Never After: The Thirteenth Fairy is a middle grade fantasy by Melissa de la Cruz.  This book was so much fun! I loved the characters, the world and the adventure that we get to go on. I am really hoping that this is the start of a fun filled middle grade series. (I think it will be a series, but I am not 100% sure.) Never After grabbed my attention right from the start with an adorable, lovable main character and a whimsical story and world. I was instantly transported alongside of Filomena. If you are a fan of middle grade fantasies, Never After is a book you will not want to miss. I think this is great for middle grade readers and older readers alike.

In Never After: The Thirteenth Fairy, we meet our main character Filomena. Filomena grew up in a small town and I took an immediate liking to her. She cracked me up right off the bat when she described the popular kids at her school as the fettuccini alfredo's, because they always order fancy pasta as take out food for lunch. I knew then and there that the writing style in this book was going to be something I enjoyed. And I was right. Melissa De La Cruz is such a versatile author. I love her middle grade series and young adult series, and I love how easily she is able to write engaging books in both age groups.

Filomena is such a relatable young lady to me. She starts out the book super excited because today is release day for the 13th (and last!) installment in her favorite series of all time- the Never After Book series. When she gets to the bookstore, she finds out that the book is not being publisher after all...because the author actually died years ago and her estate has not been able to find a completely 13th book. What a tragedy! On her way home things start to get even weirder for Filomena. She runs into someone who she thinks is a very believable cosplayer dressed up as the main character from the Never After series. But once she saves Jack from an Ogre attack she is whisked away to the magical land from her books, and the real adventure starts.

I loved every second of this story. If you are a fan of fairy tales, then this is a fantastic book for you to check out. I loved how we got to see some familiar tales and characters, but here they were a warped and twisted version because of everything happening in their land. And so Filomenia goes on her journey to save the kingdom of Westphalia from the evil enchantress! This book was a complete delight!