Everless by Sara Holland

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Figure 1. Everless book cover (2019).

Evaluation of Book

Everless by Sara Holland presents a Middle Ages kingdom where people use their lifespan, turning time into physical money, to pay for things. This means the rulers and elite get to live for as long as they desire while the poor die off earlier due to needing to sell their time to pay for food, rent, and taxes. It is an interesting twist to the idea that during the Middle Ages, land owners worked peasants to death; in essence, stealing their time. Plus, this book includes a sorceress, an alchemist, and people being able to alter time.

The most fascinating part of this book is the plot. It starts off with Jules playing the protagonist, a girl just turning seventeen who lives in Crofton with her father, both hiding from the Gerlings family that rule Everless. As a child, the two lived at Everless. However, a conflict between the sons of the Gerlings forces the two to flee. Now, ten years later, they owe money and Jules decides to work for the Gerlings to pay off the debt. This brings Jules back to her childhood stomping grounds where her first love, Roan, plans to marry the Queen’s adopted daughter, Ina. After her father dies, Jules learns she is not who she thinks she is and vows to learn more. However, things get more complicated when Jules decides to work for the Queen and Ina so she can ferret out the answers to the secrets.

Another aspect of the book that keeps you wanting to read are the unexpected insights. Jules continuously finds out new things about herself, stories about the sorceress and alchemist, and who she can trust. First, Jules’ “father” risks his life to warn her not to allow the queen to see her, that she will know her true identity. Then he dies suddenly, leaving a letter that explains how he loved her as a father would, but that he is not her true father. Also, his dyed hands upon his death reveal that he visited the Gerlings vault prior to dying. And when Jules finally visits the vault, she learns more about herself and why her father willingly sacrificed himself to get into the vault. Plus, the truth about people comes out throughout the story. Key players turn out to be different personalities than Jules believed, some wanting to help while others wanting to hurt her. All of it splendidly done to keep the plot on target and the reader wanting more.

Also, Everless comes alive for the reader due to figurative language. Towards the beginning of the book, Jules and her friend Amma wait in line while Everless employees decide which girls are good enough to work at the castle. While being evaluated, Jules reflects on how “I never expected to be treated this way, to be herded like cattle and checked like a horse for good teeth and legs” (p. 33). And then after the girls arrive at Everless, Jules devours the sight of her old stomping grounds. Reflecting that “the pale winter light makes the estate even more beautiful, like something carved of silver and crystal” (p. 41). Another favorite comes after Jules decides to apply for the position to work with the queen. She realizes she already lost her father, so nothing else matters. Then she slips “between my blanket and the mattress soundlessly, like a knife into its sheath” (p. 113). The image of how silent she does the act along with her preparing for battle comes to mind with this simile. Each of these similes, and countless more, paint a vivid picture of the events throughout the story. The reader can see what happens because of the detail given to make everything come alive. (Holland, 2018)

Response

Everless by Sara Holland reminds me of a historical fiction, where the ideas of how people ruled and others obeyed stays the same, while the plot provides the fictional portion. My love of historical fiction and a good mystery allowed me to enjoy the text from cover to cover. And Jules’ character, wanting to help others like her father, Caro, and Ina, agrees with my views of the world. And while none of these people turned out to be whom Jules believed them to be, she always tried to be the better person and help them during a time of need. To sum up, I was enthralled throughout the book. I enjoyed it so much, I already looked up the second book of the series and plan to read it soon.

Conclusion

Everless by Sara Holland is a great book for people that enjoy mysteries and time period books. The continuous insights and figurative language painting pictures of what happens make it page-turner. Out of four stars, I give this book three and a half.

Citation

Holland, S. (2018). Everless. New York, NY: Harper Teen.

Willis, C. (2019). Everless book cover (photo). Retrieved April 28, 2019 from

https://drive.google.com/file/d/11Rc8Tdc0veabiccPL-msuPplyRtPBuAB/view?usp=sharing