I originally started listening to Everless on EverAnd because the premise seemed interesting—but before I knew it, I liked it enough to grab a copy from the library. Was it on my TBR pile? Nope. But the concept of minting time into coins? Intriguing. It gave me In Time meets Downton Abbey vibes, and I had to check it out.
The story follows Jules, a girl from the oppressed lower class who literally trades time from her lifespan to survive. Once a servant for the elite—who measure their years in centuries—Jules is forced back into their world when she realizes her father is running out of time, and I mean literally. From there, things spiral into a tangled web of mythology, political intrigue, and mystery.
I went in with zero expectations and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the story and its characters. Was Jules my favorite protagonist? Not really. She was easy to empathize with, but wow, did she make some questionable choices. More than once, I found myself thinking, Oh, so you’re just gonna do that? Okay. Sure. Plot reasons.
But the strong emotional payoffs and tight plotting helped balance things out.
What really kept me hooked was the supporting cast. The dynamic between them was fascinating, and the antagonist? Absolutely riveting. I won’t spoil anything, but I figured out one of the twists halfway through and just had to nod in appreciation—well played, book, well played.
My standout favorites were Caro, the queen’s maidservant, and Liam, a noble who starts off as a seemingly one-note character but turns out to be way more complex than expected. That’s one of the best parts of this book—no one is quite who they appear to be, and I love that.
The world-building was solid, and the magic system? Super creative. The idea of bleeding out years of your life and turning them into currency has so much potential. The mythology was a little more fast and loose than I typically like, but it held together well enough that I just rolled with it.
Overall, the character development was solid, the mystery kept me flipping pages, and even though I wasn’t thrilled about the cliffhanger ending, it wrapped up the story well while leaving enough of a door open for book two. If you’re into books with intriguing characters, unique magic systems, plenty of political scheming, and some solid plot twists, Everless is worth a read. I’m definitely picking up Evermore next—and giving this one a solid 3.5 stars.