Alix Harrow is an auto-read author for me. Her books range from quick and fun to certified bangers — and y’all, The Everlasting (out in October) is a CERTIFIED BANGER. A wholly original and unputdownable sweeping, epic, magical story for the ages, this is my favorite book I’ve read so far this year and could easily maintain that #1 spot all the way through.

The Everlasting is about a historian named Owen living in a republic called Dominion, which justifies its present-day colonialism with its origin story of Una Everlasting, a brave and valiant knight who fought to unify the lands for her queen. One day, Owen finds the long-lost original manuscript of Una’s story delivered to his office without a return address. Little does he know that he’s about to find himself back in time, by her side, convincing her to play her part in the greatest legend ever told. Or is it?

I don’t even know where to start with this, friends. The first section (of five) destroyed me, and when I hit 40% I silently screamed and cursed my decision to read this so early (it’s out in October — thanks Tor and Netgalley!) that I had no one to live-text my reactions to. This was the first time in a long, long time that I found myself legitimately angry that I had to stop reading to go to sleep; I wanted to inhale it but also savor every word. THE WAY THIS WOMAN USES WORDS, WHEW!!!

An epic love story, a delicious villain, time travel executed perfectly, I could go on and on. Plus, she has so much to say about what it means to be free, what it means to love someone, what it means to make choices, and the never-ending cycle of colonial propaganda and radicalization. Who writes the legendarium and why? How do stories become myths? It’s timeless and so incredibly timely.

If you don’t all preorder this book and read it immediately upon publication, I will riot. You’ve been warned.




Content and Trigger Warnings:
Violence; Death and murder; Sexual assault (off-page); Suicide/suicidal thoughts (sacrificing oneself); Child death; Animal death

I loved the premise of the story. I think it was repetitive at times, and a bit confusing to read all the different timelines. I overall enjoyed the story, setting and the characters.

Please pre-order, put it on your calendar, whatever you must do to read this work of art. Sincere thanks to Tor Publishing and Netgalley for the e-arc; this work will sit with me for a long time to come and I will be gifting copies to everyone I know.

It is the year of the lady-knight crossed with Arthurian legend, and I could not be happier about it. Harrow's The Everlasting is a spellbinding masterpiece that defies description. I put this down only to force myself to breathe, and to cry sometimes.

This story follows Owen Mallory, a modern-day historian in a civilization known as Dominion that is frighteningly familiar and yet different than our own. He becomes enamored with the legend of Sir Una Everlasting, a knight who helped her queen build Dominion centuries before Owen's time. As you find, their paths are made to cross, and Owen is sent to help her fulfill her destiny - but what is a destiny compared to a life?

I picked this up without having much background, and I hope you too can enter this world with trust in Harrow's writing. The prose is absolute perfection, using second-person to tell a story (or is it a lie?) and guide you back through time and time again. There is PTSD and disability representation, queer and gender-fluid representation, and a time travel knot that is so skillfully woven you barely realize it's there until you're caught in it. The commentary on religion, empires, love, and control was timely and terrifying.

Please read this book and trust in the storyteller. You won't regret it (though I may recommend tissues because this made me cry in public more than once).

A masterpiece of our time.

Infinity stars. In perpetuity. For Eternity.
Alix E. Harrow didn’t just write a love story, she offered up a cathedral built from words and I worshipped every chapter.

I have never annotated or highlighted so many lines, not ever. Every word is delivered with such aching intention, even the smallest exchange will bring you to your knees. And to my knees, I stayed, because this story had me collapsed, clutching it from beginning to end. I suffered the sharpest heartbreak but also the most profound love, and I will forever cherish being made to feel this way by words alone.

I'm hesistant to say too much, because I hope that you can go in and be undone, as I have. But if there is only one recommendation that you take from me, let it be this: mark your calendar, place your pre-order.

You deserve this kind of love story.

The Everlasting is a sweeping, time-bending love story that reads like a poetic fever dream! Historian Owen Mallory finds himself flung across time to help Lady-Knight Una finish a legendary tale—again and again, until they get it “right.” Inspired by Arthurian myth (swoon!), the book explores fate, sacrifice, and love across countless timelines with Alix E. Harrow’s signature lyricism. The romance is achingly tragic yet deeply hopeful, and the writing is so textured you feel every century pass. This is a masterwork of mythic storytelling, and an instant favorite for fans of romantic fantasy and literary speculative fiction. Absolutely unforgettable!

The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow has been my most anticipated read of the year and I'm so happy to report that it did not disappoint! Alix E. Harrow's writing was perfect and absolutely beautiful. I couldn't get enough. The story? Absolutely fantastic. I couldn't put this book down. I loved the characters and thought the character development was fantastic. I think the pacing worked well for this story and didn't find it to be slow at all. I'm so thankful to Tor and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this beautiful story and I will never shut up about it. I will definitely be recommending this book to every single soul.

Those who might be put off by the narration style (one character is "speaking" to another, so it's all "You did this, I did this" kind of thing, please keep going until the 35% mark.

This book is wonderful! Knight and scholar; big gal, little guy; queer af, time travel. For a lot of people, I know I don't need to day more, but I will: This is a book that reveals itself slowly, with twists that are shocking but not cheap. It blooms like a flower, like trust, like love.

Highly recommended.

This is one of those books that you finish, lie in bed, and stare up at your ceiling thinking about for as long as your eyes permit you.

The Six Deaths of the Saint is my favorite short story of all time and I was nervous if any full-length novel could live up to its reputation in my brain. The Everlasting not only met my incredibly high expectations but even exceeded them. I laughed, I cried, and I was moved beyond words. This book combined all my elements for a perfect novel--love spanning across time and space; beautiful, poetic writing; even alternating second-person prose, which is something I forgot I adored until I got my hands on this. I finished it and immediately felt like I had to reread it. I want to crawl inside Alix E. Harrow's brain. One of my favorite reads in a very long time.

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for this incredible ARC.

The Everlasting was infinitely better than I had been expecting, and I had been expecting to thoroughly love this. Ever since Alix E Harrow teased this book on her social media, I have been waiting. WAITING SO IMPATIENTLY for this book to grace my kindle. I have adored every single one of Harrow’s books, and this is no different. I think she might have actually wrote this one specifically for me? I mean, why else would this book involve knights, time travel, and fated-romance-ish things? I mean, SERIOUSLY. The only way Harrow could have somehow made this book MORE me was if she smashed werewolves in there somewhere.

Okay.

The Everlasting is about a lady-knight named Una, whose sacrifice ends up laying the groundwork for a great nation. This is very clearly echoed and inspired heavily by the Arthurian legend (which is, to no one’s surprise, one of my favorite stories ever). Our main character is a historian named Owen Mallory who is obsessed with Una’s story. I’m being vague on purpose because I truly think you need to dive into this book mostly uninformed. You will appreciate it so much more if you have little to no idea of what’s coming.

Through some magic that isn’t, and doesn’t need to be explained, Owen is sent back in time to help Una finish her story. Only they get it wrong. Again, and again, and again. Owen is sent back over and over so they get it “right.” Through these countless repetitions, Una and Owen fall in love. Theirs is a tragic love story, but I am happy to say this story is not a tragedy.

Harrow has somehow written a story that spans countless thousands of years, and made it feel like you both experienced every single one of them, and none of them all at the same time. You feel sorrow for our main characters, hope that they’ll get the happy ending that they deserve, and frustration when once again they are forced to start over. Harrow’s writing is poetic, graceful, and so detailed you can taste it.

The Everlasting is a masterpiece, and I cannot wait for more people to get their hands on it.

It's fine, I just finished one of the most perfect books of all time that somehow perfectly weaves together mythic storytelling, the tropes of King Arthur and beloved medieval lore, the joy and the terror of loving in such an imperfect world, the dangers of nationalism, and the most beautiful love story ever told.

"My whole life existed only to bear witness to yours, and God! it was worth it"

Sir Una is the lady knight that inspired an entire nation. Owen Mallory is just the coward historian who tells her story. Over and over again. And the parenting parts...I actually cannot speak about it! Please read this book and weep. Dialing my therapist as I type this.

If you read one book in 2025, let it be this. This is not a King Arthur book, and yet it's the most King Arthur book that ever King Arthured. TH White is FLOORED RIGHT NOW.

Where are my medieval lit professors? I think I understand what your classes were about now!

"I'm sorry. I was scared, and I thought if I took away your sword and your courage, if I made you small and ordinary enough, I could keep you safe."

OK BYE OFF TO WEEP FOR JUST A FEW MORE (days) hours.

Oh and thank you to Netgalley and TOR for (ruining my life) sending me a copy of this (soul-crushing work of art) book!!!

I’d like to thank Tor Publishing, NetGalley and the author for the advanced copy of this book.

This is my first book by Alix E. Harrow, I have heard great things about the author, the cover of this book is absolutely stunning and when I read the blurb, I was curious and very excited as the premise is unlike anything I have read before- I may have even screamed when the arc approval came through.

Although the book had great qualities- it was creative, poetic and complex, the writing style made it very difficult for me to follow along or connect with the characters. The story felt very slow and drawn out and I was hoping for more dialogue to emotionally connect with the characters and their story. Unfortunately, I was unable to get past the 30% mark in the book. I have read many reviews stating that the book does pick up in the second half and that the ending is absolutely beautiful, but sadly I just couldn’t get there at this time.

I did not provide a star rating on my Goodreads review as I did not feel it was fair since I did not finish the entire book. The NetGalley review requires one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor publishing for this ARC. I was greatly looking forward to reading this as I’ve enjoyed Alix E. Harrow’s other work but this one fell very flat for me. I couldn’t get past the first 25%.

I did not like the style in which the story was being told. I wanted more dialogue and for the narrator to show us instead of tell us everything that was happening. This style made it hard for me to connect with the main character. I felt like we were dumped into the middle of the story and I could not catch up emotionally to what he was experiencing or his infatuation with the female protagonist.

Wow, I was expecting to love this book because it’s Alix E Harrow and I have loved every single book by her, but I wasn’t expecting THE EVERLASTING to leave such an impact, like when I tell you I went through so many emotions, at one point I had to put the book down because I was STRESSED. This book was so heartbreakingly beautiful and I absolutely devoured it.

There’s not an aspect of this book that didn’t work for me, I loved the time travel and the sort of Groundhog Day feel, I was a little nervous that it would be confusing, but it wasn’t at all. Harrow’s writing is flawless and everything weaves together perfectly.

My favorite thing though was the love story. These characters go through so much and there were so many times I was sobbing but they never gave up on each other and they fought for each other and their happy ending.

Definitely pick this up if you’re a fan of Harrow, or a fan of love stories that defy time and space.

This was one of my MOST anticipated books of the year. When I got the approval from NetGalley, I screamed. I don’t know that there is a timeline where I don’t love this book, much like Owen loving Una. But more than that, this book made me think a lot about propaganda, national identity, and the stories we tell ourselves about the past. Brace yourself for heartbreak and a storytelling structure that will make you gasp multiple times. I cannot say enough about the genius of the storytelling here - it was such an interesting structure that it kept you guessing and turning the page frantically, but never left you lost or confused.

A sword, a legend, and two people fighting to change their fate.

It begins beneath a yew tree, a girl who has yet to become a knight, and a boy without a story. From that moment, legends are born. A sword pulled from the heart of the tree sets everything into motion, creating a tale of love, loss, and time itself. A thousand years later, their paths cross again. He finds her. He loses her. And so it begins again. The Everlasting is about rewriting fate, confronting the stories we tell ourselves, and discovering whose story really matters in the end.

Spillin’ the Book Tea:
I knew I was going to love this book. I’ve been hooked on Alix E. Harrow’s writing since Starling House. Being from Kentucky, that one felt extra personal. But this? This might be her most imaginative book yet. It’s the kind of story you don’t forget. I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time.

Harrow’s imagination is on full display here. It’s sprawling, emotional, and has just enough humor tucked in to keep you from falling apart completely. Not that it worked for me because I was absolutely sobbing by the end.

The story jumps through time in this brilliant, heartbreaking way, looping back and forth between these two characters who are bound together by fate, history, and heartbreak. It’s about legends, love, and rewriting what we thought we knew. It felt epic but also deeply intimate.

If you love books that make you feel something and remind you that stories can outlive us all, this is one for your shelf. Huge thanks to Tor Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I was shocked and honored to get to read this early.

The Vibes It Brings:
🗡️ Feminist Spin on Legends
🌳 Iconic Sword, Ancient Tree
💔 Love Across Time
⏳ Rewritten Fates
🔮 Timeless Magic
😂 Just Enough Comic Relief
📖 Book Lovers Who Love Stories About Stories
⚔️ Reluctant Heroine Energy
😭 Bring Tissues

TL;DR:
The Everlasting is unforgettable, emotional, and packed with imagination. It delivers on epic stakes and tender moments alike. Perfect for readers who love stories about fate, legends, and love that refuses to quit. This one broke me a little in the best possible way.

Ah, ye old battle of wanting to let a book sit with me for bit after I turn the last page so that I can say something profound and perfect, up against the irresistible urge to just SCREAM into the void that everyone should read this masterpiece!!! Harrow is one of my favorite storytellers in the business right now. The themes of courage, symbolism, and love she explores are timeless, her use of language is pure poetry (I must've highlighted 100 sentences in this), and her characters always jump off the page and steal my heart, but none more so than Sir Una and Owen Mallory.

I very purposefully have not given my usual synopsis with this review. The way to experience The Everlasting is to dive in with no inkling of what awaits and just see where it takes you. Someplace wonderful, I promise.

*deep breath*
PANIC
*deep breath*
SOB
*deep breath*
Am I being dramatic?
*rereads last pages, reads through highlights*
NOPE

This is my 73rd book on the year and it’s the first time I’m feeling truly speechless. What could I possibly say when Alix wrote the entire universe and then some into this book? This is the feeling I chase when I read books and one I so rarely come across.

Put this on your watchlist!!

The Everlasting is a masterpiece. Artwork in the form of words on paper. The epitome of passion. It’s a portal to another world, another timeline. It’s a perfectly woven tale with not a single fiber out of place. A bulletproof, structurally perfect plot with an ocean of emotions and character depth with a stunning prose. And yeah, it’s funny too.

A knight. A historian. A world that can’t be tamed. A story that begins where it ends.

I’m genuinely in awe of this book. I laughed. I cried. I thought. I spiraled. I cried again. I apologize if this review is insufficient this book may have taken my will to try and write anything good ever again.

•

I was once told by Fredrik Backman himself (at a book signing, I’m not that special) that there is a difference between storytellers and authors. Storytellers are people who are not technical, refined writers but tell phenomenal stories that may not require the finesse of someone who studies writing. Authors on the other hand are trained, practiced and knowledgeable of the ins and out of the structuring of words.

All that to say this very important thing: Alix E. Harrow is both a master storyteller and master author. The Everlasting proves this and beyond.

I continue to be a huge fan.

•

Thank you Tor Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Will post reviews to social media closer to release date!

Wow. Blown away, completely. About 10% in, I wasn't sure if I would be able to finish - it drags a little at the beginning. And then, wham. Sledgehammer to the brain, unable to put it down or stop thinking about it. A 5 star read, Alix Harrow has the strangest brain and that is a compliment.

I have never read anything like, The Everlasting, which makes it hard to review. I don't even know where to begin with this one, except to say I will be thinking about this incredible book for a while.

Everything I have read by Alix E. Harrow has been incredible and this one is no exception. Beautiful, tragic, and a little hopeful, this story embodies love and how love makes us all heroes.

It's hard to describe this one without spoilers, but I can say The Everlasting is an epic tale that spans centuries. The characters are flawed, but real, and compelling. I will be recommending this one to everyone who likes a truly unique and enthralling read.

4/⭐️1/🌶️Everlasting by Alex E. Harrow is a whimsical mystical realism standalone novel.

Blurb:

A moving and genre defying adventure through time-as a reluctant lady knight and a not so heroic historian fight through time and space to rewrite their tragic fates.

I was not at all surprised to find myself immediately sucked into this story from page one. Harrow manages to create such unique magical worlds that almost feel as if they could be real. This is a love story told across a thousand years, and it is told again and again. It is a story of ambition, bravery, and freedom.

It is told in a second person narrative as it brings us seamlessly through time. I found the transitions between time to be well crafted and the characters given to us awe inspiring. It is an unlikely story of a historian and a lady knight who fall in love as the historian weaves her story. Every time he tells it he tries to rewrite it to save her from fate.

I found this tale to be a combination of the Time Travelers Wife meets The Lake House. It does have breadcrumbs of hints that feel similar to Arthurian lore, which is something I always find fascinating. I do enjoy seeing it being used in stories more often. Now there were parts of this story that did feel like it was unclear what was happening in the plot and we were not being given enough of the right details. Which did end up leaving me confused somewhere in the middle of the story, but it did find itself again.

Overall this was a quick whimsical read and Harrow delivers in giving us mystical realism. It is extremely romantic and will have you falling in love with these characters. This is expect to release October 30th of this year, and I was thankful for receiving an early copy of this to read. Happy reading!