Title: Before the Broken Star (The Evermore Chronicles)
Author: Emily R. King
Genre: Fiction/ Fantasy/ YA
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 4/5

Favourite Quote: ‘”Everley, this hunger for vengeance will rot you. Could you do it? Could you become a monster to destroy one?”
“The only way to be rid of rot is to cut it out,” I say.
Uncle Holden’s eyes dampen. “Your heart can only handle so much.”
“My heart should have stopped long ago.”‘

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.*

It’s been 10 years since Everley watched a man abuse and slaughter her entire family right in front of her. She can still hear her sister’s screams in her nightmares and see her mother’s lifeless eyes as she lay in a pool of her own blood. She would have joined them as the man plunged the sword into her chest if it hadn’t been for her uncle. Since then she has lived with a clock in her chest where her heart should be. The clock heart shouldn’t work, it shouldn’t function as an organ to keep her alive, but it does. She can’t help but feel one day Father Time will come to her and claim the time she has stolen. Until then, Everley is full of thirst for revenge for the man who took everything from her. Killian Markham. Unfortunately, she wasn’t as prepared as she would have liked when he casually walked into her uncles shop completely unaware of who she was and the raging intensity of her hatred towards him. She pushed through all her emotions and allowed herself to be taken prisioner on one of his ships sailing out to the cursed Dagger Island to claim her chance once and for all. It was worth everything she had to discover the truth.

‘”You mustn’t go,” Uncle Holden pleads. “The store, the workshop, our home – this will all be yours someday.”
“Thank you, Uncle,” I say, lowering my hood. “But I’ve lived longer than either of us thought possible. I cannot let this time go to waste.” 
Sweeping my cloak behind me, I dash into the cover of night.’

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was so unique and satisfying I couldn’t put it down!
Everly was a brilliantly written character with a dark haunting past that she cannot lay to rest, the evidence on her body is encouragement to find and destroy the man that tore her life apart. I absolutely loved her clock heart, gift from Father Time that had saved her the night her family was murdered. A constant reminder that time is precious but instead of living each moment, Everly spends her time waiting for revenge. Training with a sword to strengthen herself for when the opportunity arose to use it on the one person who has plagued her nightmares for years. She’s brave, courageous and pushes past her limit to save others. It’s endearing to see her develop affection for those around her, feelings she tried to fight off, particularly with Quinn and Jamison.

Lieutenant Jamison Callahan was extremely intriguing. A high ranking officer born of privilege willing to risk his future to save Everley, a girl he barely knew in order to keep his promise to protect her. He married her without a thought and kept her safe in his cabin whilst sleeping on the floor for the entire journey to Dagger Isle. He claims they want the same thing, and that their marriage won’t change any feelings towards one another. But when he starts to put her above everything else, you can’t help but wonder where it will lead. Falling for a girl without a heart.

‘He bends and rests his ear over the ticker. Each beat echoes through my head as though my own ear is pressed to my chest. He straightens and touches under my chin.
“You’re a marvel,” he says. 
“No-” 
“Yes. These years you were given are a gift. Don’t be so distracted with what keeps you alive that you neglect to live.” 
I duck my chin, burying it in my loose dress. Though I am still mostly covered, I feel completely naked.’

The storyline was fantastic, you don’t know what’s going to take place when they arrive at the cursed island where they plan on spending the next seven years in banishment. An island Everley’s father discovered which lead rumour to the entrance of the Ruined Kingdom, a story read to children full of mythical creatures and pure fantasy. Or was it? The surprising twists and unexpected plot will keep you hooked and craving more. The best part is, it doesn’t end here. This is only the first book of The Evermore Chronicles. I’ve already preordered her next book, Into The Hourglass to find out where the next adventure will lead to!

Goodreads Review:
A fierce young female adventurer battles time itself to claim her destiny in a sweeping new fantasy saga from the author of the Hundredth Queen series.
Everley Donovan is living on borrowed time. The lone survivor of her family’s unexplained assassination, she was saved by an ingeniously crafted clockwork heart. But the time she was given won’t last forever. Now, every tick-tock reminds her how fragile her existence is and hastens her quest to expose Killian Markham, the navy admiral who shattered her world and left her for dead. But Everley’s hunt for justice will be a long and hard-won voyage.
Her journey takes her to a penal colony on a cursed isle, where she will be married off and charged to build the new world. It is here, and beyond, that hidden realms hide, treasures are unearthed, her family secrets are buried, and young love will test the strength of her makeshift heart. When Everley discovers Markham may not be who he seems, her pursuit for truth is bound to his redemption, her tragic history, and her astonishing destiny.