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Evermore (Everless #2) by Sara Holland
Publication Date: December 31st, 2018
Publisher: HarperTeen
Genre: Fantasy
Warning: mild spoilers ahead
Synopsis: Jules Ember was raised hearing legends of the ancient magic of the wicked Alchemist and the good Sorceress. But she has just learned the truth: not only are the stories true, but she herself is the Alchemist, and Caro—a woman who single-handedly murdered the Queen and Jules’s first love, Roan, in cold blood—is the Sorceress. The whole kingdom believes that Jules is responsible for the murders, and a hefty bounty has been placed on her head. And Caro is intent on destroying Jules, who stole her heart twelve lifetimes ago. Jules must delve into the stories that she now recognizes are accounts of her own past. For it is only by piecing together the mysteries of her lives that Jules will be able to save the person who has captured her own heart in this one.
Thoughts: Since this is a sequel, I won’t get to detailed so as to avoid spoilers. After reading the first book, Everless, I was pleasantly surprised because it wasn’t necessarily what I had originally expected and, going into Evermore, I was expecting much of the same. Something that I appreciated about Evermore was that Sara Holland was able to give another level to the story with providing glimpses into the history of the Sorceress and the Alchemist. There were a fair number of times that this aspect got a bit muddy for me and I felt it could have been written a bit clearer but the idea was interesting and it did succeed in having me (as the reader) feel as confused as Jules in those moments. Whether it was on purpose or not. I did like that, as a sequel, it still included a lot of learning for Jules. It was not as though she learned everything somewhere between books 1 and 2. Sometimes it did get a bit frustrating but we were given enough growth to balance out some of the more annoying parts about Jules’ character. I also wish that she had more opportunities to grow through what she did in the present as opposed to having to piece together the past. The relationship between Caro and Jules is definitely a complex one. They have centuries of history together! This is a part of the book that I was not expecting to be such a large aspect of the plot but I did enjoy it because it gave more depth to the story over all. As for Jules’ love life… there is far to much for me to say about it in a written review. Long story short, I could have done without it as it was written. In the end, the conclusion was a unique one that I appreciated but again wish was written a little more clearly. This duology was a fun, quick read and an interesting story about reincarnation, time, magic, relationships and currency. I will admit though that I did enjoy Everless more than Evermore… ironically enough.