This beautifully illustrated graphic novel set in Germany, after the end of the world as we know it. We follow the story of Vivi as she battles mental illness and dealing with her family’s demise. When Vivi is sent to the gate to work, she witnesses a terrible ordeal that has her reeling on what to do next. She decides to leave the city, and accidentally going along with Eva, who has a tough heart because of what she has had to do, they make their way to the city of Jena. Along the way they find themselves and the acceptance they need, not what they were looking for.

This graphic novel does cover some series issues such as suicide and mental illness, and it is addressed to containing those issues at the beginning of this book. The feel of this book is of someone who suffers from a mental illness which helps the reader understand their thinking. Though this book is not for me, I do think others can enjoy it if they like zombies, the end of the world, or dealing with mental illness. Graphic novels can be hard to contain all the information in them that a reader may be looking for, that is why I am not as impressed with the story of the book as I am the illustrations that are beautifully done. This book can be a story of acceptance and learning to find what makes you happy, even in a world that has been turned upside down.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley for my honest opinion.

Trapped between two safe zones in a post apocalyptic, zombie infested Germany, Eva and Vivi become unlikely allies in a journey to discover themselves.

First installments in series can be confusing. The question is: Will I read the next book?

Yes.

The illustrations are riveting, the characters intriguing, and the unanswered questions tantalizing.

Thank you NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ever After is such a heartwarming story about friendship and staying together no matter what when there's no one else around. Its an apocalyptic story about zombies, friendship and seeking happiness against the chaos the world has brought over in the vile creatures of zombies.

The illustrations and colour of the story throughout are absolutely beautiful and captivating. It made me unable to pick it down and instead feel like soaking in the graphic novel, of the illustrations and the story.

They fought hard against the zombies, run away for freedom and towards a better ever after. It also deals with grief, sadness and then of feeling hopeful that things may just work out for them at the end. A light at the end of the tunnel in a city of Jena where its better, sunnier and hopefully for a better future for both of them.

This was a nice, well-written and also well-drawn comic that made me read all other comics that I already ordered and owned. It has a nice and intriguing action, and a SUPER cool adventure. I loved this comic so much!

I thought the content of this story was interesting as you don't usually see apocalyptic/zombie stories told from the perspectives of young girls. But I thought the story was a bit confusing as I felt like I was missing something the entire story and the plot details weren't entirely understandable.
I thought the zombie parts were fun, and I liked the illustration style. The style was graphic at times but I didn't mind it. Also there were some bits of humor in the story between Livi and Eva that I enjoyed. But I didn't connect to either of the characters and didn't understand their, especially Eva's, motivations. Also the scenes revolving around the guy that showed up towards the end didn't make sense to me, and I kept feeling like I was missing things. I thought Livi imagining things was interesting but it also made it harder to decipher what was actually happening in the story. I think I would have enjoyed understanding more about the zombies, the city, and how it started it as it would have helped me understand the situation Livi and Eva were in.
Overall, this a good read if you like illustration more than interesting characters or a moving plot.

I must admit that I'm a bit confused after reading this.
I like that the graphic novel takes place in Germany, Weimar, a place full of history (good and bad). I have never read an post-apocalyptic story that takes place in Germany, so that was a nice change.
I liked the drawing style good enough, it didn't creep me out like others do.
But I always felt like I missed a point or two while reading this. I thought Vivi was someone with a special history, why else would she be in a hospital full of sick people who resembled the zombies good enough? But it never gets explained (or I completely missed it).
I liked that Eva was so head-strong, but it also took a toll on her, much like Vivi with her story about her sister. I like how open ended the graphic novel was, how the author took time to show that some infected aren't brainless monsters. I liked that part with the gardner a lot but it also made me feel uneasy. How Vivi completely ignored some signs was both brave and naive.
I'm not sure what to think about this story. It certainly give you something to think about but it doesn't present a full fleshed out answer to the questions it posed. With is great but unusual so my brain needs time to adjust.
But I would recommend it nevertheless.

I didn't expect so much but this graphic novel is absolutely gorgeous.
I just found out that it has an adaptation and I'm going to watch it because I need more.
All about Vivi and Eva its fantastic, they're super real, two lonely girls on their own vs. a lot of zombies.
Highly recommended.

Ever After follows Vivi, a girl struggling with grief and trauma, and Eva, a worker attempting to keep the zombies out of their city, escape their city on a self-driving train. When the train breaks down, Vivi and Eva must try and survive a war-torn countryside filled with zombies. They must decide to ban together or go their separate ways.

I, unfortunately, was not the biggest fan of this graphic novel. I immensely enjoyed the illustration style and colours. I also greatly enjoyed the character development that Vivi went through.

However, I found the story line hard to follow. I did not really find there was much of a plot or conclusion to the story. I liked that there was not much background story given as to what happened but I wish there was more consistency surrounding the zombies and how one turns into a zombie. It seemed some zombies were half human and others were full zombie while some were part plant. It confused me a little. I believe that it may partly be from the translation which is disappointing.

Every After by Olivia Vieweg tells the story of Vivi and Eva, two young women travelling through a zombie-infested, post apocalyptic world. Vivi has lost her sister and the grief is making her see things; Eva is not telling Vivia that she's part way through a transformation.

I liked the concept of this story, and thought it was a good idea for a graphic novel ... but I did find it hard to follow what was happening a lot of the time, and the pace was off. The soft colour of the book was nice, but I think it would have made more of an impact if there were stronger colours. I also found it a bit too long, and lacked some of the details that I would have like to make the story feel a little more rounded out.

Set in Germany after a zombie apocalypse, Ever After is a graphic novel about 2 girls who've survived. Survivors of the apocalypse live inside the fenced city and there are cargo trains that carry goods between the fenced cities. Vivi first meets Eva while working on a crew repairing the fence around the city. Later, they both happen to stow away on the same cargo train that breaks down between cities. The girls are left to fend for themselves and try to make their way to the city.

This novel was originally published in German and the English translation is being published in 2020.
The story itself was interesting, particularly if you like apocalypse stories. I liked that the central characters were female. Initially, we don't know much about either one but more of their backstory is revealed while they are on their journey. The colors in this graphic novel are more muted than in your typical graphic novel. It is always nice to see a female-driven story. The book may not be as fast paced as some zombie-aficionados would prefer, but I enjoyed it.

The art, the story... It just didn't click with me.
Viewing uses muted colors throughout, the style just didn't fit with the narrative. But maybe that's just me and my taste. The story itself had some ok-ish parts but there's a lot of unanswered questions and some story lines could have been explored more.

<I>Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this graphic novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</I>

<u>Ever After</u> was deliciously dark, gory and morbid - more so than one would expect from a middle grade novel. The art style and colours were absolutely gorgeous, the storyline was captivating (in a creepy dystopian kind of way), and you could feel your heartstrings being tugged at while you read. That being said, I had a hard time getting on board of the zombie train. Ghosts I love, zombies are enhhh. The zombies in this book were not revolutionary by any means, but if that's what you're into than you will likely fall in love with this.

I gave this graphic novel Ever After a three out of five stars. I really liked the art in this graphic novel and the story was really interesting.

This was interesting. This felt like a more artsy issue of The Walking Dead. It is very quiet and contemplative while still having some exciting plot points. The full page panels are gorgeous. They could stand alone as art prints on my wall. I do wish that the story was longer so that I could be more invested in the girls friendship. As it stands, I found both the main characters kind of irritating. I want to know more about how this world works. For a one off though, it was pretty decent.

I will admit I don’t read nearly enough graphic novels as I probably should. What drew me to this particular book was the cover and premise. I love a good zombie book. The illustrations in this book were beautiful and brought the story to life. I easily read all of it in one sitting. I’d recommend this book to anyone looking for a unique and thoughtful read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

Final Rating: 4 Stars

«Within my ears, there is a stream, no place for ghosts to stay. Within my eyes, the grass grows free, no place for ghosts to stay. I never sleep, I keep good watch, and keep the ghosts at bay.»
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Thank you NetGalley for the e-ARC! Expected publication: September 1st 2020
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Honest review:
Ever After is about a post-apocalyptic world with zombies where Vivi adventures into the wild by mistake with the company of Eva, a rebellius girl who is escaping something. I liked that the story was centered in the friendship between the two of them, and in Vivi's past, more than in the world-building. It made the read so much light and friendly, and it was amazing to see the world from the point of view of the survival and friendship. I mean, I liked very much that there weren't descriptions about what happened or meticolous details about it. Everything was built from the perspective of Vivi and Eva, and it was great because they have different ways to see the world. This last thing also helped the personal growth of Vivi, and I loved to see how she transformed from a scared person to a brave one, how she was able to overcome with her fears. Also, the script was awesome too, tho at the beginning, at the introduction of the story, was very VERY boring. Also, some details were innecesary in my opinion, like some characters that played small roles that later on the story are forgotten.
Now to the illustrations: I didn't like them. I loved the color palette but the illustrations were too childlike for me? I undestand it's Olivia's style, but I don't think it my type of style. Anyway, there were some pages that were BEAUTIFUL. I think it was worth reading the graphic novel for just those pages.
Anyway, if you like zombies and want a light read, this graphic novel is all you need!

The premise of this story was what prompted me to request the eARC of the graphic novel. The story is set in a world overrun by zombies. It follows the journey of Eva and Vivi as they try to navigate their way back to their safe zone, a barricaded city in Weimar, Germany. (How cool that the story takes place in Europe?!) Their journey forces them to rely on each other and face their own demons – guilt and grief. I had a hard time following the development of the story, and a lot of things were unexplained and confusing. Some people who were bitten by zombies became half-zombie, half-plant, and were fine (?). I don’t know. I had a hard time understanding this. But I must admit that the graphics were amazing – colorful, original, and simply beautiful. For librarian/teacher notes: this book includes images of self-harm, blood, and gore. It touches upon mental health and fear. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this eARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

EverAfter is a graphic novel where two young girls Vivi and Eva try to escape from the zombie apocalypse. Eva was part of the team in Weimar protecting people from zombies. Vivi was stressed because of her sister's death. The two girls meet in the train when trying to move to Jane. The train stops because of some issues, and they need to walk along to reach the city. The obstacles they face while moving is the story.

After a long, I have read a graphic novel. I was confused while reading and moved back to the pages to get clarity.

I was a bit confused even at the ending because Eva was trying to move to the city to get medicated to recover from her transformation but she can’t and she doesn't change into a full zombie in the climax like the man Vivi met in the journey half-man half-plant.

There were a lot of pictures and I enjoyed it. There should be more sentences to make understand the situations. Anyway, I enjoyed the story, and it took me an hour to read the story.

Review to come August 12th on blog, August 17th on goodreads.

I received this graphic novel from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

OK, honestly, not that big on reading zombie books at the moment given my mental health and oh yes the pandemic outside. But I couldn't resist this graphic novel. It just looked and sounded too good to pass and so I clicked on request.

I have to say that the book was quite confusing story-wise. I get the whole apocalypse, everyone is going to die, etc. etc. But we get thrown in what feels like the middle of the story. I had no clue why Vivi was locked up in that hospital and not allowed to go outside. What was up with that old man? Then she goes outside and meets new people and we even switch to another girl, named Eva. The girls, Vivi and Isabelle, have to go fix the barricade. From that point the story was still confusing, but at least we get zombies and I am always in for that. Some action. I do wonder why Eva let two newbies handle the barricade without making sure they were armed and prepared to fight. How stupid are you? I get that you don't want two newbies in your team, but they are your fucking responsibility. That poor Isabelle. :(
But then everything gets confusing again, and I just had no clue what I was reading. Did I miss something? Should I have read something before this one? I thought only American graphic novels liked to throw you in the deep end...
And the confusion just keeps on going throughout the story, at times I just had to go back because did I miss something? Is it like this in the original German GN? Or did things just get left out or mistranslated?

Also, I am sorry, but how did Vivi walk ALL THAT WAY on freaking flip-flops without ever having pain or discomfort? We do see later that parts of her feet were wounded, but nothing else. Believe me, I walked a lot on good sandals, specially made for walking, and my feet were BLOATED and red and hurt like heck after I walked a lot on them for a couple of days (like 5-7 hours a day). I just cannot see how someone can walk on flip-flops for days, even run on them. No. That is just like the lady from Jurassic Park running from the freaking T-rex on her heels. No. Just no.

I am also confused about the zombies? So some people become zombies? Others just become plant thingies? Or half-plants and still human?

We do learn something about the characters. Vivi lost everyone around her in a gruesome way and was found by that warden from the hospital (which finally explains why she is at the hospital), Emma is changing into something and the apocalypse happened on her birthday (wow, worst birthday ever?). I have to say I hated what she did there, the choice she made. No just no.

I did like how the mental health, depression, fear, anxiety, and also guilt was presented in this book.

I love that this one takes place in Germany. Bless. I have read so many zombie books and almost all took place either in the US or in the UK. I am happy to see another country for once.

There is enough zombie action that I really liked and that was well-done.

The art was also quite nicely done, it doesn't entirely fit with the apocalypse, but I did like the style. I love how soft it all is.

The ending... OK I guess. I just don't know what to say about it other than that it fits totally with the very confusing story we have had.

Not sure if I would recommend this one. :(

Stars: 1.5/5

I feel like the author/ illustrator attempted to "show not tell" but it just did not work out. The execution wasn't there and a lot of the time I had to go back to really understand what was happening in that part of the book.

I feel like a lot of images were missing which led me to feel like parts of the book were missing, as if I were opening up to random chronological pages and the story made no sense.

I would suggest perhaps more dialogue so the reader could understand the situation more. I really struggled to understand the characters and they were interesting characters! I tried to receive the message through that reader-writer connection through a story but I really couldn't and it disappointed me. Something is missing and it made the story confusing and unenjoyable.

The story is there, I got the overall gist, but the ending was confusing. Is it all in the psych patient's head? If so, it's a bit of a childish and cliche ending.

I just did not relate to this book at all. The art was ok but couldn't say it was anything special. Just not my cup of tea.