School Library Journal
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Gr 8 Up-Blood is not only life but currency in the kingdom of Sempera. Blood is turned to money and the rich can buy eternal life. Jules Ember must journey to the palace at Everless and earn enough money to save her father and herself. When they fled Everless 10 years ago, Jules promised she would never return. Above all, her father warned her: stay away from the queen. Jules longs to see Roan, a boy she used to play with who is now in line for the throne, but she hopes she never sees his older brother Liam again. Jules takes a job at Everless right before the queen arrives. The closer Jules gets to the queen, the more she discovers that things are not as they seem. Jules is fearful that her power to stop time will be exposed. Debut author Holland builds this world effortlessly as Everless rises from the first pages in the village of Crofton and its outskirts. Readers will be instantly transported to a world where people travel by horse and kingdoms follow bloodlines. When time stops for Jules, readers will remain spellbound as she describes her surroundings. The author captures a fierce and solid female protagonist in Jules and surprising plot twists and unexpected villains make this series opener the next big thing. VERDICT An action-packed, must-have fantasy for all YA shelves.-Pamela Thompson, Col. John O. Ensor Middle School, El Paso, TX © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

After banishment as a child, a girl must brave a treacherous estate to save her father and unearth her past.White teen Jules Ember lives with her father in the kingdom of Sempera, where they struggle to make rent. The Gerling family, owners of the Everless estate, collect tenants' blood-iron: coins forged from blood, each equating to increments of time that can be added to a life span. Desperate to save her ailing father, Jules hopes to work at Everless to earn enough blood-iron to pay their debts. There's a royal wedding approaching and much to be done. Lord Roan Gerling, also white, whom Jules grew up with, is betrothed to the ward of the queen. Jules hopes Roan will remember her, and her heart stutters when she sees him. Her father forbids her to go to Everless, warning her never to let the queen near her. But Jules sets out on a dangerous path; she can pause time itself, and memories of her childhood aren't what they seem. Rather than hide from the queen, she's determined to find out their true connectionultimately risking everything. Though tropes abound, characters are given room to grow past them. Propelled by inventive lore and magic, Jules' story, which she narrates in the present tense, is a heady, addicting page-turnerespecially for readers who prize worldbuilding over romance.Utterly absorbing; a must for fans of Sarah J. Maas' Throne of Glass (2012) and its sequels. (Fantasy. 13-adult) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Set in a world in which blood, iron, time, and currency are inextricably entwined, Holland's complex debut novel blends myth, palace intrigue, and magic into a tale of self-discovery. To avoid eviction, 17-year-old Jules Ember takes a position at Everless, the estate of the powerful Gerlings. Jules still has feelings for her childhood friend Roan Gerling, but she's terrified of his cruel brother, Liam, who is the reason she and her blacksmith father had to flee Everless in disgrace years ago. Roan is to be married to the sweet-natured Ina Gold, the adopted daughter of the queen of Sempera. Jules's father has warned her about the queen, but Jules makes a shocking discovery and must get close to her at any cost. Holland's lush, intricately drawn world hides an undercurrent of darkness underneath a veneer of beauty and finery, and the twists are genuinely surprising. Jules's first-person narration reveals a smart, resilient young woman determined to reconcile her past with an uncertain future. Readers will eagerly await her next journey. A Glasstown Entertainment property. Ages 13-up. Agent: Stephen Barbara, Inkwell Management. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

In the kingdom of Sempera, time is currency. Your time can be taken away in an instant, especially if you're a servant in the Gerling household, the most powerful family in the city of Everless. Long ago, Jules and her father fled Everless due to an accident with the Gerling children. Now, in order to save her father from his growing time debt, Jules must return to Everless, even though doing so puts her in grave danger. Jules quickly gets swept into the violent secrets of the Gerling family and the Queen of Sempera. As Jules begins to unwind their secrets, she learns that she might have more power than she ever thought possible. Holland's debut is set in an intricate and immersive fantasy world, a world she skillfully builds through layers of flashbacks and memories. The concept of Everless is refreshing and unique, and readers will be desperate to figure out Jules' history as she unravels it. Those same readers will be eager to dive back into the world of Everless, so here's hoping for a sequel.--Shepard, Amanda Copyright 2017 Booklist