6⭐️ I’m not entirely sure where to begin with this book, except to say that I don’t feel quite the same after finishing it. It’s a rare experience to find a story that is at once so moving and so captivating, the kind that seems to shift something within you as you read.

Owen, the scholar, is drawn to the legends of the famed knight “Una the Everlasting”, but their tales span lifetimes, identities, and worlds that can’t be contained by those titles alone. What Harrow weaves together is a tale of momentum and mystery, full of breathtaking confrontations and unexpected turns. Yet at its core, it is a love story that transcends the boundaries of time itself.

‘The Everlasting’ is a luminous, time-bending journey through lifetimes, choices, and tragedies - crafted with such beauty it lingers long after the final page. Harrow has delivered nothing short of a masterclass in storytelling. This isn’t just one of my favorite reads of the year - it might now be one of my favorites of all time.

Thank you to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan and the author for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

“𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒏, 𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒚𝒆𝒘. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆, 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑫𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒏— 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒕 𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔.”

Say hello to my new personality.

This book is an absolute masterclass in how to write adult fantasy, Harrow’s prose is that level of ethereal and poetic that reading it feels like you’re gliding through the pages. The Everlasting is a stunningly woven tale of a love between knight and a historian that transcends time and defies the ages.

I was so swept away by this book and it’s one of those stories I’ll be thinking about for a long time. As always I am so grateful to the author, publisher and NetGalley for granting me this eARC.

Alix E. Harrow has such a gift for weaving myth, history, and heart into her stories, and The Everlasting is no exception. From the very first page, I was pulled into a tale that feels both epic in scope and deeply personal. The way the narrative loops and rewinds is clever without ever losing emotional weight, and it kept me fully engaged.

What stood out most for me was how human the story felt, even as it dealt with knights, legends, and the shaping of nations. The characters are flawed, vulnerable, and unforgettable, and I found myself thinking about them long after I’d finished. Harrow’s writing is as beautiful as ever, lyrical, witty, and filled with lines I wanted to underline.

This is a book that lingers. It’s perfect for readers who enjoy stories that bend time, explore the cost of legacy, and remind us why myths endure. A powerful, moving, and memorable read.

Oh I loved this book so much. What a journey! A love story between a knight and a historian, wrapped in an ever repeating cycle of time travel. I felt every word of desperation and yearning. It really explored the power of the story, the myth, the legend in shaping history. So good. One of the best things I have read this year.

Many thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for the ARC!

I loved The Everlasting - it’s certainly one of my favourite reads of this year. It feels like a wonderful blend of Rebecca Ross’s Divine Rivals, Rachel Gillig’s One Dark Window, and the crafty storytelling of T. Kingfisher. I’ve enjoyed the other novels of Alix E. Harrow - particularly Starling House, and it’s no surprise that she’s knocked her latest novel out of the park.

Una, our FL is a knight, and Owen, our ML is a scholar. They had impeccable chemistry - a bit of a slow burn with hints of an epic love dropped early on. Harrow also challenged the traditional straight cis narratives in fantasy, and gave us leads and supporting characters who are gender fluid / queer.

The structure of the novel was cleverly done - lots of twists without falling into the trap of being overly confusing. While I found I had some questions to the logic - I found that didn’t detract from my overall reading experience.

Highly recommend this to everyone who enjoys reading about:
- epic timeless love
- characters that challenge the norm
- beauty in both strength and fragility
- found family / complex parental figures
- scary (but charming/funny) sidekicks

Rating this 5 beautiful stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Five stars! An absolutely perfect story of love, loss, sacrifice and commitment with the perfect mix of slow-burn romance, fantasy and action.

I’ve read all of Alix E. Harrow’s novels and I’m always amazed at how they are all so different yet all have the same 5 star feel! This one is no exception.

The best Lady Knight book I’ve read this year (in a year with many great ones).

I loved the analysis of legends/myths and the impact, power and influence they have on modern society in this story. The need for a hero to affect the trajectory of the current situation was very effective and to see how each iteration of the story affected the outcome and how many times they had to re-do the story to get things right was heartbreaking and I was fully immersed in the story.

I don’t want to write much more (other than I loved both Owen and Una) as I went into it not knowing much and I think that’s the best way to read it.

5⭐

Thank you so much to Alix E. Harrow and Tor Books UK for the ARC!

2025 is th year of Lady Knights and I am here for it! Every single Lady Knight book this year has slapped so hard and is unique everyway, and THE EVERLASTING is no exception. Harrow dabbled this entire novel with political commentary, about how the people in power would erase parts of history to make it perfect — to rewrite it until it fits their 'perfect' narrative, the stories that would send soldiers to war to exact control as an empire. The strong political commentary throughout the book made me appreciate the book even more. I absolutely loved Harrow's prose — one would think I shouldn't be surprised but with every single Alix E. Harrow book I have read, I have fallen in love with the gorgeous prose that hooks me to the narrative. I absolutely adored the romance between Una and Owen, it was absolutely precious and they were so in love with each other, devoted till the end. I was absolutely satisfied with the ending and could not ask for anything different.

I don’t think I even have the vocabulary to express how I feel about this book. But I did pick up some great words in this book, imagine Folklore by Taylor Swift in book format, that is The Everlasting.

Alix E. Harrow has created a stunning, stand alone, fantasy book. Lady Knights are having a real moment this year and so that’s how I found out about this book, and the concept intrigued me. Historian in love with a legend sent back in time to make sure she plays her part. I mean what’s not to be intrigued about?! I will admit that the time travel parts confused the heck out of me to begin with, but trust the process as it is all intentional. To quote someone in the book ‘'because time travel is very fucking complicated’.

Btw I hope everyone pictures the stunning Gwendoline Christie playing Brienne of Tarth, as Sir Una Everlasting like I did. If this is ever made into a movie or series SHE must play Una.

Disclaimer-ish: I realised I had read another book by the author (Starling house) and didn’t love it unfortunately. I can say with certainty that this is nothing like Starling House (SH). So if you like SH, you’ll like this and if you didn’t like SH you will still like this.
THIS is the book Alix was meant to right everything feels completely right and intentional.

I am so grateful to netgalley and the publishers for approving me for an arc so I could read this epic tale and lament to everyone how they must read this book!

It begins where it ends: beneath the yew tree.

So i finished one of my most anticipated reads of the year today and i can happily announce to you all that i think i have found my favourite read of the year so far 🙌🏽

I have no notes. This book was EXCEPTIONAL. My chest is physically aching from holding my breath through chapters.

"but still: I lingered longer than I should have, afterward. Forgive me—a coward so rarely feels safe."

"I did not always let you go as quickly as I should have, afterward. Forgive me—a monster so rarely feels wanted."

I don't even know what to do with myself now, this book has consumed me for the past 24 hours and i feel utterly lost now that i've finished. Alix you truly have written a masterpiece and you can bet your ass this proof is now my most prized possession.

5⭐

Thank you to Alix E. Harrow, Tor Books UK and Pan Macmillan for the ARC.

"𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝗿."

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 is a moving and genre-defying adventure through time — as a reluctant lady knight and a not-so-heroic historian-veteran will fight through time and space to rewrite their tragic fates, and finally reveal the truths hidden beneath the greatest legend ever told.

It has been days since I read this book I have been trying to form coherent thoughts to write this review but I am rendered speechless every single time I think about it.

Spanning over the course of thousand years in a never ending time loop, Alix E. Harrow takes us beneath the yew tree, the legendary lady knight and her history meet without the idea that they have been through this cycle before, their sorry already written and they're doomed to fall into its butter end.

I have previously read Harrow's THE SIX DEATHS OF THE SAINT, which was the trial version short story of this huge and beautiful book and the prose in both books are very similar — including the perspective that the chapters and parts are written. The absolutely gorgeous prose and the lush and vivid world-building had me immersed into this beautiful tale. Harrow is a master of her craft and you can truly see it throughout the book. She has woven a tale that did not just tell us legend, but dissects it, rewrites it and dares us the question what truths are lost and wiped in the stories we are taught to idolize.

This book as whole is political commentary. Harrow dares us the question so many things throughout the book, through the various timelines that we read through. Themes of imperialism, propaganda, erasing history to suit the country's government propoganda, rewriting history multiple times — even when it was changing everything in the present to get the story "right" from the beginning to suit the needs and blade that would be drawn to suit the Imperialism ideals in the future after that tale. It showed how the government did not care for the tales that put children to sleep, but the tales that sent children to war, a very display of a military state that had no intention to dissolve, even when the empire would be established and would potentially flourish.

There are so many more themes that are explored, from love, complex family dynamics, parenthood and more.

Una and Owen's tale can only be described as heartbreakingly beautiful, where making sacrifices of their present was the only way to save their futures. Una Everlasting, the legendary Lady Knight was told to children to incite bravery and to men, to send them to war. There was a lot of hypocrisy on this part, where it was the tale of a legendary Lady Knight but women did not even have enough rights, much less enough to directly participate in the war.

𝐒𝐢𝐫 𝐔𝐧𝐚 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 at the core was a girl who was loved by her fathers but was snatched away from that life into a tale pre-written for her, where she says was destined to commit heinous crimes, conquer kingdoms and ultimately die a tragic end to suffice the Queen, where is meant to be completely and utterly loyal to the ruler who made her become the Red Knight, the Virgin Saint, the Drawn Blade of Dominion, loosing agency over own life, future and destiny. Throughout the multiple versions of her life that we see, we see her evolve and change in the time that she has and slowly regains her agency and ability to make a choice for her future.

𝐎𝐰𝐞𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐲 is a war-veteran turned historian, who are was later tasked to translate 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘜𝘯𝘢 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨. He's a complex and multi-layered character, whose intentions are good, he's someone who would do everything in his might to protect the people he loves. He calls himself and 'coward' throughout the book proves himself otherwise the entire time. He's brave and ready to bend the false truths that have been spreading to perfect the country's history, to do everything in his capacity to change and rewrite the tale by himself.

The romance between Una and Owen can only be described as heartbreakingly beautiful, something that would rip out of your heart multiple times and stitch the wound until they finally get their happy ending. With every life and death shown, they're plunged into a time loop that is heartbreaking every time, where they're stripped from their happiness in every single reality and last death especially ripped out of my heart because of the tragic ending that their family had in the end. They're both undeniably fierce and protective of each other, yearning and aching for each other ever when there is fragments of memories for them inside with each other. Their love is as strong as their defiance to write their own tale and they defy the odds and accomplish it in the end.

The details that went into crafting this book for this understandably complex plot and world was so brilliantly done. It is so clear that Harrow has spent time into this story to give the right message at the end of each part of the book, each time that the loop breaks and they're forced to do it again. For a story playing with time and timelines, a single mistake would have messed it up and could have been fixed by lazy ideas but we are fortunate to have been immersed into a complex prose and world-building where everything had intention and thought behind it. All of it was written with such deep intention and care to masterfully craft this beautiful tale.

The writing — the narrative and prose kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time and had me rooting for Owen and Una's victory. I cried so many times that I lost count because of the emotional damage this book caused me, which Harrow admitted through the book.

I loved how folkloric and beautiful this book was, completely unhinged at times while sad, funny, heartwarming, haunting and heartbreaking at the same time. I truly do not have enough words to describe my love for this book or to even speak about it in general.

In the end, I describe The Everlasting as an Ouroboros, a tale with not true beginning or end. Harrow's book represents this and the cycle of reflection, in a violent nationalism, a story of a sword that is to be wielded to complete and secure utter dominion. The Everlasting at the core is a sweeping, imaginative triumph that melds time-travel, mythmaking, and emotional depth into a layered and complex world, forging an unforgettable fantasy novel that is just one layer of its true story.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, this was devastatingly good? I feel like I went on a journey reading this. Owen Mallory is a self-proclaimed coward, scarred from war; a bespectacled scholar obsessed with the legend of Sir Una Everlasting, his country's greatest hero. But the problem with legends like hers are the way they're rewritten again and again. A completely unexpected time travel moment has Own face-to-face with his hero, Una herself, hundreds of years in the past - and Owen realises that much of what he thought he knew of this legendary knight were lies. Multiple timeloops prevail. Owen and Una are inextricably tied to each other across time and space. He spills his blood over the pages and rewrites her tale over and over. Una spills her blood and dies again and again. This was heart-wrenchingly romantic and tragic at the same time. The prose is glorious, the world setting intricate. This could be the best lady knight book I've read yet (and that says a LOT). I genuinely wept at the end of this book and just sat staring into empty space for some time. This story will stay with me.

The butterfly effect meets a fairy tale. This book is beautiful, clever and tragic - and I absolutely adored it.

The Everlasting gave me a lot to think about (in a good way). The underlying themes had such graceful nuance, from propaganda and how we record history, to the choices we make in service and for those we love.

Time-travel is such a difficult thing to get right because it usually leaves so many plot-holes. With The Everlasting, you have to go with the flow a bit and trust the process, but my questions were all answered by the end.

The tragedy and sacrifice throughout was utterly heart-wrenching - and I know this one will sit with me for a long time. I hoped, I laughed, I disdained, I cried - easily one of the best I've read this year, and I would eagerly recommend it.

Butch lady knight and a historian who simps for her? That's right up my alley.

Well, this was amazing.
It's an upmarket fantasy written in an interesting semi-epistolary manner (there are no letters per se, but the characters speak to each other a la "I saw you" etc. rather than using character's names) with interjected excerpts from the written legends. I thought it would be hard to read, but it was actually pretty easy. Yes, there were some complex vocabulary and words fitting historical context, but it's pretty easy to guess from the context what they refer to. (I'm an ESL, understandability matters to me a lot.)

One could say this is a fated mates love story, but it's so much more than that. It explores how history shapes the nation, who writes that history (usually the victors), what's the difference between messy reality and glamourized myth, what is the price of a "big powerful nation" (usually tyranny and oppression), who wants a "big powerful nation" (people who can benefit from ruling it) and whether it's justified for an oppressed to fight back to the point they become the oppressor (not sure there's a clear cut answer to that one).

It also depicts how people can become cowards, heroes or monsters in the name of the most lofty ideals like love, honour, duty, order, unity. There's a question do we really have free will, or is out fate predestined, and what we choose and who we are already shaped before we even considered those decisions.

It's a secondary world fantasy with big parallels to Britain, there are nations parallelling the French and Scots, and mmc seems to come from an ethnic group resembling the Romani, for which he's discriminated due to his skin colour.

It also explores two women trying to navigate a misogynistic world, when they don't fulfill traditionally feminine roles, and it doesn't give easy answers unlike lots of "female rage girl boss fantasy".

I really loved how this book tackled my favourite trope: gender non-conforming woman who might be bisexual, but her main relationship is with a man, and that man follows her and worships her, but never wishes to subdue her. The depictions of Sir Una aren't beautified, it's actually a big contrast between her false portraits beautifying her and the reality of a tired, scarred, damaged knight (she's blind in one eye from an old injury). The reactions of people, both the commoners who see her, and her ex-lover remind us society isn't always accepting of gender non-conforming women.

But what made me fall me in love with this book is when Una and Owen discuss gender. Is Una a woman or not a woman? And the discussion concludes with Una saying "Nobody chooses that, boy." And yes, that's exactly how I feel. I could choose any pronouns I want, but people seeing my body, hearing my voice, seeing what I do and say, will make up their mind, and treat me accordingly. What is gender? Is it how I feel? Is it my body? Or is it a set of societal assumptions applied to me externally I have zero choice over?

I loved how the villain was complex and tragic and not just "I eat babies for breakfast and then plan world's doom" kind who seem to be overly abundant in modern fantasy. And I loved how Una contained multitudes in the end, rather than choosing one aspect of her to fit a gender.

In the end, it's a story about love, but it's not a cheesy romantasy, even though I've enjoyed my fair share of these, this one is written differently. The characters are messy, make mistakes, have moral dilemmas, and their yearning makes sense - their ethical dilemma should they get sexually or romantically involved or not seemed plausible in the context of Owen being sent to ensure Una dies for the country.

This was one of the best reads I've had this year, highly recommend! I'm not even a big fan of timeloop stories, but if you are, this is a must read. Also thanks to fantasyromance subreddit for recommending me this one.

Thank you Tor UK, Pan Macmillan & Netgalley for the ARC!

"Wait for me, beneath the yew tree"

Alix E. Harrow has done it again! Her writing is phenomenal and she conveys such heartbreaking tenderness and yearning within her words. If you have read and loved her short story The Six Deaths of the Saint then you will absolutely love this.

I started this book in a slump and the first 30% did feel slow at times. I am not typically someone who enjoys time travel in stories as I think it can easily become confusing, convoluted or overly convenient. I loved how Alix's embraced and acknowledged the messy and uncertain nature of it.

One of my favourite aspects of Alix's stories is the imperfect nature of her main characters and the inclusion of physical flaws. There is beauty in uniqueness and it really feels like the characters connect at a souls depth across time and space.

This is essentially a story of a love that transcends time and distance and two people battling to save each other in a world where those in power are seemingly impossible to beat. There is also an underlying message about corruption in power and that those trying to create a powerful nation do so at huge human cost. It is a reminder that history is written by the victors and so often it is written in blood. 

I cannot recommend this book highly enough and I think this will be a story that I think of often long into the future

Thank you Pan MacMillan and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this absolutely beautifully devastating book.

What a stunning book. This book follows Owen, a historian, who is forced into the past, and Una, a fierce warrior whose legacy has been twisted. It's a journey of a book, taking us through sacrifice, love, and desperate attempts to rewrite fate. It's filled with Harrow's stunning prose, and an ambitious narrative structure that just WORKED.

This book is aching and atmospheric and filled with melancholy. It's filled with love, some mild comedic relief in the form a horse, and it's filled with determination to escape one's fate and rewrite it. I've already mentioned Harrow's prose, but I need to repeat it again. The writing is gorgeous, enthralling, emotional, and moved me to tears. I spent a good chunk of this book quietly weeping with a lump in my throat. I was choking back tears at how incredible this book was.

I don't want to say too much, because I don't want to give out any spoilers for this book. I'm also at a loss for words to describe this book in a way that will do it justice. I sobbed myself to sleep after reading this. It will very likely be one of my top reads of 2025. I'll probably reread this over and over again.

Pick this one up if you want an atmospheric lush story about a big sad lady knight and an anxious historian and their attempts at rewriting and escaping fate, all written in the most gorgeous prose. It's going to break your heart.