I AM SHOOK. PLOT TWISTS GALORE
Book
Rating: High
PG
Language: G
Sex: PG (Jules does make-out with a person whose
name shall remain anonymous).
Violence:
High PG
(There’s a lot of blood, someone is stabbed in the chest, another’s neck
is cut open. I’d consider it more like Narnia-esque
violence).
Drug/Alcohol
Use/Abuse: G
This book is so good. And not just good in the sense that
the plot and characters are interesting, but good in the way that makes you
feel like you’re somewhere else—like you’re only a visitor in your own world
because the one from the book has totally and completely immersed you.
The story takes place in a land called Sempera where
seventeen-year-old Jules lives with her weakening father. It’s a world where
time is considered a precious commodity to the elite few who are willing to pay
for more. For most in Sempera, however, time is merely an idea, a few drops of
blood that can be sold to see them through the next week. When Jules gets the
opportunity to work at Everless, the palace she and her father were forced to
flee ten years earlier, she jumps at it, despite her fears and hatred for the
elite Gerling family.
There are so many great things about this story, but what
really hooked me was Jules’ character. It’s difficult now in YA to find that
perfect balance between a total “Mary-Sue” character and a character whose only
qualities are her toughness and emotional detachment. Sara Holland seems to
achieve this balance. Jules is a tough character. She had to work hard for everything
she got and it showed in her actions. This wasn’t all of her character though. Jules was also friendly and
personable. She cared deeply about other people and how those people viewed
her. She was hard-headed, a bit naïve at times, but never claimed she was
all-knowing. There was one scene at the end of the book where Jules was witness
to a death, a sudden death, and she reacted to it like a normal human being—by
screaming. (Honestly, most people would probably either be too shocked to say
anything or let out a cry/scream like our girl Jules did). She was an all
around believable character who maintained a sense of purpose up through the
very last page.
While
on the subject of character, I thought Liam and Roan Gerling were both done
well. I think what I like most about the brothers were their realistic
relationships with Jules. Growing up, the three of them had been childhood
playmates. Roan had always been the energetic and personable one whereas Liam
was cold and withdrawn. I ADORED how Holland portrayed Jules’ infatuation with
Roan. It was childlike and dreamy. Many authors would fall into the trap of
making this childhood love the main romance from the very beginning, but I had
a list of three people Jules could have ended up with and each pairing was
given relatively the same amount of build-up. (This book is romance-lite™ which
I appreciate more than you know). Additionally, I enjoyed the development of
Liam’s character and development of Liam through Jules’ eyes. He went from “If
you ever seen Liam Gerling, run” to a guy with redemptive qualities.
This
isn’t a very happy story, but if you know me you’ll know I’m a sucker for that
sort of thing. It made me think about what I would do in a situation where I
could “bleed” my own time in order to afford my next meal. Would I do it? Would
I die slower from starvation or would I give up the last year of my life for
one last meager meal? How could you decide? I adore novels that represent a
stark contrast between the classes because at times it seems all too real. It’s
just you average girl-finds-her-courage-in-an-oppressive-world kind of story.
(But one that’s done really well).
Adding
to the reality of it all, I really enjoyed the relationships that were built
throughout the story, I’ve read a lot of poorly written books lately and the
relationships are always focused on the main character and her love
interest(s). I always think of Bella Swan in this scenario. Her relationships were
strictly isolated to Edward and Jacob. Her friends from school were practically
non-existent because Stephenie Meyer didn’t build the friendships that would
have made Bella an infinitely more compelling character. What I loved about Everless was that Sara Holland didn’t
just build the relationships with Jules’ potential love interests, but she also
gave her friends in Ina Gold, Alma, and Laura, and gave her mentors such as
Caro (Forgive me if I butcher the spelling of names. I listened to the book and
didn’t read it). Jules was able to connect with all sorts. Not only this, but
the relationships were built realistically and they took their time to build
from wobbly first impressions into trusting friendships and mutual
understanding. PLUS, JULES WASN’T CONTINUOUSLY LUSTING AFTER ANY OF THE BOYS.
(Except for Roan, but he was her childhood love, so can you really blame her)?
The
only thing wrong with the story, if I were to be nitpicky, was the fact that
the first several chapters fell into the unfortunate circumstance of info-dump.
It took me a good while to truly understand the world and the whole concept of
“bleeding time.” I suppose it was a difficult concept to explain in the first
place, such as how it came to be, so I’m not entirely sure if an info-dump was
avoidable in the first place.
I
listened to this on Audible because sometimes they decide they love me and give
me a free book and month. I didn’t enjoy the narration but felt like the story
was all that really mattered. I’ll definitely be trying to get my hands on a
hard copy within the next few months. I enjoyed the story enormously.
"The memory of our expulsion from Everless comes back to me in scattered images, bursts of sound and heat. I remember Liam shoving Roan toward the hearth, a moment of stillness like the space between lightning and thunder.”
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Hail and farewell,
Lauren
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