This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
The Everling and the Acid King by J. Christie is a wildly inventive and emotionally charged science fantasy adventure that takes the beloved 'magical school' trope and electrifies it with sharp edges and adult stakes. We're with fourteen-year-old Chezzy, who is used to being passed around the system, so when a bizarre headmaster whisks him away to an underground academy full of mutants and tech-infused magic, it feels too good to be true. But as Chezzy settles into his new life, complete with a group of equally strange and loyal friends, he begins to unlock dormant powers as the last of the everlings: immortals with healing abilities and mysterious pasts. When the Acid King rises as a threat from beneath the surface, Chezzy must decide what he is willing to risk for the first place that ever felt like home.
Author J. Christie writes with a huge amount of energy and excitement naturally infused into the text, and it is impossible not to be swept up in its strange beauty and high-stakes drama. I've been looking for a worthy replacement to recommend in the 'magical school' subgenre. I appreciated the balance between gritty realism and fantastical wonder that this book provides, especially in the emotional depth given to the characters. Chezzy’s journey is not just about magic or destiny, but about belonging, trauma, and the courage it takes to hope again. This is a rare crossover that speaks to teen and adult readers alike, with enough heart to heal and enough darkness to challenge. Overall, The Everling and the Acid King is an unforgettable, genre-defying debut that fuses fantasy and science into something truly unique and emotionally resonant, and I'd definitely recommend it.
