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Sir Una Everlasting is a legend in Dominion. Centuries ago, a princess found her after she had been orphaned. When the princess saw her unusual strength and bravery even at a young age, she made Una a knight. Sir Una fought and bled and gave all for her queen and country. Her story is memorialized in stories and songs that still inspire citizens of Dominion in the modern day.
Owen Mallory is a scholar who has loved Una for years. He loves her story, loves everything he can track down about her. Owen served in the war and was seriously injured; he considered himself a bad soldier, but his love of Una kept him going.
When a priceless book appears at his cramped college office, it changes Owen’s life. And it ends up sending him back in time, nearly 1,000 years, to Una herself. So begins — or is it the beginning? — the intertwining of Una’s and Owen’s lives and destinies. They find themselves endlessly repeating a short period of time. And no matter how they try to change their actions, how they try to change the ending, their fates are the same. Somehow, they must rewrite history itself to claim a life for themselves.
I fell in love with Alix E. Harrow’s writing in The Ten Thousand Doors of January. It’s enchanting, epic, a story of magic and adventure. So I’ve picked up all the books Harrow has written since (Starling House wasn’t completely my cup of tea, but it was good, and so well-written; The Once and Future Witches, also so well-written, but a different tone and vibe). I admit Doors is still my favorite of them all, but The Everlasting is now my second-favorite.
For a while, I had no idea where the story was going. It felt like it “ended” only a quarter of the way through, and then it continued. And I wondered, what is going on?
Well, it repeats in a “Groundhog Day” fashion, though obviously with a completely different tone. And then it gets fascinating. I can’t say much but that the reason behind all of it is … wow. And then how it finally resolves … wow again. This book packs a PUNCH. It has something to say. Some opinions on power and control and extreme nationalism. The Everlasting is a violent, stronger story, whereas Doors is gentler, more magical, and sweeter. I’d also point out that the content here (as you can see below) is not for the faint-hearted.
Rated: High. Profanity includes 30 uses of strong language (including the c-word), around 30 instances of moderate profanity, about 50 uses of mild language, and about 30 instances of the name of Deity in vain. Sexual content includes two or three pretty detailed “spicy” scenes. Violence is frequent, with many injuries, killings, etc.
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