Everless Review

Everless by Sara Holland explores a world where time is currently and the rich bleed the poor until they die. Jules Ember, a poor girl who once used to live in the palace with her father, will do anything to ensure her father’s survival. Her journey takes her back to the Gerling palace where she discovers more secrets about herself and those she loves.

After reading the concept and hearing mostly positive reviews, I was interested in checking out Everless. I remember seeing the movie In Time in high school which followed a similar concept of time as currency. Even though I enjoyed the idea of that movie, it failed in its execution for me. I have similar feelings toward Everless. While it was an okay read, it needed something more to completely capture my attention from other young adult fantasy series.

One aspect of this book that I appreciated was the entire backstory for time as currency. Since the whole society depends on the aspect of time as currency, it was important for the author to explain the world where Jules lives and how it came to be. Even though I wasn’t a fan of how Jules particularly tied in the story and how it gave into the “chosen one” trope found in many YA fantasies, it was more unique than other backstories that I’ve read in the genre.

Another part of this book that I enjoyed was the relationships I enjoyed were the relationships between the characters, even if the characters themselves came across as a little too typical of the genre for me. When I first saw the love triangle, I wanted to rule my eyes. However, I really appreciated the surprise twist that the author threw in at the end. I also appreciate the friendship that Jules started to develop with another female in the book, despite their interest in the same guy.

On the downside, there was something missing from this book to really catch my interest. I thought the father, the friends, the love interests, were all things that I’ve seen before and enjoyed more in others books. After reading this story, I’m not sure how interested I am in continuing the series. I can see myself a year from now adding the second book to my TBR list, but never actually picking it up.

Overall, Everless is a decent YA fantasy, but not one that personally sticks out for me. I give Everless three out of five stars.

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