I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow Published by Tor Books on October 30 2025
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 311
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: An epic tale of valor and love, The Everlasting will sweep readers off their feet with its intricately plotted story, high emotions and unexpected twists.
“My pen was a hollow reed, clumsily cut, and my ink was gummy brown, but the words came easier than I expected. Like the lines of a poem I’d memorized as a boy, or a story I had told before and would tell again.”
Before I start this review, I have to admit I don’t really enjoy stories about knights with magical swords who pledge their loyalty to the king or queen of the realm, slay dragons and save the kingdom. And that’s exactly what The Everlasting is about (at least on the surface), and so I’ve taken off a half star simply because of personal preference. However, you can also tell from my rating that I ended up loving it, which is a testament to Alix E. Harrow’s gorgeous prose and her skill as a writer. The Everlasting does take some effort, but stick with it and you’ll be glad you did.
The story takes place in an alternate World War I fantasy world in the city of Dominion and follows a scholar named Owen Mallory. One day, Mallory receives an old book in the mail called The Death of Una Everlasting, written in an old language. The book is oddly familiar to him, although he can’t say why. Mallory is tasked by his academic advisor to translate the book, but soon after, the book disappears. In its place is a fancy calling card with an address, and Mallory takes this to mean that whoever stole the book wants to meet with him.
When he arrives at the address, he meets Vivian Rolfe, an imposing woman who explains that she has chosen Mallory to tell the story of Una, a mythical knight who saves Dominion. When she hands over the book, he’s shocked to find the pages blank—blank because he hasn’t written Una’s story yet. Vivian stabs his hand with a letter opener and Mallory suddenly finds he has travelled back in time a thousand years. There he meets Una herself under an old yew tree, and so their adventure begins.
And that is just the bare bones of the plot. Una, the yew tree, the book and Una’s sword Valiance are very important to the story, and throughout this twisty, time hopping tale we see these elements pop up again and again. The story takes readers back to the past, forward to the future, then starts the process over again, and little by little some patterns begin to emerge. The story is mostly told from Mallory’s point of view, although in one memorable chapter, the author takes a risk and repeats a section of the book, this time through Una’s eyes. Harrow takes liberties with story structure and delves into how stories shape our lives—sometimes literally—structuring her tale around the classic fairy tale about a knight and how she saves her kingdom. There are elements of Arthurian mythology scattered throughout, although Owen Mallory’s presence creates some interesting twists on that mythology.
In addition to Una, Mallory, Vivian and Yvanne (the queen that Una serves), Harrow adds some great side characters, like Mallory’s drunkard father who opposes the war (their relationship was heartbreaking), Mallory’s advisor Professor Sawbridge (who learns what’s happening to Mallory and agrees to help) and my favorite, Una’s loyal horse Hen. But the main focus is the relationship between Una and Mallory, a love story that unfolds and grows over time. I loved the way the author uses time travel to give the couple more than one chance, and that’s one reason I couldn’t stop reading—surely Una and Mallory will eventually figure out a way to get their happy ending?
Once the villain is identified and their scheme is revealed, the story takes on even more urgency. Una and Mallory are stuck in a time loop, doomed to repeat their mistakes over and over—or are they? The author gives her readers some epic twists, and I was on pins and needles waiting to see how Harrow would wrap everything up.
The Everlasting was an experience, a brilliantly executed story that should not be missed.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
This is such a great review! I saw this book around (it would have been hard to miss, since it’s everywhere!) but until now I wasn’t really interested in it. Partly it’s because reading it requires work and I am lazy, and partly because I am not the biggest fan of time loops and time travels. But you made it sound intriguing!!
Thanks Susy!
Neat that you enjoyed it, even though it was outside your comfort zone. Perfect for Lynn’s challenge today: https://wordsandpeace.com/2025/12/04/countdown-to-2026-day-4-gifts/
If I had time for Lynn’s challenge this would be perfect!
Beautiful review! I loved this book, and so many of the elements that you point out. (Yay for Hen!)
Thanks Lisa! And yes, I wanted more of Hen:-)
I really enjoyed this and reading your review. And, yes, I don’t think the knight saving the kingdom would typically be my ‘go to’ either but I loved the story and the writing and was almost on the edge of my seat wondering how the author would conclude things.
Lynn 😀
Exactly! It really had a lot of suspense.
Gorgeous cover and great review. I have enjoyed some of her books.
She is such a good writer.
Given that I do enjoy stories of knights, magical swords, and their kings/queens (Arthur and all the rest), I suspect this just might be a good pick for me. 🙂
It sounds like it would work for you!
I didn’t realize he traveled back in time to meet her and tell her story. I have this one on my TBR list, and your review makes me want to read it even more. I’m very curious how their story gets resolved.
I hope you get the chance to read it!
Wow, so glad you enjoyed this one and when the only reason it isn’t a 5/5 is because you don’t typically like these types of tales, that is high praise!
I’m glad it worked out despite the subject matter:-)
I finished this book around Thanksgiving and still need to review it, but my rating is same as yours. The ending completely wrecked me, but I loved it!
I loved the ending so much!
Ooh I’ve been seeing this book everywhere and love your review! Maybe a good one to try on audio!
I think audio would work well! I hope you enjoy it:-)
This sounds really good, I’m glad you enjoyed it. Pretty cover too.
The cover is so pretty:-)
I am glad this worked so well for you Tammy! Time loop never works for me as I get so frustrated.
It was a bit hard at first to figure out what was going on, but in the end it worked!
Beautiful cover! Although what you describe as beautiful prose is from the quote you shared, that is also the type that usually gets me lost and out of the story as it is too much at times for me and why I don’t read a ton of fantasy. Glad you enjoyed this one though, great review!
https://lisalovesliterature.bookblog.io/2025/12/03/bookish-travel-8-november-2025/