What do you do when your fate is already sealed? A scholar and the legend he grew up admiring meet in a twist of destiny and magic in this fantasy novel from the bestselling author of “Starling House”.
Hello again and welcome back to my book blog! It’s been… wow, okay. It’s been over a year folks! Life, uh, finds a way… to throw the most at a person at any given time, and sometimes you just need to take a step back from some things. Unfortunately, reading was one of them. It was a mix of life, but it was also a mix of being in a huge reading slump. As readers, we’ve all been there. Nothing to be ashamed of; it happens. Mine took a very long time (apparently), but I’m doing my best to get back in the swing of things – at least when it comes to my reading habits.
It got to a point where reading was no longer fun for me. I think I tried to put so much on myself when it came to a hobby I’ve known and loved my entire life that I no longer loved it anymore. The reading challenges, the themes/genres I felt I had to stick with. I tried to make things more sleek and seamless; a more polished book blog that would stand out from others. But in reality, as much as I was having fun doing that, it got to the point where I was reading books I wasn’t all that interested in. I thought to myself, “I just have to get through this book then I can go on to this one,” but, like, why? Why do I have to “get through” a book? I want to enjoy the books I read, not feel like it’s a hardship. Especially because it’s a privilege to be in the position I’m in now. To be able to read all these wonderful books and blog about them on a weekly basis. I lost sight of some things, I fell into a reading (and life) slump, and I stepped away.
But I’m feeling that excitement of reading again. I’m no longer looking at the stack of books from the library or on my bookshelf and feeling like it’s a chore to read them. I found a book that hit what I wanted to read at that point in time and I went with it. I read it with the purpose of mentally ingesting the story and its characters, the world that was built around it and (in this particular book) the love that was woven through the pages. I think this was a great book to get me out of my slump because it is so wonderfully written. Alix E. Harrow’s words are so melodic and romantic to me.
Anyway, let’s jump right in. Here’s a quick synopsis of “The Everlasting” by Alix E. Harrow: The book follows a scholar named Owen Mallory, a man who grew up on the stories of the knight who saved Owen’s country from ruin over a thousand years ago and was deemed a hero: Sir Una Everlasting. He fed on all the stories and books about her and the legendary life she lived until her final sacrifice. One day, a mysterious book appears on his desk – an elusive book that was said to be lost to history: a raw and truthful telling of who Sir Una truly was.
When Owen finds out this book is more than meets the eye, he is soon transported back to a world where Una Everlasting lives – but for the sole purpose to make sure she dies. As time moves back and forth and the line between truth and myth grows blurry, Owen soon learns that he can no longer watch Una die again and again for queen and coutry. What can be done to unseal a fate that has been written for hundreds of years?
My star rating: 4 solid stars.
This is my first book written by Alix E. Harrow, and it is a beautifully written book. I think if the story wasn’t literally about writing a story over and over the lyrical prose wouldn’t really work, especially the mix of first- and second-person views. It made the story more intimate, because for a while Owen’s telling the story to Una as if she’s an ethereal being not from his world. But as the book goes on the POV switches between Owen and Una, but still keeping with the first- and second-person POV. A lot of “I walked down the road and you stopped me to gather berries” kind of thing. An interesting approach that took a minute for me to get used to, but once I did it gave the story a more intimate feel. It’s as if the words were only meant for each other and not for the masses, even though it eventually became that way.
The other thing that was a huge breath of fresh air was the character descriptions of Owen and Una. Finally, a female protagonist that isn’t a tiny, skinny, conventionally beautiful woman! Finally, a male protagonist that isn’t a large, strapping, muscle-man who eats two dozen eggs! Una’s described as being a very tall woman with a build that many would confuse as being more masculine than feminine. Her eyes are shrewd and yellow, her hands are callused and scarred. During the descriptions of her I pictured Gwendoline Christie and I was not at all upset about that. Is Gwendoline Christie gorgeous? Of course, but she is tall and bold and they dirtied her up pretty well in Game of Thrones. So I guess I pictured Brienne more than Gwendoline.
Anyway, back to Una. The author does an amazing job of creating this fierce warrior who is also a “good soldier” (follows directions without question) in Una, but she is also able to be softened into the woman Owen falls in love with and who is able to fall in love with Owen. It’s a beautiful progression.
The concept of time travel in this book is a fun one. I don’t want to give too much away because I want this to be a spoiler-free review, but it’s not only a plot device, it’s part of Owen and Una’s love story. I mean, of course it is, otherwise they wouldn’t ever meet since they lived over a thousand years apart. The author, however, finds a way to make the magic of time travel in this novel to be more interwoven with the characters. What will be, will be. What has happened will always happen. What is now, however, may not always. I like the little nuggets of foreshadowing mixed throughout the novel, even from the very first chapter. Because if you mess with time travel, there are always clues.
I’m a bit rusty at blogging right now since it’s been a long while, so I’m leaving this as a more generalized review of the novel. Overall, a great read that really sucked me in. A sweet love story that is bigger than time itself. I’m glad this one got me out of my slump. I’ll be sure to check out more of Alix E. Harrow’s stories!
“The Everlasting” came out October 2025, so it’s only a few months old! Have you read it yet? What are your thoughts on it? The characters, the world that was built? Let me know in the comments, I love hearing from you. Take care and Happy New Year!
Until next time, my lovelies!
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