(Everless #1, By: Sara Holland)

SUMMARY:

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.

Published January 2018 by HarperTeen

REVIEW:

I gave this book 3 stars. I struggled a bit with this rating because while I loved the premise and the plot, the writing style and POV fell a little short. Overall this was an interesting world, with a compelling main character, and constantly building conflict.

To start, the cover of this book is stunning and easily convinced me to pick it up off of my shelf. That, along with the premise, promised a high tension fantasy. Ultimately, I loved the idea of time as currency, and Holland did a wonderful job at fully fleshing out this world.

However, the POV and writing style didn't fully live up to the story's potential. The book read like a diary, with too many of the main character's feelings and motives being blatantly stated instead of allowing them to be inferred. This simplified the main character and prevented me from connecting with her on a deeper, more personal level. 

My favorite aspect of this story was easily the plot. There was a lot of mystery throughout the book, with new secrets being hinted at in each chapter. Because of this, there was a constant, steady build of tension and conflict as the story continued which pulled me in as a reader. By the end, I really wanted to know what was going to happen and which characters were actually good or bad. 

Overall I had fun with this read, and I enjoyed the unique world and story line. While I wish the characters had been given more freedom to experience the world without everything being told, I still found myself invested in the outcome. 

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