#BookReview (5 Stars) – Everless, by Sara Holland @Sara__Holland @orchardbooks #Fantasy #YA

Blurb:

Time is a prison. She is the key. Packed with danger, temptation and desire – a perfect read for fans of The Red Queen.

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 Jules must uncover will change her life for ever … and possibly the future of time itself.

‘Sara Holland is a fierce storyteller. An intoxicating blend of blood, secrets, and haunting mythology, Everless gives new and terrifying meaning to the phrase running out of time.’ Stephanie Garber, New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author of Caraval.

My Review:

Firstly, I think the cover is absolutely gorgeous. If it hadn’t been for the alluring cover, I may not have even been tempted to read this book. This thought now shocks me!

I don’t read a lot of fantasy or young adult fiction, as my love for it seems to be a bit hit and miss. I sometimes find young adult fiction too shallow or angsty, and my ability to connect with fantasy really depends on how well developed the characters are or if there is a particularly interesting idea within the plot.

I had a good feeling about this book, and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t just based on the cover and the fact there is a fellow Jules playing a very significant part in this tale. The first lines of the blurb had me really intrigued:

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.

So, I thought I might like this book and I was right. I absolutely LOVED it.

Although Everless is set in a fantasy world of magic, with an evil Queen, and therefore has somewhat of a fairy tale feel to it, I had no problems projecting this story idea on to my own real world. In the book the idea is much more extreme and literal, but it did make me think about the value of money, and how much blood, sweat and tears many people put into earning money, while others live off the hard work of others, be that people living off their parents’ wealth while having a relatively easy life themselves, those committing benefit fraud or burglars stealing hard earned possessions from others. This story really did make me consider my own life, the effort I put into working, the impact it has on my health, and whether the coins in my hand are worth the time and wellbeing I’ve sacrificed to earn it. I imagine I’ll be thinking about this for some time.

I do love a book that keeps me on my toes, and this one certainly did, as no one is quite what they seem. Jules is a fabulous character, and I loved being on this magical and emotional journey with her. This book was so hard to put down, and having finished it a day ago and moved on to another book, I’m still missing the world and characters this author created. This book felt so real and came to life in front of my own eyes. I truly feel like I’ve been dragged out of another world and thrown back into my own. This book would make a fabulous film.

If you’re a fan of fantasy then I highly recommend Everless. I’d say it’s also young adult, but not on the particularly young end, in that the characters are mature and not annoying, so can easily be enjoyed by fans of fantasy who aren’t that keen on young adult fiction. As I said at the beginning of my review, I don’t read a lot of fantasy, but this is definitely now one of my all-time favourites!