I haven't read much YA fantasy recently because it often feels quite similar. This book has some features in common with other YA fantasy, but it also has a fresh perspective that made the story feel unique and interesting.

The concept of this book is brilliant. The power of the ruling classes in fantasy is a familiar idea, but Everless took this to a new level. It was a gruesome and disturbing idea that people in need could sell their time, and this interesting premise underpinned the whole plot.

Another thing I liked about this book was that the plot and characters surprised me. Not everything or everyone turned out how I expected, and that doesn't to me very often!

I liked Jules as a character. She didn't just get swept along by the world; she had agency and she wasn't afraid to stand up for herself as others.

This is a fresh new take on YA fantasy and a compelling start to a trilogy. How long do we have to wait for the next book?

This novel had such an intriguing concept I had no choice but to read it. In the world of the book, time is bound to blood, and the years of your life can become currency for your survival. Like all dystopian fantasy novels, it's the elite that benefit from this situation: using their accumulated wealth to extend their life into centuries while those they draw their time from find their lives ever shortened. However, because the concept is so powerful I did think that the world-building suffered slightly. I couldn't really picture Sempera in any wider sense, although I thought the Briarsmoor town was described wonderfully and I loved the temporal distortion isolated there. This book was pacy and mysterious, though in places the writing was a little too 'teen' for my personal taste (although I am aware that this is a YA book). However I most definitely did not foresee events unfolding in the way they did, especially with the reveals towards the end, and I will certainly be looking out for the next in the series.

I was so pleasantly surprised with this book! From the moment I started reading the very first pages I was instantly engaged in this amazing world that the author has created. I loved the way she uses time as a currency. I also really liked all the characters. I sort of had a soft spot for Liam from the beginning - I don't know why. There were some parts of the story that I had some issues with, but overall a very very good first book of a series. Can't wait to see what happens next ;)

I went into this with high expectations and I'm so happy that it was even better than expected.
This was nothing like I expected but in the best way.
The tropes that I usually see in Ya thankfully didn't really happen or be more important than the actual story.

I loved this book - it gripped me throughout and I will be recommending it.

I liked the character of Jules - she felt well rounded and believable. You felt as though you were going on a journey with her learning more about her past and her potential to change events. I did not expect the events leading up to the end of book one and will eagerly await book two.

It is hard to find fantasy books with a new angle but this one offered just that.

I bring you a review of an amazing debut novel that is coming out January next year and that's Everless by Sara Holland. Due to technical issues, I don't have a picture but I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Everless is a YA fantasy that focuses on Jules, a girl who winds up returning to work for the family she and her Father had run away from years ago so her Father wouldn't trade the rest of his life to pay the bills. Time is currency in this world and though that sounds a little like the film In Time, this book is nothing like it. I will add the film is still good though!



What I Liked

I'm someone who does need romance to really obsess over a book but when it happens in book one of a series...it can seem a little sudden. One of the good things about Everless that though there was a little bit of romance, it wasn't a major thing. There are hints of it and you can see where the romance can go in the future but it isn't the be-all-end-all.

Because the romance isn't the main focus, it means that Holland leaves plenty of room to work on the mystery and world building. These are probably the best parts of the book. Holland has done such a great job of world-building and the mythos is incredibly interesting. All the stuff about the Alchemist and the Sorceress is really interesting and I'm excited to find out more.

I also liked a lot of the characters though no one stood out in particular.

What I Didn't Like

My only problem is partly to do with me. I've not really been in the mood for reading recently so I need a book that I don't want to put down. I didn't have that with this book.

Though when I was reading I could get through a lot quickly. I could also easily put it down and I wasn't desperate to pick it back up and read again. That doesn't mean the book is bad, it's just not as addictive as I need at the moment.

Overall Thoughts

An original and compelling new fantasy novel that is bound to be all the rage.

5/5 Stars

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Read: October 23 2017

Release Date: January 2 2018

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This is one of those books I just want to scream from the rooftops about! It’s so captivating that is was nearly impossible not to be consumed.

Everless takes you on a journey with Jules Ember, the daughter of a former blacksmith for the wealthy Gerling family. But, Jules and her father were forced to flee Everless years ago and have been running ever since with no intention of returning. Until now. With Jules’ father running out of time she will do anything she can to save him. Including returning to Everless as a servant. It has been years and Jules was only a child when they left, no one will recognise her. Or will they?

I don’t think I’ve really believed a heroin in a long time. Jules has changed that. I love her! She was never irritating or dense. Her decisions and choices actually made sense. I wasn’t sat there asking myself what the hell she was doing because her actions were actually reasonable. That’s rare. I loved how she was never coddled or berated. She wasn’t made out to be a savior or someone who needed to be saved. She has great relationships with other characters of varying ages which really made her character feel developed.

There was a collection of other supporting characters and they were all memorable. Even though I knew some of them weren’t going to really contribute to the plot I found myself liking them all the same. Some of these characters are Roan and Liam Gerling. Both of these characters surprised me. I thought they’d follow the same good brother/bad brother like most YA and teen novels but, like many things in this book, things didn’t go the way I first expected. When they were first introduced and their history with Jules became clear I thought to myself, “two guesses where this is going”. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Sara Holland paced the book perfectly. Everything seemed so simple at first but in a world where time is drawn from blood and forged into currency I should’ve known things weren’t going to be as simple as they seemed. The release of information was subtle and spread out. You didn’t have those couple of chapters towards the end where everything was explained and all the twists happened at once. Instead you learn little pieces of information when Jules does. It keeps you interested but doesn’t get boring or drag things out for too long.

I loved that so many of the characters had history, it made me get invested into their relationships with each other and gets rid of all the ‘getting to know you’ parts. There are hints at romance and I sense a delicious slow burn on the horizon but none of that was ever the main focus. The focus remains on Jules and her journey.

The world is exquisite. The blood-iron currency was quite a strange concept at the beginning that I found a little weird and hard to wrap my head around but it was explained and explored so casually that I understood but wasn’t overwhelmed. The world is complex, yet simple. The writing is so well done and natural that the world feels so real by the end.

Overall, Everless is a consuming page turner with twists and elements that build such a great sense of anticipation and satisfaction. The characters were all noticeable and different. They each gave their own little impact to the story as a whole. The world-building makes the story feel even more real and I love the winter setting. The potential for the next book, if it has just as much style and content as this one does, has me very excited.

Definitely of a type, but there's nothing unoriginal about this. Jules's story goes way beyond these pages, and it was great to get an insight into what has been revealed so far.

This book gripped me from the start!

I love the concept of the buying and selling time from blood, and Sara Holland created a world meticulously that hooked me in from the start. The characters are well developed and the main character Jules is likeable from the start. You meet several characters throughout the book and one in particular I despised at the start but loved in the end all through how Sara wrote him.

You have mystery, suspense, good and evil along with fantasy and heartbreak in this book and it kept me up until the early hours reading until I knew what was happening. I cant wait to read the next book.

I could not access this file, but would be interested in purchasing and reading this book, upon publication.

Couldn't review it as couldn't download it. Shame , description and cover was interesting

I have heard so many great things about this book already and was so exited to start reading it. Unfortunately I wasn't able to download it and so I'm just going to have to wait until January like everyone else!