So, I read Everless in 2017 and I never reviewed it… until now.

I really loved Everless - it’s set in a world where time is currency, and the poorer folk in this kingdom pay with their blood… literally. They go and have their blood drained and turned into coin. It’s a really interesting concept that I enjoyed a lot. (Does that sound creepy?)

Jules and her father fled from the nearby aristocratic estate (Everless) years ago, but she finds herself back there again after taking a job there to earn some money, to help her dying father. Everless is full of royalty, court drama, mystery, intrigue, secrets and magic.

When you’ve read as much YA fantasy I have, it’s sometimes easy to predict how the story is going to play out - but Everless is full of twists and turns and surprises, and I really loved the world-building. Put simply, Everless was a joy to read.

I’m really looking forward to the next book in this series (at least I think it will be a series?) and if you’re looking for some fun fairytale fantasy, give this one a go.

Everless is bound to be a hit among many YA fantasy lovers. It is not something completely new, it doesn't give us amazing new storyline, but it gives us an engaging plot that keeps you late at night reading just a few more pages. Everless is in some ways similar to many others YA fantasy novels, we have a young female protagonist that suffers a horrible loss at the beginning of the story, this loss forces her to pursue a somewhat dangerous path to find out the truth about herself.  And all of this ends up in her finding out how special she is. Nothing new, right? The point of good YA fantasy is to make the details fresh and fun for readers, and Sara Holland did just that.

First of all, the idea of blood as a currency is great and makes the whole world of Sempera intriguing. How can your blood be used? How are the coins made? Why is blood linked with time? Can you extend your life? We get all the answers, maybe a bit too quickly and too many at the same time, but I didn't mind it that much. I think the idea behind this world is compelling and makes the story engaging.

Jules is a likeable character, even though she makes all of the 'mistakes' of humans. I call them mistakes only because as I reader I can clearly see that those decisions are just means to an epic argument, dire situation or fight. So they are sometimes a bit annoying for me, but at the same time she just makes decisions based on her feelings towards other people. She makes the decent decisions, ones that are directed by heart, not brain. She's nice to others, she loves and cares for her father, she is eager to help others.

What often bothers me in YA fantasies is romance. It's too quick, too cute and just too much. Everless has none of this. There are clues here and there about the possibility of a romance, but it never comes to a full-blown love. Jules has feelings towards a guy, but those particular feelings are not the main drivers of her actions. I can expect a more focus on romance in next book in the series, but I'm happy it wasn't a big part of this book.

Everless will keep you guessing who you can believe. I had complete 180 on few of the characters. It was fascinating discovering different characters together with Jules. What would next book in the story bring? I can't wait to find out!

Set in a world where your blood and your time is currency. Blood is extracted and bound to iron which is then used to pay debts or consumed to add time to your lifespan. The rich Gerlings tax the poor and seem to live forever, whilst the poor are bled to pay their debts. Jules Ember finds herself in a difficult position. Her father is bleeding his life away to pay their debts, and Jules has a way to earn more blood iron than they could ever need, but this means working for the Gerlings. Jules and her father had lived on the estate previously but were forced to leave after an unfortunate accident. Torn between wanting to save her father from dying to pay their way, and returning to a place which could be dangerous for her, Jules returns to the Gerling estate and finds herself wrapped up in something more complicated than she could ever have imagined.

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I thought this was going to be a fairly predictable read. It seemed obvious to me that certain characters would turn out to be something other than what they seemed and that Jules’s story would take a twist. I had even gone so far as to guess the ending. I was wrong. When the big reveals for this story began to appear, they were nothing like what I had expected and I was pleasantly surprised.

The detail in Sara’s writing is exquisite. I feel as though I know Everless as well as my own world and it is a setting which has stuck with me since reading. It reminded me a little of novels like Gilded Cage and The Sin Eater’s Daughter where a rich few control the rest of the population, but where nothing is quite what it seems. The addition of Briarsmoor, a town outside of the estate where time is 13 hours behind the rest of the country fascinated me.

Jules is an interesting character, drawn to Everless to help her father, she finds herself still having feelings for Roan (which is rather unfortunate as he is due to marry the Queen’s adopted daughter, Ina) and trying to avoid Liam, who got her expelled from Everless in the first place. She seems oddly headstrong at times motivated by a need to look after her father, but also by nosiness and determination to discover the secrets that are hiding in the Gerling estate. At other times though she puts herself in danger by being careless and seems to lack respect for her own vulnerability. When she is warned by her father that the Queen is dangerous and he begs her to come home, she turns away from him and applies to be a maid for Ina, which doesn’t seem like the most sensible course of action. I was also intrigued by the fact that time misbehaved around Jules and that when she does try to bleed some of her time, odd things happen.

Jules is the main character of this story, but the other characters are all very well-developed with wonderful and intricate back stories. Liam is a complicated character who fascinated me from the start. Ina has a wonderful history that I wanted to know more about. Caro intrigued me; she was so secretive and revealed so little about herself. There is also the gradual reveal of the story of the sorcerer and the alchemist which is gently woven into the main story and adds a different dimension to the story.

Everless turned out to be a far better read than I thought when I started and I cannot wait for the second installment.

This is a very saturated genre and much of it is the same. Everless is different enough to keep you reading. I enjoyed it and I’m sure it will appeal to its target market.

Welcome to Everless, the most generically generic YA novel ever written!

Starring…

Generic protagonist girl! From a village! Super poor since the death of her mother! Thinks people won’t recognise her if she covers her hair!

Generic love interest boy! Playmate from childhood grown up all sexy! Lives in a generic castle!

Generic evil Queen! Straight out of Disney! Pale and cold! Rumoured to eat the generic hearts of other generic characters!

Generic insta-love! Between two generic characters not attracted to each other for 95% of the book!

Also featuring…

Generic peasants! Generic horse riding! Generic kitchen staff! Generic taverns! Generic guards!

With a special appearance by everyone’s favourite… generic honey pastries!

Critics have given it 3 stars, calling it “middle of the road” and “mildly enjoyable”.

Available now!

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A few months ago, I read this hilarious post by the lovely Orangutan Librarian entitled “Worst Fantasy Novel Plan Ever”! And we laughed, because satire, and then we commented with more satire, and laughed some more because surely no-one would include ALL of the generic fantasy tropes in one novel?

Cut to a couple of months later, when I started reading Everless and lo and behold – all of the tropes. In. One. Novel.

Wow.

Everless is the story of Jules (ok, so maybe the stupid fantasy name trope was avoided – although her surname is Ember, so I’m not sure – it depends if she goes on to set the world alight in books two and three) who lives with her father in a small village. Struggling to make ends meet, she volunteers to work at Everless, the castle and estate owned by the local nobility (the family are hiring extra staff for the wedding of their son to the adopted daughter of the Queen). Jules is already familiar with the castle, having lived there as a child, and quickly works her way up into a senior servants position. Her access to the royals gives her an insight into what really goes on, and as she starts to uncover some of their closely guarded secrets she begins to make sense of her own puzzling background.

Yes, the “my life has been a lie!” trope.

Despite the incredibly obvious plotline, the saving grace of this novel was the idea that time could be “bled” out of people (literally – by making them bleed) then bound into metal coins. These coins could then be used as currency or eaten to give the owner additional time. This meant that rich people could live for centuries, whereas poor people had to sell their own time to stay alive. Now, there are many, many flaws in this idea (how does someone’s youthful essence get bound into their blood? What happens if you just cut your finger? Do people who die of anything other than old age have their bodies bled? The very idea of cutting your life short to stay alive is counter productive? etc…) but if you don’t think about it too hard then the concept is interesting, and adds a new dimension to the story. (I’d like to add in here that I’ve not seen the movie “In Time” but I believe it’s broadly the same idea. So perhaps the concept is not as interesting/unique as I’d originally thought.)

Unfortunately, there were quite a few parts of the book that didn’t really make sense. Some are big gaping plot holes, like why Jules flagrantly disregards everything her father warns her about or why, considering she was banished from the castle as a child, everyone is fine with her return. On the other hand, there’s also quite a few small inconsistencies throughout the text that really, REALLY got on my nerves. For example, here is a direct quote from the text;

“We’re both startled by the deep, clear peel of a bell…As a child, I’d heard many of Everless’s bells – there are bells for weddings and deaths, New Year’s and royal proclamations. I’ve never before heard the bell of the Crown, reserved solely for the Queen.

Of all the bells I remember from my childhood at Everless, this song is the deepest and most beautiful. It means that we are to assemble for Her Majesty’s arrival.”

So, um, you’ve never heard this bell before but you instantly know what it means? Despite there being literally loads of other bells that must be hardly ever used, like royal proclamations? And you know that it means you should assemble somewhere? And you also know where that assembly point is?

Unless this bell sound is actually a public service announcement, you cannot possibly have obtained that information. Aargh!

Also – bells do not sing songs, they chime or toll.

There’s a similar inconsistency later on when Jules is asked to pick the incredibly rare, so-prized-we-built-an-entire-garden-around-it ice holly, which takes pride of place, um, growing underneath all the other flowers that have been planted on top of it. I hope there is some significance to the ice holly (as it was never mentioned again) otherwise I’ll have spent an entire chapter reading “ice lolly” and having to go back and correct myself.

I also had a problem with idea that the security protection on the family vault door consisted of a dye to stain your hands. If the dye was rare and permanent then fine – but it washed off after a couple of days and was commonly used in the castle for other purposes (so presumably lots of people had stained hands). And yeah, ok, the door could bleed time from you, but if you’re breaking into a vault stuffed with magical time money then you could just eat it all back again, no?

Apart from that, I got very, VERY annoyed at the ending. There’s a real opportunity for Jules to take charge of her own destiny and actually get a little bit of agency (something she completely lacks) but no – she just “develops” a total insta-
love crush over the space of two pages. I CALL BULLSHIT!

However….

The very, very weird thing about Everless is that despite it’s myriad flaws, generic storyline and annoying characters it isn’t actually a bad story. Yes, I kept getting annoyed, and yes, parts haven’t been fully thought through, but if you don’t analyse the storyline too hard then the novel is fast paced, there’s lots of action and Jules keeps discovering things which suggest a far better premise for books two and three. I think younger readers, or those who absolutely love YA will lap this book up (indeed, there’s a hell of a lot of hype surrounding it). It was just too much like a manufactured pop song for me – ticked all the boxes associated with the genre, squarely aimed at teenagers, easy and catchy – but ultimately lacking in depth and meaning. I’m afraid it’s been done before – and far better than this.

I never really thought of myself as a fantasy fan. I loved Harry Potter as a child – and still do – but I didn’t get on at all with The Hobbit, I’ve never read or watched Game Of Thrones or Discworld. But then I was told to read Gilded Cage and I discovered actually maybe I am a bit of a fantasy fan after all!

The premise of Everless intrigued me so I requested it on NetGalley and was lucky enough to be given a copy to read and I am so pleased I did! In Sempera time is money, quite literally, in ancient times a way to remove time from a person’s blood and bind it to iron coins was discovered. The only currency in the land the poor pay their debts with them, and if you can’t afford it, don’t worry just pop round to your time lender and he’ll extract a week or two, whatever you need to pay your rent. Meanwhile the wealthy collect the coins, they get to live for centuries, it’s easy when you can dissolve a year in your tea whenever you feel like it! Wealthy families such as the Gerlings who live at Everless.

The central character in the story is Jules Ember, Jules was once happy at Everless, the daughter of the blacksmith she grew up friends with one of the Gerling brothers but then there was an accident and Jules and her father were forced out of Everless, left to try and make ends meet to pay their taxes. Concerned with how much time her father is giving up, and now classed as an adult herself she tries to persuade her father to let her visit the time lender instead, when that fails she’s left with one option, find work as a servant and make her way back to the Gerlings and Everless. I found Jules to be such a captivating character and I adored going on this journey with her.

Sara also creates a rich cast of supporting characters, from Roan Gerling Jules’ childhood friend and his older brother Liam, to the Queen, Ina Gold her heir and Caro her handmaid. Each character felt developed in their own right and I really enjoyed discovering more about them as I made my way through the story, and believe me my opinions on each of them kept changing with each bit of new information I discovered!

And the plot! As I said the premise intrigued me and the plot didn’t let me down! Without going into details that would spoil it I will say the story is incredibly well paced, with little details that will keep you turning the pages eager to find out a little more. I especially loved the depth of detail within the book, for me it was clear that Sara had put a lot of thought into the history of Sempera and I really loved the gradual reveal of the story of the sorceress and the alchemist. I thought the level of detail included within the plot was just right to provide the needed information without slowing the main story but I would happily read more about the sorceress and the alchemist, or discover more about Sempera’s past and the queen.

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Would I Recommend?
I wanted to start of my 2018 on a reading high and this certainly didn’t disappoint! Following Jules’s journey through the novel, and discovering more about her and the characters around her was a complete delight, I may have read this on the first day of 2018 but if this isn’t on my top ten reads of the year I’ll be amazed! Magic, nobility, and characters to love and distrust, what’s not to love – Definitely one to read! I’ll be picking up a copy to sit permanently on my shelves and I’m hoping there’s more to come from the land of Sempera!

Sad to say, I thought this was quite bad - patchy world-building, generic fantasy characters and plot, repetitive writing, and a hook that didn't hold up in the end (blood-iron just isn't sustainable? Or it wasn't explained well enough).

Wow. Wow. Wow. I'm honestly so surprised by this book in a really good way. When I seen the cover and read a bit about it I had a feeling it was just going to be something similar to Red Queen or Throne of Glass and I was slightly dreading it (don't shoot me, I actually love both these series') but boy was I wrong! Sara Holland created such a unique story and world and I was drawn in straight away. 

In a world where time is used as currency, allowing the rich to live longer as they bleed the poor of their time leaving them to struggle, Jule Embers and her father are left in a desperate situation after having to flee from their comfortable home at Everless, home of the Gerling family. When Jules finds out her father is running out of time and is behind on the rent and bills, she realises she doesn't have a choice but to return to Everless as a servant to earn more time for her father so she doesn't lose him forever. During her time here she discovers secrets and is reunited with two people she never thought she'd see again all in the while meeting new friends. As things start to twist, Jules realises her actions are more powerful than she ever thought and only she has the ability to change the world as she knows it. 

I was honestly blown away with this novel. The whole plot was just captivating and interesting and that alone makes you want to pick up the book and see for yourself what kind of world Holland has created. Sempera is the main kingdom (if that's the right word) that the novel is set in with Jules coming from a small village called Crofton. Pretty much straight away we're told about bleeders, the people who steal/take time from others. The way it works is that people bleed people of their time and then turn that blood into a coin which is consumable. It's all about the rich taxing the poor leaving them struggling to survive whilst they add centuries on to their own lives and have all the time they could want. 

The characters in this book were all so well written and I fell in love with just about all of them. One of my favourite characters has to be Hinton and it honestly makes me so sad that he was only a minor character as he was just the sweetest wee thing and I instantly adored him when he was introduced. 
Ina was another character I really, really liked. As the daughter of the queen she was the complete polar opposite and was kind, caring and a really sweet friend to Caro and Jules, even if it was their job to look after her. 
I found Jules to be a really lovable main character. You could tell how much her father meant to her and it was clear she would go to whatever lengths she could to save him. I just really can't wait for the next book to find out more about her and her background!
Like I said at the beginning, I was expecting it to be similar to Red Queen and when I seen there were two brothers, one good, one evil I was a bit sceptical about how it was going to turn out but I was actually pleasantly surprised. It wasn't similar at all and I actually enjoyed both the brother characters in this novel.

'Everless' truly is a masterpiece and if this is only Holland's debut novel then I honestly can't wait to read more of her writing. She's definitely someone that is going to be huge within the YA community! With so many twists and turns and misleading characters, you'll really struggle to put Everless down, everything about the story captivates you whether it be the characters, the world or the story building. I also forgot to mention there's some slight mythology throughout the novel as well so if you're into this type of thing as well as Fantasy and strong, brave, female characters then this is definitely the book for you!

The blurb of this book pulled me right in. A world where time and blood are literally money - what an interesting new fantasy concept.

A lot of the world building was fairly sparse, I still have no real concept of how Sempera fits with the rest of the world. The 'magic' system of bleeding yourself to turn the time in your blood into coins was well explained though- fitting nicely into the story without being an info-dump.

This book avoided a lot of the standard YA tropes such as insta-love (although it skirted the edges a bit) but I still could have done with Jules doing less pinning over Roan. it didn't really add anything to the narrative and she was 7 years old the last time she saw him - not an age one generally falls in love.

I found the story really picked up in the last third to become a proper page turner. Some of the 'twist' seemed fairly obvious while other parts did manage to surprise me which is always nice.

Overall an enjoyable story and I'll be looking out for the next in the series.

I had thought this was much more of a ‘fairy story’, but it was actually quite dark and I really enjoyed it. The concept at the heart of this world was an unusual one, and it was well written and interesting. I particularly loved the way the author used the concept of memories being unreliable, and the twist regarding Liam, which I will not reveal here! Read it yourself!

I went into this book curious as to how blood can be currency in a world where everything seems to be centuries behind us. But what I got instead was so much more.

Jules Ember is a seventeen year old girl who has always been taught one thing. If you see Liam Gerling you need to run. Liam, one of the Princes of the land, seems out to get Jules and her father, with this hatred going back to when Jules was younger and living on the Queens estate where she her father worked, growing up and playing with Liam and his brother Roan. One night they are forced to flee, which is why she is told to run upon seeing Liam in future.

Naturally, in this YA novel, Jules is going to end up running into Liam at some point, or worse, working at the Queens estate.

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This book really pleasantly surprised me. The idea that blood is currency is only the beginning in this fantasy world, and so much more unravels as we follow Jules returning to the estate to earn blood coins for the sake of herself and her father. I definitely didn’t expect the twists towards the end of the book, particularly with Caro, the Queen and Liam and Roan.

I’m aware there is a sequel to this in the works, and I’m not sure where this will take us and the characters, but for now, I’m semi-happy with the way things have ended.

I loved it. It was amazing and I literally could not put my Kindle down! Think about life, there are so many of us out there who work to live, in Everless they quite literally work to live! Their blood is their time, if they want more time on this land then they need to work to earn bloodiron. But then where has that bloodiron that they are paid with come from? Some poor soul who couldn’t pay the rent last week? It really gets you thinking, and I loved it!

Jules is a fantastic character, and I’m glad that she isn’t a softie and not as naïve as some characters would have been in her situation. She is human, and it shows in the way she reacts to events that occur throughout the book. I have to say, I think she is pretty awesome.
If you have read Red Queen and enjoyed it, then trust me, this book is something else you will thoroughly enjoy!

A truly unique fantasy tale and I cannot wait to read the second novel of the series. I am so pleased that I had the opportunity to read this novel - thank you to the publishers!

I really enjoyed the nuances of the plot and the range of situations and characters that Jules introduces us to. It has been quite a while since I've found a YA fantasy novel that manages to get so many areas right but I'm glad Sara Holland has this skill - I will be recommending this book to friends and students alike.

For me, the only downside was the lack of Jules character development at some points. At times, it felt that situations merited a little more change in her thinking or additional description to her narrative voice but I think the author has set the novel up in a brilliant and clever way that allows for this journey to take place in the next novel. Looking forward to the next novel!

I was drawn to this book because of the beautiful book cover (especially the hardback cover edition).With all the hype around it, I have to admit I was a bit hesitant as I hadn't read any reviews when I started it. But this was a great YA fantasy to start my 2018 reading. Everless has great world building and some unexpected plot twists.

I knew by the end of the first chapter I knew I had made the right choice in picking up this book. The first chapter opens with a hunting scene which reminded me of The Hunger Games and ACOTAR. I loved the way that the time is money sorcery is translated in this book, I loved this idea when I read the synopsis and was impressed the way it played out. It is a thought provoking idea! We also get to know a lot about our main character in this first chapter. We can see her love for her farther and her frustration at the differing social classes. As well as a hint at a luxury/easier childhood.

I loved the interactions between Jules and the various characters in Everless. Her interactions with the Gerling brothers, visiting royalty and her fellow servants. I wasn't expecting her to get along with Lady Gold but it was fun to watch friendships grow between the classes and the different groups of servants. This genre us often tropey but the author almost plays with these tropes, hinting at them and then directing the story a slightly different way. This book is a great example of how much my opinion of characters changes through out a book.

Everless was beautifully written with great world building. This book is unique and has some unexpected plot twists - trust no one and look for help in the most unlikely places!

Let me honest, at first I thought this was going to be the same old, same old young adult fantasy inspired book. However, I'm pleased to say that it wasn't exactly the case and that Everless, definitely surprised me.

At first (as in: the first 3/4 chapters) I was a bit confused by the huge info dump full of strange terminology I had some problems to understand (like blood irons and such), but it got easier in time and, sure enough, I was soon hooked.

I found the concept of time-bleeding quite creepy but interesting, ad of course in this peculiar world Sara Holland has built the rich have it much easier than the poor.
Anyway, I found Jules an okay character, can't say I loved her so much but at least I didn't hate her! Strangely (knowing myself) I didn't dislike the romantic twist, I really didn't mind and in truth I sort of look forward to see what happens in the next book.

The pacing of the book wasn't exactly fast but the plot keeps the reader well entertained and wanting to know more. Besides Sara Holland's writing style is pleasant enough and makes it for an easy read. I really loved how that the plot thickened as the book progressed with lots of twist and turns, some of them were very original (I really loved the Alchemist & the Sorceress "backstory").
It was the plot more than the characters that drove me to read (quite frenetically) page after page and then BOOM---- cliffhanger! OUCH! I now really, really need book two! LOL

Jokes aside, I really recommend reading Everless, especially if you like fantasy and are looking for something not too heavy to read but still very entertaining.

A great fantasy in the vein of Sarah J Maas, in Everless time literally is money, and the rich have it all. Although I did get a bit distracted working out the practicalities of such an economy...
Jules is a good strong character, the twists are very fun, though a lot of unnecessary characters - though they may become important in the next book. I can see this being really popular.

(I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review)

I started this book with high hopes. It seemed like a unique storyline and started off differently with people selling time as currency. It quickly devolved in to a typical YA book with predictable storylines and a predictable love interest. It also ended very suddenly and not in a way that makes you want to read the next book. Very disappointed.

My first book of 2018 is a 5 Voodoo book!
I gave it 5 Voodoos for several reasons.
The first was because I stayed up way past my bedtime reading it. I was tired but I lost 2+ hours in it's pages, the second was because I missed bits by jumping forward. That doesn't sound like a positive, but I can't be the only one who, when pressed for time and holding a good book, skims ahead to find out as much as possible and then can't possibly go back? I'll no doubt re-read it and find out if I missed anything important then but right now I must keep going!

Also, I suspected Liam from quite early on and though there was more to it than I thought, that was quite fulfilling.
I'd have liked a little more of Jules' thoughts about Roan to be honest. I mean, she clearly knew what was going on but did she pay attention? Or was that something I missed?
I'm guessing I either missed a ton of her thoughts or there was some inner monologue we weren't privy to because there were a few things that showed a change of heart without showing how we got there!

The premise of this book really reminded me of the film In Time which I really enjoyed and that's what prompted me to pick up this book. In conclusion they weren't all that similar and with the back story within this world they're nothing alike at all - the only similarity is that time and money are the same thing- time is used as currency.

Sadly I can't tell you who my favourite character is because spoilers and while I doubt they will be in book 2 much (unless it's a duology, please be a duology), I look forward to their return! I want them to have the chance to be themselves, I want to see who that makes them. I also can't say who was my least favourite character - firstly, because I never quite built up to the hate that could have been, but also because spoilers - again!
Generally though I didn't feel too connected to the characters. I'm not sure if it's because I first started reading this book because the deadline was approaching rather than because I wanted to read it right now or because I read the second half so fast I jumped bits and generally missed getting attached but to be honest I only care about Jules and my favourite...Though there is a third that I could also become invested in.

With regards to the end, we're not left with a cliffhanger but nor is it all nicely wrapped up, in fact you could say we're left with a large amount of information, an unknown path ahead of us and the feeling we're settling in for a good ride. I'm sad that I have to wait so long to find out what happens next but at the same time, I'm looking forward to re-reading this book and continuing on with part two around this time next year.

Happy Publication Day 🍾🥂📚
Time is a prison. She is the key.
An intoxicating blend of blood, secrets, and haunting mythology, Everless gives new and terrifying meaning to the phrase running out of time

This book starts with a teenage girl hunting in the woods to try and feed her poor family, bartering in the village which is kept in poverty by an unfair society. So far, so The Hunger Games. Due to a series of events, she goes to serve as a maid at Everless, the seat of power and home to her childhood love, as he picks a wife. So far, so Red Queen. 

But, despite drawing on a few of the tried and tested Young Adult tropes, this book still managed to surprise me and to turn some of those tropes on their head. The love story doesn't turn out how you might imagine, and the central concept of the book - that time is money, quite literally, and is extracted from the blood of the poor, made into iron coins and then consumed by the rich to add to their lifespan - is intriguing and provides some gruesome and at times poignant moments. 

At first this book is a little confusing; there's a lot of information thrown at you in the beginning, but once you get your bearings, you'll lose yourself in this world as Jules tries to navigate Everless, and find out the truth that her father has kept from her for so long.