Orchard Books Everless: 1

"I know better than to be afraid of stories".I do too. But when there is a lot of hype surrounding a book, I'm usually the only person in the entire universe who just doesn't...quite...get it. And that level of disappointment puts me off. But I soooo get it this time!Think of Everless as a kingdom filled with fancy people, fancy dresses and even fancier money - because the money is actually your blood, which clever people manage to drain from you, melt down and make into coins. Coins you can then melt in a coffee, or something, and add those years to your life. Well, probably someone else is drinking your coins, let's be honest - this isn't a happy story kids!It has similar ideas to those in that movie with Justin Timberlake, In Time, if you remember that. But the magic elements, fantasy world and royals set it far apart from that. Equally, I didn't see JT spilling any blood in that film!Jules finds herself getting tangled up in the World of Everless, volunteering as a servant girl as the royals prepare for an upcoming wedding. And they pay pretty well for their servants, so since Jules and her father are running out of time because her father couldn't pay the rent and is now in pretty staggering debt without enough time left to pay it off, this may be Jules' opportunity to settle their debts and make a better life for them.Of course, things never quite go to plan do they? And Jules begins to unravel a little bit more than she bargained for with not only the mysterious Queen, handsome prince she once knew as a child (who by the way is the one getting married - ouch!), but also her own history is a little murkier than she thought.I really liked Jules. She made some stupid choices - whilst she typically does exactly the opposite of what literally everyone tells her to do and doesn't cover her tracks terribly well, she's actually interesting, and I did really want to know what she was all about - her history is almost told like a fable, and I loved that.Alongside the fairy-tale feel to this story, I felt like I really got sucked into the world building. Everless itself was really fun to read about, the villages surrounding it were beautifully described and I felt like I really could picture exactly how Sara Holland wanted us to imagine these places. It definitely lived up to the hype. And the romance isn't actually a major feature either, which is amazing!

In Sempera time is precious. Time, when extracted from someone's blood, can be bound to iron, which is being turned into a currency that can be consumed to increase someone's number of years. However, for a lot of people this means they constantly have to bleed to pay their debts and therefore shorten their lives, while very few members of the country's nobility thrive and live for centuries. Jules and her father used to work at Everless, an estate owned by a noble family. For Jules Everless was home, until they had to leave because of an incident that made them outcasts in just a few moments. Now they're poor and Jules has to find a way to bring in some coins.Jules's father has given a lot of his time away and is dying. Jules wants to save him, but the only way she can earn enough coins to make up for everything he's already lost, is finding work as a servant at Everless. She's several years older than the child that was sent away and hopes the problems of the past will be forgotten. Will she be recognized? When Jules is in Everless she discovers that her departure was surrounded by secrets. While her father warned her to stay away from Everless and the country's nobility, Jules is too curious to follow his advice. She knows she's in danger, but has no idea about the extent of it. What will happen when she discovers the truth? Will she still feel the same about the people who were once an important part of her past and does she have the strength to change her own future?Everless is a fascinating and gripping story. Jules lives in a world where time is money, literally. Those who are poor won't live very long. I admired this creative idea and Sarah Holland's execution is flawless. Jules is a strong heroine, she loves with all her heart and she's incredibly generous. She will go far to save the people she cares about and I loved her fierce personality. She isn't afraid to put herself in danger if it means she'll get the answers she needs, which makes thrilling reading. I really liked Jules and was captivated by her difficult situation from the start. I read Everless in one sitting, because I couldn't wait to find out more about all the secrets in this amazing book.Sara Holland has written a fantastic original story. I love her world building skills and was impressed by her beautiful descriptive writing that makes the story come to life in a terrific raw way. Jules lives in a twisted and cruel world and Sara Holland perfectly describes every aspect of her perilous and heartbreaking existence. She also knows how to divide tension, which makes Everless a fabulous story to read. It's a beautiful spellbinding book that kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

At first I thought the concept was clever and if it had been done well I think it would have made a brilliant series but the protagonist is weak and the the plotline for the 'romance' is terribly forced and confused. It doesn't say much that I don't remember much about her. Her father's brief part in the book was more interesting and I detest the formulaic girl likes boy, other boy likes girl, girl hates other boy, girl starts to see that other boy likes her and suddenly sees his good points.

I like the synopsis and enjoyed it as well, but there wasn't much happened in the story. I think Sara was trying to set up the world in the first book. The second book is not coming out until beginning of 2019. If I knew, this is how the first book end, I would've wait till the second book and read them both together.

Loved reading this and then I bought book 2 everless both good reads