Everless

Hi all!

My name’s Chiara and I am a bookworm.

Today I want to talk to you about the most recent book I have read: Everless by Sara Holland.

Here is the blurb:

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. 

Let’s put it this way, I was intrigued. For me this seemed like a unique premise. Turning blood, which is your time, into coins to spend. The rich then consume the coins to live longer while the poor live shorted lives. I think it is put mildly to say that I was intrigued.

Jules, our main character, is beautiful and flawed and confused and doubting and scared. In many ways she is a perfect character but for me it is missing an ‘X’ factor. Something was missing from her character that make her just that bit more perfect.

In some ways, this book is one you’ve read before. The ‘bad guy’ isn’t who you think it is, the ‘good guy’ aren’t exactly who you think they are. In fact I said to a friend that I suspected one of characters wasn’t who the author was telling me he was and I thought the other wasn’t what was suspected either. I won’t tell you who because I don’t like to give out spoilers, but I was right. I got to the end, and in many ways I wasn’t surprised how it ended.

But given all that, I would still recommend reading this book. It was gripping, from beginning to end and I couldn’t stop. I read the first half of the book in one sitting, a couple of hours sat with nothing to do and they were gone with a snap of my fingers.

I’m not sure I know how to describe this book with just one word. I really don’t, but I hope you read the book and come back to me and tell me what you think. Give me a word to describe the book.

Once again, my name is Chiara, and I am a bookworm.