Like I said two weeks ago I have quite a few ARCs I’m excited about and that I want to promote a bit more doing Bookish Beginnings on Friday. Today I want to talk about So This Is Ever After by F.T. Lukens.

This meme was created by Rose City Reader. The idea is to post the first sentence or so of the book you’re currently reading. After that you talk about your initial thoughts about the sentence, book or anything to do with that.

Carry On meets Arthurian legend in this funny, subversive young adult fantasy about what happens after the chosen one wins the kingdom and has to get married to keep it…and to stay alive.

Arek hadn’t thought much about what would happen after he completed the prophecy that said he was destined to save the Kingdom of Ere from its evil ruler. So now that he’s finally managed to (somewhat clumsily) behead the evil king (turns out magical swords yanked from bogs don’t come pre-sharpened), he and his rag-tag group of quest companions are at a bit of a loss for what to do next.

As a temporary safeguard, Arek’s best friend and mage, Matt, convinces him to assume the throne until the true heir can be rescued from her tower. Except that she’s dead. Now Arek is stuck as king, a role that comes with a magical catch: choose a spouse by your eighteenth birthday, or wither away into nothing.

With his eighteenth birthday only three months away, and only Matt in on the secret, Arek embarks on a desperate bid to find a spouse to save his life—starting with his quest companions. But his attempts at wooing his friends go painfully and hilariously wrong…until he discovers that love might have been in front of him all along.

“I’d been envisioning what it would be like to behead the Vile One since the old wizard had shown up at my door the day after I turned seventeen and told me my destiny – that I would be the person who ended the dark shadow of evil that ruled our realm. Well, okay, bit that specific second because who believes a drunken stranger with a crooked hate carrying around a humming staff? No one. That’s who. At least, you shouldn’t. That’s unsafe.”

So as I’m typing this I’ve actually started buddy reading So This Is Ever After with Isabelle. I’m about 30% in and I have to say the sarcasm this book starts with continues in this story. To be honest I’m not quite sure exactly where it’s going, but it’s a lot of fun. I do have a feeling I know who our main character ends up with, but no clue how they get there. I also have a feeling this humor is going to continue throughout the book and I’m so glad about that.

So This Is Ever After releases on March 29th, so expect our buddy review around then. So is this book on your radar? Have you read In Deeper Waters by this author? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.