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Friday, February 16, 2018

Everless by Sara Holland Audiobook Review

Everless by Sara Holland
Format: Audiobook
Narrated by: Eileen Stevens
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pub. Date: January 2, 2018
Buy Links: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository
In the kingdom of Sempera, time is currency—extracted from blood, bound to iron, and consumed to add time to one’s own lifespan. The rich aristocracy, like the Gerlings, tax the poor to the hilt, extending their own lives by centuries.

No one resents the Gerlings more than Jules Ember. A decade ago, she and her father were servants at Everless, the Gerlings’ palatial estate, until a fateful accident forced them to flee in the dead of night. When Jules discovers that her father is dying, she knows that she must return to Everless to earn more time for him before she loses him forever.

But going back to Everless brings more danger—and temptation—than Jules could have ever imagined. Soon she’s caught in a tangle of violent secrets and finds her heart torn between two people she thought she’d never see again. Her decisions have the power to change her fate—and the fate of time itself.


Guys, I'm am so disappointed with Everless. The story sounded so promising and would you just look at that gorgeous cover? How could I not want to read it? And then it became a New York Times bestseller and I saw so many stellar reviews for it, and I was like, "I need to push this to the top of my TBR."

But alas, my friends . . . the beauty did not extend further than the cover for me.


As I was listening to this audiobook, I found myself waiting, waiting, and waiting for it to get better,  to be less generic, more emotional . . . but in the end, I waded through all of the mundane plot and flat characters for nothing. Even when the stakes were supposed to be high, the writing didn't raise my pulse. Not once. I can't remember the last time I felt so blah about a book. I hate writing negative reviews, and as much as I tried to find some redeeming quality about Everless, I was only able to come up with one (see the Likes section below), sadly.

I know I am one of the few who isn't a fan of this book, so while everything in this review is my honest opinion, don't feel like you shouldn't pick it up just because it didn't work for me.


Eileen Stevens was fine narrating the female characters. She was able to make distinguishing voices for each one. However, when it came to the male characters, they all sounded as if they had been chainsmoking for 80 years, and then were left to die in the middle of the desert.

I really enjoyed the music at the beginning and the end of this audiobook, and I would love to hear the entire score. It was more emotionally evoking than the actual plot of this book itself.


1) The magical system was very unique. We've seen time and magic joined together in many forms, and I like how it was used here. In Everless, you pay for everything with your blood. Blood is made into currency, so there are hour, day, month, year coins, and so on. The idea of this reminds me of the movie In Time (which incidentally was another waste of my time . . .) but this was better executed because it made the world a little bit more dangerous.



1) All the characters were blander than tofu. If even for a moment they had an air of mystery, it was quickly shuffled to the back and forgotten. Jules—the main character and the one you should feel the most for—was lackluster. I didn't dislike her, but I didn't like her either. She simply didn't do anything for me, emotionally. I couldn't care less if Jules (or any of the characters for that matter) lived or died because of how boring she was.

2) Building upon my previous point, there was nothing to swoon or squeal about in this entire book—not from the romantic relationships or the friendships. It all felt very flat. Every single relationship would just arise out of nowhere and the reader was somehow expected to feel it, but let me tell you—this reader did not.

For example, Jules' feelings for her "love interest" stem from her past, and while the reader only witnesses a handful of their brief interactions—only one of which is romantic, and even that felt forced. Furthermore, with the friendships, it almost seemed like the side characters were solely written-in so that Jules wouldn't be talking to herself throughout the entirety of the book.


3) Altogether the plot was painfully predictable. It was evident to me who the villain was from the beginning, and Jules suffered from a severe case of special snowflake syndrome which arose from her "secret" past. 

4) The world-building was pretty vague. I couldn't get a real sense of what anything looked like, what the people were like as a whole, or . . . anything, really.


5) The writing completely lacked nuance and feeling. As you guys know, I usually have a Favorite Quotes section in my reviews, but there wasn't a single line in this whole book that made me pause even for a moment to ponder over its brilliance. Not. A. Single. One.

And . . . that's it! I hope all of you enjoyed this review. What did you guys think of this one? Have you read it yet? Let me know!

33 comments:

  1. Oh bummer. I admit this was one I was hesitant on. There's just something about it that had me holding back from ordering it right away. So now I am still a little hesitant about it. It seems my gut reaction was somewhat in line with yours. Might just keep this one on the backburner of maybe for awhile. Nice review all the same!

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    1. Maybe get it from the library before buying it just to be sure you like it!

      Thanks for stopping by~

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  2. Oh no, this must've been so disappointing to you. I haven't read the book yet but I do own a copy of it and it's a book I really want to read as soon as I have less books on my plate. Now I'm kinda worried I'll dislike it as well. Great review, though!

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    1. Yeah, it really was. I hope you enjoy it more than I did! I'm definitely one of thew few you didn't love this one.

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  3. Sorry this one didn't work for you Brittany! I gave it 3.5 stars because I liked the original premise, but it did kind of lose itself toward the end. Jules was 100% the Chosen One though.

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    1. The original premise is amazing, I just wish it was executed better. And yeah... Jules really was.

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  4. Awww sorry you didn't enjoy this one. I liked it but I definitely agree with some of your points. Especially with how the side characters were probably there so Jules wouldn't be talking to herself all the time. I laughed reading it haha. She does still talk to herself a lot even with those side characters present XD

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    1. She talks to herself so much! Like something dangerous is happening but she spends 20 minutes talking to herself xD

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  5. I'm so sorry you didn't like this one! I really liked it (I read the e-book version, but the audiobook is something I'd love to listen to!), but I can really see where you're coming from with some points, including the bland characters. Roan was one that I really couldn't stand, and I'm sad that he was such a heavy presence in the book. I hope your next read (or listen!) is better!

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    1. It's okay, it happens. I'm glad that you enjoyed it though! This one just wasn't for me is all. Roan could have been so much swoonier... I feel like he was mentioned a lot but he actually wasn't around enough.

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  6. YESSSSSSSS. This was a two star for me, as I didn't completely hate the book, haha. But I felt the exact same way you did. Gosh, this book sucked. There wasn't a single special thing about it. And the writing was bad too. And ugh, the girl spent just about the whole book talking to herself, haha :) Thank you for sharing this stunning review Brittany. <3 (And her "loving" that childhood friend? Yeah. Did not buy it for one second. I mean, I remember NOTHING from when I was seven and less. Yet she remembers loving a boy? Hahaha. No.)

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    1. I struggled between rating this one 1 or 2 stars but when it came to writing out what I liked about the book and there only being one point... then I realized it had to be a 1 star review. I had no trouble with her loving her childhood friend since I know of cases in real life that are like this BUT there was no development of the relationship in this book at all.

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  7. "they all sounded as if they had been chainsmoking for 80 years, and then were left to die in the middle of the desert."

    OMG I am LOLing so hard right now. I know exactly what you mean by that, and I have the same problem with so many audiobook narrators that just can't seem to voice the male characters without either sounding the way you described or like they are holding their nose or something.
    Sorry this story was such a disappointment for you---I haven't tried this one because I'm on a little bit of high-fantasy burnout so it has to sound exceptionally unique and interesting for me to pick one up these days. Hope your next read is better for you!

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    1. I'm glad I made you laugh! I always wonder how those narraters get picked. Like unless that character they are reading from actually was dying or a smoker... then why?

      High-fantasy burn out, I've been there. As much as I love fantasy, sometimes I need something a little lighter where I don't have to imagine the world as much haha.

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  8. Awww, what a disappointment! I'm sorry this book fell so flat for you :( But I have to admit, despite all the negatives I'm still sort of aching to read this. The concept of how this society works just sounds SO interesting and I want to see how it all works. Thanks for the review!

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    1. I'm glad that this review didn't make not want to read it. I write reviews not to change people's opinion of a book but just to let people know what I thought of it. The only time I try to discourage people to read a book is when I think it's morally repugnant. That being said, I'm glad that you still want to read it and I hope you enjoy it more than I did.

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  9. I started this one and then apparently forgot all about it until I read this review. Like, I literally just now remembered, "Oh yeah, I started reading that book." I guess that's not a good sign, but I think it was okay when I was reading it? I'll have to give it another try.

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

    (Hey, side note---does that signature line bug you? I always use it for blogs without a URL field for their own ease in finding me, but I read recently that it bothers some people. Care to weigh in?)

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    1. That doesn't sound like a good sign, but you should give it another try and maybe you'll like it!

      Also, I can't speak for everyone but I personally prefer it when people leave their signature with a URL. What if someone leaves me a comment and I like them but I can't find their blog or social? It's really helpful to me, and when I blog hop I use that kind of a signature.

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    2. That's how I felt when I was on Blogger. It really frustrated me sometimes when I couldn't find people---or I had to jump through hoops to find someone, so this seemed like a perfect solution. I was actually surprised when I read it was annoying to some people. I think the consensus I'm seeing is that more people like it than don't so I probably won't change anything. Thanks for letting me know your opinion!

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  10. Whaaaaaaaat I loved this book! But it's fine it's fine, I get your points. ♥ Reading your review definitely made me laugh, specially about the male voices done by the narrator haha. :)

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    1. I know, I'm one of the few who didn't like it but that's okay! I'm glad you enjoyed it and that this review made you laugh ^_^

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  11. Oh no! I hate it when the plot is too predictable. I have been on the fence about this one, so maybe I will hold off for now. I hope that you love your next read/listen! :)

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    1. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one, so whenever you decide to read it I'll be looking for your review!

      Thanks for stopping by~

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  12. GIIIIIRL I TOTALLY AGREE. I hated this book with a passion. I pretty much nodded to everything you said in this review! This felt like one of those formula books that are rip-offs of popular YA fantasy books that we're already so tired of. :(

    - Aimee @ Aimee, Always

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    1. "This felt like one of those formula books that are rip-offs of popular YA fantasy books that we're already so tired of. :("

      You're so right, that's exactly how I felt about this one.

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  13. Such a waste of a stunning cover D: I occasionally have to DNF audio books, not because I don't like the story, but because the narrators do not match the characters and it takes me out of the experience.

    Lauren @ bookslaying.com

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    1. Such a waste. I've DNFed audiobooks for that same reason but I really wanted to read this one... I shouldn't have forced myself.

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  14. I just finished this one and actually quite liked it! Maybe it was because I really wanted to like it? I just love the premise and the metaphor of paying for things in time. Like as I'm sitting here working my office job looking outside at the beautiful sunshine and dreaming about my TBR pile I am thinking "is this worth the money I am making to miss out on all this prime reading time!?". All of your points were so true though. I think my biggest frustration was the relationships Jules created. I can't for one second believe her and Roan's relationship. I can't understand how they even got to the point with the garden scene(??). I know what you mean about writing a poor review - I always cringe before I hit publish. But you made some really good points!

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    1. I'm glad that you enjoyed this one! As much as I tried I just could not ship Jules and Roan... and believe me I wanted to.

      These one star reviews always sit in my drafts folder until I'm brave enough to hit publish.

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  15. DYING at "they all sounded as if they had been chainsmoking for 80 years, and then were left to die in the middle of the desert" bwhahhaha. So I definitely liked this more than you did, but I also totally see where you are coming from. The predictability was the biggest turnoff for me, honestly. But I did like the premise- I guess that was enough to keep me moderately interested? So sorry that this was a disappointment for you, but great review!

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    1. Glad I could make you laugh! I swear, that's how she did all of the male voices.

      The premise is what kept me reading until the end. I hope you enjoy the next book, I think I will probably skip it but I would love to see your thoughts.

      Thanks for stopping by~

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  16. Ugh, I'm so sorry this wasn't a better read for you. I know that all the things you mentioned would bother me too. I may still give it a try at some point but it definitely will not be a priority and I think I'll avoid the audio book too. After reading your description of the male voices, I think I'd just end up laughing every time a male character had lines, haha!

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    1. That's okay, that's just how it goes sometimes. You should definitely still give it a shot since so many people love this one it could just be me but I highly recommend you avoid the audiobook.

      Thanks for stopping by~

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