The Everlasting
Alex Harrow
Tangled time-travel love story
It's hard to review Alix E. Harrow's The Everlasting, and not for the usual reason. Usually when I say a book is hard to review, it's because I didn't like it and I am struggling to be fair. But you've already seen my five-star rating.
The problem is that it's a complicated book, and almost everything that happens is a surprise. There is little I can say that won't be a spoiler, and most of that has already been said in the publisher's blurb. (I urge you to read it.) I could of course just check that "spoiler" box and tell you everything that happens, but I find myself reluctant to do that. I don't usually mind spoilers very much, but unexpected revelations were a huge part of the delight of reading The Everlasting.
I am thus inclined to write unhelpfully, "It's really, really good! Read it."
I will add that Harrow is an extraordinarily talented author who, in this book, does everything right. The plot is intricate and interesting, the characters are appealing and interesting (including a complicated villain), the style is brilliant. I think I can allow myself one quote without spoiling.
“To charge into battle, with neither shield nor mount, against terrible odds—to know the odds, and charge anyway”—you shook your head. You settled the spectacles back on my face, and your features came into sudden focus: the severe line between your brows, the faint flush over the bridge of your nose. “There is a word for someone like that, and it is not coward.”
I suggested, a little thickly, “Traitor?” and wasn’t entirely joking.
“Madman,” you answered, and neither were you.*
I thank NetGalley and Tor for an advance reader copy of The Everlasting. Release date: 28-October-2025.
*This quote is from an advance reader copy and may change before publication. This review will be corrected on the release date if necessary.