The Everlasting by Alix E Harrow Book Review

Let’s dive into the book of the moment — The Everlasting by Alex E. Harrow. I recorded this about a week ago, but it didn’t turn out well during editing, so I’m redoing it now.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Starling House comes a moving and genre-defying quest about a lady knight whose legend built a nation and the cowardly historian sent back through time to make sure she plays her part, even if it breaks his heart.

Sir Una Everlasting was Dominion’s greatest hero — the orphaned girl who became a knight and died for queen and country. Her legend lives on in songs and stories, in children’s books and recruiting posters, but the truth of her life has been forgotten.

Centuries later, Owen Mallerie, a failed soldier and struggling scholar, falls in love with the tale of Una Everlasting. Her story takes him to war, to the archives, and then into the past itself. Una and Owen are tangled together in time, bound to retell the same story over and over again, no matter what it costs. But the story always ends the same. If they want to rewrite Una’s legend and tell a different story, they’ll have to rewrite history itself.

This book is considered fantasy, romance, historical fiction, and romantasy. I thought it was really interesting, and Alex E. Harrow has a great way of writing dark, gritty fairy tales. The expected publication is October 28, 2025, and it’s about 320 pages in hardcover. I listened to the audiobook, which was incredibly well done.

The story feels like a grown-up version of Alice in Wonderland, but with knights and legends instead of daydreams. It draws inspiration from tales like Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Una is not Arthur but a knightly figure, perhaps like Gawain or Lancelot — a hero of her age who slays dragons, overthrows nations, and serves her queen faithfully.

Owen Mallerie lives in what seems to be Una’s distant future, maybe a thousand years ahead. He grows up fascinated by her legend. Described as a failed soldier, he seems instead to have been injured in war and honorably discharged. One day, a mysterious book appears, then disappears, leaving an address. When he visits the location, he meets a woman from the upper echelons of society who wants him to write Una’s true history.

Through a strange turn of events, Owen is transported a thousand years into the past, right into Una’s life — a time when she’s unsure how to proceed with her destiny. Having read her story, he knows what’s supposed to happen. Una is intrigued by this strange man and allows him to stay as her scribe. Though she dislikes scribes and bards, something about him convinces her.

She had given up on slaying the last dragon, but for Owen’s sake, she takes up her sword again. As the story unfolds, Owen subtly guides her actions, knowing how events are meant to play out. When Una kneels before her queen, everything shifts — and suddenly, Owen is pulled back to his own time.

The book then takes on a time loop structure, similar to Groundhog Day. Owen is drawn into the past multiple times, each time changing small details that slightly rewrite history. He begins to realize that someone else is manipulating the loops for their own gain, using both him and Una as pawns.

Each time they relive the story, the narrative alternates between Owen’s and Una’s perspectives. Through these cycles, they fall in love across lifetimes. Their connection deepens as they struggle to break free from the repeating pattern and reclaim control over their fate.

The story features a nation in turmoil, a legendary knight burdened by duty, and a scholar trapped by destiny. Every return to the present brings subtle but powerful changes to history — in government, politics, and even memory.

I thought this was an incredibly clever and moving story. I definitely plan to continue reading Alex E. Harrow’s books. The ending left me with a real book hangover — it’s impactful and emotional.

At first, the story felt a bit slow because it wasn’t clear where it was heading. But once the time loop element appeared, everything clicked, and I couldn’t stop listening. The audiobook narrator did a wonderful job, and I highly recommend it.

I’d rate this 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 on Goodreads and NetGalley. It’s a book I want to own physically and recommend to anyone who enjoys fantasy romance with mild spice — I’d rate it about one pepper for heat. It’s a love story built on connection and destiny, rather than explicit romance.

It’s dark and gritty but not horror or gothic — just a fairy tale that isn’t sugar-coated. The knight and the scholar both endure loss and hardship, reminding us that history is written by the victors, and sometimes even they wish they could rewrite it.

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