Series: Everless #1
In the kingdom of Sempera, time is currency—extracted from blood, bound to iron, and consumed to add time to one’s own lifespan. The rich aristocracy, like the Gerlings, tax the poor to the hilt, extending their own lives by centuries.
No one resents the Gerlings more than Jules Ember. A decade ago, she and her father were servants at Everless, the Gerlings’ palatial estate, until a fateful accident forced them to flee in the dead of night. When Jules discovers that her father is dying, she knows that she must return to Everless to earn more time for him before she loses him forever.
But going back to Everless brings more danger—and temptation—than Jules could have ever imagined. Soon she’s caught in a tangle of violent secrets and finds her heart torn between two people she thought she’d never see again. Her decisions have the power to change her fate—and the fate of time itself.
4 Drink Me Potions
**Everless comes out January 2, 2018**
Thank you HarperCollins and Edelweiss for this copy in exchange for an honest review
I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about Everless at first, but boy was my opinion changed in a matter of moments. This book was one quick and easy read, filled with intrigue and a new, unique twist on a magic system in fantasy.
Jules has always hated Everless and the privileged people who lived there, where their vaults were filled with blood-iron that captured the essence of time to prolong one’s life if ingested. Where she now lived with her sick father, time was only taken instead of received.
Enter the Gerling boys, Roan and Liam. I wasn’t sure if this book initially vied for a love triangle but thankfully it wasn’t really such a thing. The romance was minimal, as some other reviewers noted, but there was one whom she felt attracted to and another whom I was secretly rooting for as there are some sort of strong feelings geared towards him.
Either way, no matter if the romance wasn’t as heavy in this fantasy, the storyline very much made up for it (or if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t love a huge dollop of romance in their fantasies, then this is EVEN better for you!). Secrets abounded as Jules made her way to Everless. Vague memories and dreams that didn’t seem to have any meaning.
Then there’s the mystery of who created the first blood-iron and the legend surrounding these individuals. How did this relate to what was happening in Jules’ time and the upcoming nuptials of Roan to the Queen’s heir? Although the plot initially seemed simple enough, it had a surprising amount of twists that I didn’t quite foresee. Everless definitely didn’t quite fit into a straightforward formula for fantasy writing, and I was more than pleasantly surprised.
Sara Holland’s debut novel seems to have started off with a big bang, and I look forward to reading more in this series and from her!
Overall Recommendation:
Everless was different than I had initially expected, beyond just a simple fantasy story filled with magic and a girl who doesn’t fit in. Surprising twists in the plot and intrigue upon intrigue as we follow Jules on her journey to Everless topped everything while the unique magic system on ingestible time pieces kept me fascinated. I’m the kinda girl who loves a good romance, and although the romance wasn’t much in the book, it was enough that I could root for someone to be with Jules. Overall, I liked this book more than I thought I would, and that really says volumes.
Down the Rabbit Hole 
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