Everless

A great YA fantasy with likeable characters, lots of twists & action. Leaves it very open for a sequel. I will definitely read the next!

Time is a prison.
She is the key.

Jules Ember and her father used to have a home at the Everless, the Gerling estate, working as servants and earning time for a living. Because this is the currency in Sempera – time is extracted from blood and converted into the currency bloodiron.

But after being cast out they struggle to make a living, and when Jules father is down to his last hour, Jules decides to return.

Little does she know she will be thrown into a story of unknown lost truths, secrets hidden in myth, and enemies much more dangerous then she realises.

I loved this book.

Let’s start with the world-building; a medieval style backdrop, complete with a royal hierarchy, the rich and wealthy vs the poor and starving, the mythological tale of how the world of today came about. A corrupt currency system that quite literally leaves many families in life or death limbo. And how this harnessing of time slowly impacts the world of Sempera: its economy, its people, its environment, its history.

Everything in the world building is directly relevant to Jules and her story. Everything is explored. There is just so much detail in the history and mythology surrounding Sempera – I just love it so much! The variations of the myths, the telling of them to children, the grey areas that merge myth and history together. In itself the history of Sempera is magical and addicting. I could easily hole up in a medieval tower and study this on it’s own.

The actual story line has so many twists and turns and danger and friends and old new friends that fit like a glove and uggggghhhhh. Can Holland just please publish the next book already?!

Jules is young and ridiculously loyal to her father, the only family that she has left. She will stop at nothing to protect him, leading her into a world of secrets and myth. While many of her traits were not really her nor there, I did enjoy the character. And with the implied (and heavily anticipated by yours truly) sequel I’m confident further character development is to come.

And then there are all the side characters. I grew to love so many of the relationships that grow and change in this book. I WAS emotionally invested in these characters which is always a special skill for a author to achieve. From the selfless father, to the gorgeous and mildly treacherous Gerling brothers, the to various friends-but-basically-family fellow servants of Jules. I spent so long falling in cautious love with each of them.

The one downside was the lack of diversity. A lot of characters were involved in this story and yet the opportunity wasn’t grasped. There wasn’t anything saying that everyone was white BUT there was nothing to suggest otherwise. In a book that is already rich with detail and character, adding in some various culture aspects would just top this series to a whole new level IMHO. I hold out hope for the future of the series though.

The ending of this book will leave you wanting so much more. I was literally on the edge of my seat when twists were unveiled and all the potential for another explosive, immersive, and engaging story is left dangling just in front of you.

I recommend this book so so much. There aren’t dragons, but there are twists in time, a mythological tale that could sell just by itself and a seeking-yourself story like no other. This debut novel is just the beginning of a fantastic, intoxicating series.

Jules Ember lives in Sempera - a place where the currency is blood and time really is money.

Unable to pay the rent and struggling to make ends meet, Jules makes a decision to save her and her father - return to Everless, the royal estate her family fled from years ago, to work.

Upon arriving at Everless, Jules is flooded with memories from her past there and warnings about the Queen - don't look her in the eyes, don't touch her. But why?

I really enjoyed this book - the writing is so beautiful and descriptive; it really captures each scene and makes it feel realistic for the reader.

Also, there is a touch of romance in this book but it does not rule the plot or the character's motives! What a relief and a breath of fresh air for a young adult novel.

I just can't find anything to fault which is so rare.

Am interested to see what Jules gets up to in the next novel and how the whole story will progress.

Overall:

Characters - 9/10

Plot: 9/10

Cover: 10/10

Rating: 10/10

Everless is a fantasy novel that focuses on time being used as a form of currency. The main character, Jules, is an individual who values family and friendships more than anything. The book kept me on my toes and new twists and turns continued to unveil.

The protaganist, Jules, is a very loving and selfless character. Jules has spent her life keeping to herself and taking care of herself and her Papa since they left Everless. Jules father risks his life attempting to pay his debts and Jules makes her own decisions in an attempt to ave her father. Jules is very determined to discover the truth about herself and why her father was so intent on stopping her in her path to Everless. Much of Everless was getting to know the MC, Jules and her background. Often, Jules is found in the path of danger. 

The romance aspect of this novel was well written and I didn't find it frustrating like some novels. Although, there is somewhat of a love triangle, it is not extremely evident and doesn't impact on the story. There were many other characters in this book who may become more evident further in the series. Ina Gold is another important character in the novel who should have had more development of her character, especially with the pivotal piece of information Jules finds near the end of the novel. Although, it did reveal a lot about the bloodlines of many of the main characters.

There are many great twists in Everless and I found myself needing to continue reading to find out what happened next. I loved the fantasy side and the addition of Alchemy was exciting for me. Everless is a great start to a series and Holland does a fantastic job of setting the scene early on and introducing the reader to the characters and providing background to build the world. The novel is very fast paced and the story flowed perfectly, leaving a great ending for the second novel to lead from.

Overall, the novel was very well written and the plot flows well. I was never confused about what was happening and every now and then, Holland cleverly reminded you of Jules' plans. The book was fast paced and the twists were very well written and I'm still shocked! I can't wait for book two!

If you are yet to read Everless, I highly recommend doing so.

After a little bit of a slow start, this book totally sucked me in! I can’t wait to continue following the characters in this world. It took me a little while to get my head around some of the world-building, but once I did, I really enjoyed where the story took me.

In a world where the currency is literally the years on one’s life, Jules and her father struggle to make ends meet from one day to the next. After her father’s death, Jules goes to work at the Everless estate, home of the wealthy Girling family, where she lived as a child before she and her father were driven away. But the more times she spends there, the more secrets she uncovers about her past, and the more questions she finds that need answers.

I really enjoyed the way that Holland subverted some typical YA tropes. What I thought was surely going to be a love triangle turned out to not be. There is still a bit of romance and it does have some eye-roll-worthy moments that are typical of YA, but this is very much not the focal point of the book. Jules actually spends most of the book trying to figure out her past and her abilities, rather than swooning over anyone.

The last third of the book is quite twisty. I had figured out some of the reveals that came along, but certainly not all of them, and I was taken by surprise on more than one occasion. There is a good cast of characters and I really appreciated how many women and girls made up the supporting cast.

I really loved the world-building. The idea of blood-iron did take me a while to understand, but it is pretty well explained. There is also a lot of mythology and history of the Kingdom of Sempera, which Holland weaves into the story. Sometimes it did get a little info-dumpy, especially earlier on, but this didn’t bother me too much.

The ending is full of drama and leaves a lot for the second book to explore. I’m really excited to see how everythiing pans out.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of Everless for review purposes.