Everless
Author: Sara Holland
Published by: Orchard Books
Pages 361
Format Hardback
My Rating ★★★★
Published by: Orchard Books
Pages 361
Format Hardback
My Rating ★★★★
Blood is money.
Time is power.
Desire is treachery.
Time is a prison.
She is the key.
Welcome to Everless…
In the land of Sempera, the rich control everything – even time. Ever since the age of alchemy and sorcery, hours, days and years have been extracted from blood and bound to iron coins. The rich live for centuries, the poor bleed themselves dry.
Jules and her father are behind on their rent and low on hours. To stop him from draining himself to clear their debts, Jules takes a job at Everless, the grand estate of the cruel Gerling family.
There, Jules encounters danger and temptation in the guise of the Gerling heir, Roan, who is soon to be married. But the web of secrets at Everless stretches beyond her desire, and the truths she must uncover will change her life forever…and possibly the future of time itself.
Time is power.
Desire is treachery.
Time is a prison.
She is the key.
Welcome to Everless…
In the land of Sempera, the rich control everything – even time. Ever since the age of alchemy and sorcery, hours, days and years have been extracted from blood and bound to iron coins. The rich live for centuries, the poor bleed themselves dry.
Jules and her father are behind on their rent and low on hours. To stop him from draining himself to clear their debts, Jules takes a job at Everless, the grand estate of the cruel Gerling family.
There, Jules encounters danger and temptation in the guise of the Gerling heir, Roan, who is soon to be married. But the web of secrets at Everless stretches beyond her desire, and the truths she must uncover will change her life forever…and possibly the future of time itself.
My thoughts:
After hearing so many positive things about Everless, I picked up a copy of the book and went in with high hopes. Right from the start I absolutely loved the premise of these characters living in a world where time is bound to blood, and people exchange blood and time currency to live. The whole story of Everless just felt really original and unique throughout, and after just a few chapters I soon found myself totally hooked.
The main character Jules is very interesting and pretty badass in how she stands up to her enemies, which was one of the best qualities about her. She is continually brave and selfless in every stage of the plot, despite facing her own hardships, losses and fears at almost every turn. Her strength of character and unwavering courage reminded me very much of other strong female leads, such a Katniss Everdeen and Beatrice Prior.
My very favourite thing about the book, however, has to be the incredibly detailed and complex fantasy world Sara Holland has created to be the perfect setting for this adventure-filled story. The world building in this story is absolutely phenomenal and so absorbing for readers.
I loved her writing style and the way the plot unfolds like a mystery fiction, containing elements of science-fiction, thriller, action, romance and adventure. It sometimes feels like so many authors who write in this genre can be tempted to push the romance too much and detract from the central storyline, but here it was subtle, believable and sophisticated, adding to the various experiences Jules goes through in order to uncover the truth about her past.
There are so many twists and turns, and I really don’t want to spoil anything for those who haven’t yet read Everless, so I’ll avoid giving away important details for now. However, I think I can comment that there is one very big twist revealed towards the end of the book, which I actually didn’t see coming in this case. Eventually knowing the truth that is revealed at last, the resolution came together really nicely, and I felt that Holland did a great job in tying up all the loose ends and allowing the book to be successful as a stand alone story, as well as leaving room for a sequel to possibly emerge in future. Needless to say, I’m hoping for a second book because this was such an engaging, fun read!
Overall reaction:
After hearing so many positive things about Everless, I picked up a copy of the book and went in with high hopes. Right from the start I absolutely loved the premise of these characters living in a world where time is bound to blood, and people exchange blood and time currency to live. The whole story of Everless just felt really original and unique throughout, and after just a few chapters I soon found myself totally hooked.
The main character Jules is very interesting and pretty badass in how she stands up to her enemies, which was one of the best qualities about her. She is continually brave and selfless in every stage of the plot, despite facing her own hardships, losses and fears at almost every turn. Her strength of character and unwavering courage reminded me very much of other strong female leads, such a Katniss Everdeen and Beatrice Prior.
My very favourite thing about the book, however, has to be the incredibly detailed and complex fantasy world Sara Holland has created to be the perfect setting for this adventure-filled story. The world building in this story is absolutely phenomenal and so absorbing for readers.
I loved her writing style and the way the plot unfolds like a mystery fiction, containing elements of science-fiction, thriller, action, romance and adventure. It sometimes feels like so many authors who write in this genre can be tempted to push the romance too much and detract from the central storyline, but here it was subtle, believable and sophisticated, adding to the various experiences Jules goes through in order to uncover the truth about her past.
There are so many twists and turns, and I really don’t want to spoil anything for those who haven’t yet read Everless, so I’ll avoid giving away important details for now. However, I think I can comment that there is one very big twist revealed towards the end of the book, which I actually didn’t see coming in this case. Eventually knowing the truth that is revealed at last, the resolution came together really nicely, and I felt that Holland did a great job in tying up all the loose ends and allowing the book to be successful as a stand alone story, as well as leaving room for a sequel to possibly emerge in future. Needless to say, I’m hoping for a second book because this was such an engaging, fun read!
Overall reaction:
