Sara Holland's debut is based on very interesting assumptions. How did it go in practice?
Kingdom of Semprema
Control over everything is in the hands of the rich, even the time of life. Obtained through alchemy and blood spells, it is transformed into iron, which is then used to make coins. Aristocratic families live for many centuries, while the poorer part of the population is not allowed to enjoy them. Jules Ember, the main character of the novel, exists in such a world. The girl has many reasons to hate the Gerling family. Before that, she and her father had served in their magnificent mansion called Everless. After a terrible accident, they had to escape and have been living under a different name ever since. Jules desperately needs time, so he decides to return to the castle.
An intriguing world
In pop culture, we can find many works in which time plays a key role. However, I have yet to get to know the world where it has been used in this way. It is as fascinating as it is terrifying. There is a huge social division. The rich live long, enjoying luxuries, while the poor have to beg for the smallest amount of their lifetime. Two legendary characters, whose fates remain unknown, are responsible for this sequence of things. Despite the very well-structured world, the plot of the novel can be very predictable. The heroine is put against the wall, takes a lot of risk returning to the hated place, after which it turns out that it hides many secrets, and Jules’s past is much more complex than it initially seemed. However, you can see that the author has a lot of interesting ideas and even if we have the impression of communing with motifs already known to the reader, the story can draw you in and intrigue you. When reading youth literature, I am most afraid of the romantic theme each time. Fortunately, inEverless had n’t been put too much emphasis on him. There is, however, the possibility of a potential romance in continuation. The main character shows typical character traits that can be observed in other books of youth literature: she is impulsive and naive. It was hard for me to like her, but the ending of the book makes it possible for the next part. The problem also arises in the case of other heroes who we do not have the opportunity to get to know better. However, there is a potential for developing their threads in the future. The author devoted most of her work to creating the world, and thanks to this she reads the book quickly and pleasantly.
Summary
Reading Everless was similar to reading Zenith . The book is primarily an interestingly constructed world with potential, and the characters’ threads require further development. I hope the next installment will be less predictable and will find the main character I want to cheer on.
