Everless by Sara Holland
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: January 2nd, 2018
Page Number: 362
My Rating: 4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
In the kingdom of Sempera, time is currency—extracted from blood, bound to iron, and consumed to add time to one’s own lifespan. The rich aristocracy, like the Gerlings, tax the poor to the hilt, extending their own lives by centuries.
No one resents the Gerlings more than Jules Ember. A decade ago, she and her father were servants at Everless, the Gerlings’ palatial estate, until a fateful accident forced them to flee in the dead of night. When Jules discovers that her father is dying, she knows that she must return to Everless to earn more time for him before she loses him forever.
But going back to Everless brings more danger—and temptation—than Jules could have ever imagined. Soon she’s caught in a tangle of violent secrets and finds her heart torn between two people she thought she’d never see again. Her decisions have the power to change her fate—and the fate of time itself.
This was not at all what I thought it would be. The plot sounded exciting, I mean blood into currency? Yeah that sounds super cool to me! But I was honestly surprised at how Holland executed it so well. I had heard many mixed reviews on this one and was a bit skeptical going in, but I ended up loving this one! (I read it all in one day…)
The twists are what made this book. I cannot stress this enough. If you are someone who loves to be surprised, this would be the one for you. So many unexpected things occurred, and it all seemed plausible, even for a fantasy novel. The twists weren’t ridiculous, but they played to the story very well. The characters are also not what they seem. There is lots of lies and betrayal as well as some misplaced hearts and newfound love. The political side of this was also pretty fascinating, and it addressed a lot of topics that could relate to our society (example: rich Vs. poor.) I also really enjoyed the ideas of family that were continuously brought up in this novel.
There were a couple things that I was a bit confused on, like the main character and her love interest didn’t seem to have a lot of build up? It just kind of happened out of no where and didn’t make a lot of sense to me. Also there is an ongoing story/fairytale alongside our actual story that eventually ties in at the end of the book, and I found that it could have been explained a little better.
Aside from these little issues, I really enjoyed this and will be reading the sequel in the near future! Have you read Everless? What did you think about it? Let me know in the comments! As always thank you and Happy Reading 🖤
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