She includes small moments, unrelated to the main story, that are deeply sad. And I think the author really does this unique premise justice. The quiet mystery keeps on expanding and adding ever more questions.

It is the kind of story that gets bigger and bigger as it moves along. Don't be so sure who are the bad guys and who are the good guys. The obvious romance was not as obvious as I first believed, and the villains came as quite a surprise. Holland introduces familiar tropes, but then she subverts and plays around with them. There are many secrets to be uncovered and Jules must find out the truth of why her Papa always warned her away from the place. As we soon find out, though, Everless is a big part of Jules's past, as well as her future. In order to save him, she takes a job as a servant at Everless, the estate of the Gerlings - one of the wealthiest and most important families in Sempera. Jules watches her father sicken day by day as he gives up more of his time. While the poorest - like Jules Ember and her Papa - must literally bleed themselves dry to pay rent, cutting their lifespan down further and further. The richest, of course, have the most time and can, in theory, live indefinitely.

Punishments often involve bleeding a person's time from them, which in this world is the morbid equivalent of paying a fine. not what you first think.Įverless introduces a world where time is currency and a person's time can be drained or added to through blood.

Because the mysteries here are interesting, the premise one I haven't come across before, and many things are. It's not a perfect book by any means and Holland does fall into some traps commonly fallen into by debut authors - namely, the huge infodump in the first few chapters, and some confusing descriptions of the world-building and mythology that I didn't really understand for a long time. It's hard to find the hidden gems among the pile. Publishers churn out versions of the same old story again and again. The genre is often tropey and unoriginal. I know you shouldn't go into a book expecting the worst, but these days it's hard not to approach any new YA fantasy without some trepidation.

Sara holland everless