Everless

12/30/2017
Hey so when's the sequel coming out? RTC

01/11/2018
(This review can also be found on my blog.)

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Everless from the author, who was doing a giveaway on Twitter a few months ago. At the time, Everless wasn't yet on my radar, but the concept really intrigued me, so I figured I'd give it a shot. Since then, I've seen countless reviews of it from people I follow — none of which I've read yet because I wanted to form my own opinion first!

The concept — a world in which time is worth more than anything else — was interesting, but I was worried about the execution. I had no reason to be, because Holland does a wonderful job of immersing the reader into this new world. We understand how it works, what the stakes are. It gives such an urgency to the concept of poverty: in Sempera, you are quite literally bled dry to pay off your debts.

The characters were incredibly well-written. I loved Jules so much, and her relationship with her father was both beautiful and heartbreaking. I liked seeing her relationships with the other characters develop. At times she can be a little too naive, but that's probably somewhat realistic, given how she was raised.

For the most part I liked the plot and the writing. I blew through it pretty quickly, but felt that the ending was a little rushed. It could have easily been drawn out a bit more, I think some additional details could have fleshed things out nicely. I will say that it is certainly an impressive debut novel. And it definitely set things up very well for the sequel though, which I wish I didn't have to wait another year for!

Overall, I was a huge fan of Everless. If you're looking for a fantasy read, consider picking this up! You won't be disappointed.