.

This graphic novel describes the zombie apocalypse pretty well. It is graphic in nature and it can be a little obtuse. I enjoyed it, but the ending was real meh and the drawing style was not for me. Also, I can’t get over the unrealistic survivability of the main character. I know in the movies we are used to a group of people and having people kill the zombies to survive. I understand the author is trying to show us something different, but the contrast was just unbelievable literally at times. You have everyone turning into zombies, but yet you aren’t willing to fight to survive? I just don’t see a character being like that and being able to survive, not for long any way. Anyway, if you want to see a graphic zombie apocalypse with an interesting twist, I’d say give it a shot.

A graphic novel that touches on mental health, friendship and zombies? I was definitely intrigued. Plus, Ever After by Olivia Vieweg has beautiful illustrations.

I will say, I feel like I was thrown into the middle of this story without much backstory. Vivi is in a mental hospital when we first meet her and there is a zombie apocalypse occurring. Vivi is sent to help at the city’s barricade – the haphazard fence that keeps the town of Weimar, Germany safe from the undead beyond their borders.

However, things go wrong and the undead attempt to cross the barricade and Vivi is saved by Eva’s quick thinking. Eva is hurt by one of the zombies but does not turn and In the middle of the night, she plans to leave the city and head to the next town over, which has figured out how to heal people who have been hurt from the undead. Vivi breaks out of the hospital and joins her on her adventure through the countryside.

I have to say, I wasn’t expecting this graphic novel to be so, well, graphic. The artistry is beautiful, but scenes with the zombies are incredibly gruesome. And some are just outright macabre.

I also didn’t find myself connecting to either Vivi or Eva. As much as I wanted to at least feel sympathetic for Vivi, I just couldn’t connect to either of them. I wonder if, because this was originally published in German, if there was something lost in the translation.

I did like the way this graphic novel touches on themes of dealing with loss and friendship and protecting your family.

3.5 out of 5 stars. Originally I did not know this was a zombie graphic novel. I enjoyed the surprise when I started reading it and due prefer to go into graphic novels knowing as little as possible because they're so short and fast to read. I think the one thing that threw this graphic novel off for me was the drawing style paired with the story. The story is so dark and gruesome and the drawing style is more on the cute side. Some things I did enjoy was the pacing of this novel; usually graphic novels for me tend to feel very rushed, this one did not! I felt like we truly went on an adventure with these characters. The second thing I really enjoyed was the main characters Eva and Vivi. Their relationship evolves throughout the novel and it was very well developed. All in all I did enjoy my time reading this, more towards the end when things were being resolved. I do think some people would love this novel!

I had trouble understanding the context of what was happening. It was also really difficult to understand what the characters were imagining or what was actually happening. Some of it might be because of translation issues. In a positive note, the artwork was really beautiful.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early e-arc!

This was a lot creepier/gorier than I was expecting, and I'm not sure I liked that aspect. I also felt like there were parts of this book that didn't make sense, or things that could've been explained better. We never learn what happened to bring about the apocalypse or how the zombies came to be, we vaguely learn that there are other cities who can cure people who've been infected by the zombies, and we barely learn about the main character's back stories.

I did like the ambiguous ending though, and how the story wrapped up. But overall, I felt like there were a lot of aspects of this story that could've been fleshed out more.

A little hard to read I think due to translation issues. The artwork is beautiful but the story is somewhat lacking.

Though visually stunning, this post-apocalyptic world contained little depth, with further development of the story left to be desired. Well written prose, but would have been better if more plot line was present.

I want to thank the publisher and author for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"I believe Earth's a wise old woman . . .
. . . A landlord, in fact.
And humans didn't pay their rent for too long. What's going on now . . .
. . . is an eviction."

This was a little different from what I expected, a little darker. Life as we know it has changed and it leaves no one untouched. Even the survivors are scarred; mentally, emotionally, and physically. Vivi and Eva are our two MCs and their journey is rocky from the start; it is an apocalypse after all.
The story felt a little disjointed at times and there were parts I wish the author explored a little more. What was up with the strawberries or food in general? Was there some sort of mutation or drug in them? How come the transformation affected the "farmer" and Eva differently?

From my understanding, the story wasn't necessarily about the actual apocalypse and more about guilt, growth, and the human condition. I was originally drawn to the cover art. I wish the illustrations inside were a little more polished like the cover. But, overall, I ended up liking the story. It just wasn't quite what I had originally expected.

(All quotes are subject to change with the finished copy.)