I am completely, achingly in love with this book. Alix E. Harrow writes like language itself was always meant to be poetry, and every page feels like it’s carved out of longing, out of myth, out of something deeply personal and aching. The writing is lush and lyrical, but never overwrought. It feels magical without needing to scream it. The story breathes, and it carries the kind of quiet emotional gravity that builds and builds until you’re sobbing and don’t quite know when it started. I loved every second of this. It’s romantic and devastating and full of grace. I would follow these characters through time and memory again and again, and I still wouldn’t be ready to let them go.

Wow...I finished The Everlasting and had to just sit in silence for awhile. I feel a bit weighed down after reading this, but in a good way?! (If that makes any sense.) The main characters' devotion to each other was beautiful yet heart-wrenching, and the time loop aspect made for a really interesting narrative structure. This story was absolutely phenomenal and I can not wait to add it to my bookshelf!

Fantasy lovers, add this to your fall TBR immediately. This was book #63 of 2025, but the first to snag a 5-star rating.

The narrative style is unique: Dual-POV but written in the 2nd person, where both characters refer to the other as "you", and we as the reader are observing them speaking to each other. 

The tone is atmospheric and melancholic. The writing is heart-achingly beautiful. I was highlighting furiously, which is already a sure sign the story is going to stick. 

The comedic relief is provided by a horse that terrorizes everyone. As a bona fide "horse girl", I also enjoyed reading the author's note at the end where she mentioned her mother left her copious editing notes "describing everything I'd gotten wrong about horses."

Would recommend to: Fans of T. Kingfisher, Rachel Gillig, and Juliette Marillier. Readers interested in a fantasy story that IS romantic, but doesn't have the corny dialogue of most popular romantasies. People that enjoy historical legends, folklore, and the like.

Not much else to say really, save how rare it is for me to give out the elusive 5 stars. But this was entirely enthralling and there was no other option. The story was so well-crafted, it's well worth experiencing for yourself.

Huge thanks to NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group, and the author for this eARC!

This is my coworker's most anticipated book of the year. I definitely wasn't as hype as she was, but a lady knight? Say less. But this book swept me off of my feet in the BEST way.

It is BEAUTIFULLY written. The prose is gorgeous, and so so captivating. I loved how Harrow words the narrative.

It was endlessly compelling. Books involving time loops get tedious, but this one, how it handled the time loop was so so gorgeous and so breathtaking. I never felt bored, instead I was gasping.

The tension between the two characters was DELICIOUS. This was what romantasy should be. It was epic, and sweeping, and all encompassing. I loved how much affection they had for each other, and I loved how it subverted ordinary romantasy tropes. With the slight male scholar and the large, strong, capable female knight...I was reeled in like a fish on a hook.

I adored this book. I read it in two sittings, staying up far past my bedtime. I cannot recommend it more. I will read it again and again. Ten out of five stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 stars

Wow what a fantastic read. I must have highlighted over 100 passages of fantastic lines. In the beginning I felt a bit lost in that I felt should know the story of Sir Una Everlasting. And the way Owen was narrating the story I felt like I came in the middle of the story. But that all makes sense now. I know I am not writing the most clear review but I promise it all comes together beautifully.

Sir Una Everlasting is a knight sent on endless quests for her beloved Queen. Millenia later, Owen is a historian tasked with writing the story of Una to help motivate the country of Dominion's masses. But there is so much more to Una. There are issues of what some people will sacrifice for power and what a tool for such power sacrifices for herself.

I rarely reread books as there are so many new books to dig into. But I am already thinking I need to reread The Everlasting. I think this would also make a fabulous audiobook and will probably listen to it when it comes out. The only downside with an audiobook is I wouldn't be able to highlight quotes that move me.

A beautiful all encompassing fairytale about a shy shaky scholar, a legendary lady knight, and an everlasting yew tree that transcends every obstacle in every single lifetime. Always.

That is the bare minimum summary. Worded so simply but does not even begin to scratch the surface on the layers of heart-wrenching prose and dynamics that this soul-crushing story entails. I am truly speechless. Like a blank book.

This is, and I do not say this lightly, one of the most beautiful love stories I have ever had the honor of reading. Once the story really takes off and you start to understand the way that it is going to go, there are still so many twists and turns that leave you breathless with tears in your eyes. I don’t want to say anymore because I hope readers get to also go in blind and let this story take them away.

This is one of those books that you read once and think about for the rest of your life. There were so many quotes that I highlighted that have me reeling and tossing over in my brain thinking about the parallels to the climate we currently live in. It is truly such a privilege to be alive at the same time as Alix E. Harrow and to get to read this beautiful work of art. It feels like a dream. I don’t feel worthy reading this book with my mortal eye balls.

Fans of Divine Rivals, The Secret Life of Addie LaRue and The Song of Achilles would absolutely adore the everliving soul out of this book.

It was nothing but the greatest honor of my life to get to read this book and I cherished every single word. Thank you to Alix E. Harrow, Tor Publishing Group and NetGalley for this eARC. I will absolutely cry forever.

I absolutely loved this book. Alix Harrow is an insta buy author for me. The structure of the story reminded me of The Seven and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, but on a grander scale.

I love a good time-loop tale, and Harrow gives us a great one here. The main characters are wonderfully done, the plot is great, and the ending is perfect.

Review: The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow
5 ★

Loved this book loved this book loved this book

The Everlasting is an adult fantasy novel about a knight stuck in a time loop and the anxious historian doing her best to try and save her. It’s painful. It’s sexy. Sometimes it’s even hilarious. It’s not YA. It’s not strictly romantasy although it is romantic

It started off a bit slow. While I enjoyed the prose and absolutely loved the descriptive writing I wasn’t completely hooked during the first quarter. But I’m kind of glad I went in blind. I did not see this coming. At all

This book is folkloric and beautiful inventive and completely unhinged (in the best way). It’s sad heartwarming funny thoughtful haunting all at once. I could list twenty more adjectives and still not do it justice

It’s a sweeping imaginative triumph that melds time travel mythmaking and emotional depth.

It dares to ask what truths are lost in the stories we idolize. It lives up to its ambition. It is perfect

A very huge thanks to NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group, and Alix E. Harrow for the eARC!!

“For sometimes—when we could not run any longer, when all our choices had been whittled down to one—love made heroes of us.”

What makes a legend? A delicious slow burn, Alix Harrow’s latest novel is an exquisite romance with time traveling fantastical elements. The novel explores questions of war, patriotism, and memory and comes together for a satisfying end. The first half of the book was a little difficult for me to follow, but the second half is worth the payoff.

This is a love story I have no doubt will stand the test of time. The yearning and tension was insane, and the character development was beautiful. I loved this book so much. It's been a week and I've still been thinking about it daily.

Wow. This book is really lingering in my mind. Each Alix Harrow book I read is better than the last and this is definitely my favorite so far. I would recommend it to anyone who loves fantasy. Obviously there is romance. Its entirely a romance but in an epic way. There is some sex which I could do without but otherwise, I really loved this. Probably my favorite book so far this year. Fun but also thought provoking.

I'm not sure what it is about Alix E. Harrow. Whenever she releases a new book, the premise sounds absolutely perfect and right up my alley. But for some reason I cannot for the life of me get through any of her books. This one started out interesting, but then at about the 25-30% mark, all the tension disappeared. I won't explain more to avoid spoilers, but it felt so repetitious that it was hard for me to get through. DNF

I don't complain about something being short, but I found myself wishing this book was longer. This is one of my favorites of the year The characters were so well written and the plot made it so hard to put it down.

A devastating, surprising book that sneaks up on you when you least expect it. Many authors try to tackle history, love, and country without nearly as much success. We’re lucky to have it.

Alix E. Harrow writes with such aching beauty that it feels less like reading and more like remembering a dream you never quite woke from. This book absolutely broke and remade me in the span of a few chapters. I loved how deeply romantic and tragic and hopeful it all felt. It doesn’t flinch from sorrow but also never stops reaching for beauty. I adored it, fully and completely. It’s the kind of story I’ll return to again just to feel its gravity. It’s unforgettable, and I’m highly recommending it.

Alix Harrow is such a great writer, and her new novel doesn’t disappoint. A dark tale about love and what we are willing to endure for its sake, this is a fabulous read.

The Everlasting is one of those rare books that didn’t just live up to the hype—it shattered me in the best way and whispered, "Good. Now do it again."

Alix E. Harrow delivers a myth wrapped in armor, a love story carved into centuries, and a time loop that somehow never feels repetitive—only devastatingly inevitable. This isn’t just a story about legends; it’s a story about who writes them, who survives them, and who gets erased in the retelling.

At the center is Sir Una Everlasting, a knight shaped by duty and grief, and Owen Mallory, the scholar who keeps trying to record her story “correctly” across timelines. She’s powerful, too obedient. He’s a coward, except when he isn’t. And their relationship—if you can even call it that when fate keeps yanking the rug out—is complex, romantic, deeply flawed, and incredibly human.

Yes, there’s a time loop. But it’s not a gimmick. Each cycle peels back a new layer—of Una, of Owen, of the world around them. And when the twist hits? It hits. I gasped out loud. Like full-on, clutch-my-Kindle shocked.

The writing? Lyrical without being precious. Sharp. Funny in moments you don’t expect. And every few pages I’d find a line that felt like it was whispering secrets just for me.

I didn’t expect this to be one of my all-time favorites, but here we are. It’s a story about love and legacy, memory and myth, and the cost of being turned into a symbol when all you ever wanted was to be free. And yes—it has on-page spice. Beautifully done.

If you’ve ever wanted a story where the woman is the legend and the man is the one bearing witness, where history bends toward heartbreak, and where time refuses to give you peace—read this book. It’s brilliant. It’s brutal. And it’s going to stay with me forever.

Well. I’m not joking, this book might be an all time favorite.
A buff lady knight and a dorky but adorable scribe stuck in a time loop with atmospheric writing and ALL THE FEELS?? Sign me up.
I’d read Alix E Harrows crumpled up receipts if I could. 10/10

The Everlasting is a myth wrapped in armor, a love story carved into the bones of history, and a time-looping triumph that left me breathless in the best, most devastating way. Alix E. Harrow has written a tale that feels both ancient and immediate—a sweeping, aching, fiercely intelligent story that doesn’t just unravel legend, but interrogates the very nature of it.

At its heart is Sir Una Everlasting, a reluctant icon who bleeds, breaks, and resists the script written for her—and Owen Mallory, a historian who crosses centuries to preserve a legacy he’s no longer sure he believes in. What unfolds is a genre-bending, heart-rending exploration of fate, autonomy, and the brutal cost of being remembered.

This novel is sharp—structurally daring, emotionally rich, and laced with both sorrow and bite. Harrow’s prose glitters with heartbreak and humor, the kind of writing that feels like it’s whispering secrets straight into your chest. It’s a time-travel epic that dares to ask what happens after the legend—and whether love can survive the retelling.

I laughed. I cried. I highlighted so many lines I nearly broke my Kindle. If you're not already a Harrow devotee, this will be the book that converts you.