Review Detail

Everless was my first read of the year and I do indeed feel guilty for reviewing it just now. The guilt comes with the fact that this turned out to be an AMAZING read for me, and as a book reviewer, I should 130% shout into the void until my lungs hurt in order to support and make more readers fall in love with this read. However, there are times when you just cannot find it in you to review a book you love. It's so daunting to sit down and wait for amazing words to slip out of your brain and make your fingers type, right? I'm sure I'm not the only one!

I certainly don't feel that I'm ready (are we ever ready?) but I feel it's been long enough so here I am.

What I Liked:

Everless by Sara Holland will always remind me of starting the year with a bang. I remember I was HOOKED right from the start and how it kept me wanting to keep reading and ignore all my other duties. The idea that time is currency is not a new invention, but its take is certainly refreshing, especially in YA literature! I enjoyed the urgency of the novel, it made me feel stressed and constantly wondering how the main character, Jules, would manage to avoid her time slipping away, just like a lot of the characters who have the misfortune of not having enough time on their hands. Like her father.

I raged how, like in any society, some people had the upper hand in this world and obviously are rich enough to have too much time. The Gerlings (part of the royalty in this world) get to live hundreds of years while the rest of the society has to go to pawn shops and sell their blood and then convert it into iron so they can be consumed by others (diluted in tea, for example), shortening their life out of need. It's heartbreaking and although our currency is not as extreme, it certainly reflects on how our own world works (loans and debts that swallow you whole).

I must admit I was actually expecting Everless to be action-packed, but instead it focuses on the main character and in understanding the whole world. I sincerely didn't mind how it's not full of the usual action in YA (our heroine is yet to be a warrior) since being privy to her thoughts as we spend much of our time inside her head and her time inside the Gerling's Estate turned out to be pretty enjoyable for me. But worry not, action-lovers! It comes in due time and the end is enough to have you holding on to your seat!

One thing is that Jules does seem to have a slight obsession/crush with her childhood friend and one of the Gerling "Princes" and I never understood what she saw in this first crush. I disliked the interactions with this character, though I didn't mind reading about it. I was already too in love with this book! Oh, but just you wait to see how it all pans out. It did end up giving me the necessary swoons in subtle ways. ;)

Final Verdict:

To say that I'm excited for the sequel to Everless is an understatement. This stunning novel came and firmly placed itself on my shelf of favorite reads and it will take a lot for it to be bumped down. You must read it!