Before the Broken Star

The Evermore Chronicles, Book 1

By: Emily R. King

Narrated by: Lauren Ezzo

Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2019 by Emily R. King. (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“An epic quest for revenge tests the limits of Everley’s mysterious clock heart and her dauntless spirit in this wildly imaginative adventure story. A pulse-pounding read that gripped me on every page.” --Kathryn Purdie, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Burning Glass

Myth or Legend?

Many believe that myths are stories based on facts changed slightly to entertain or enthrall the audience. This story is about a young lady who gets the chance to meet the characters of the stories told to her as a child. In doing so, she learns that all of the old stories were in fact true. She also learns that she has a part to play in those stories as they have yet to be concluded.
I fully recommend this book.

good bones and potential, but...

There is some good potential here. An interesting world and mythology. Unfortunately, a lot of that potential is muddied by plot holes that pull a reader from willful suspension of disbelief(a settlement in the woods doesn't have a single wood axe to fight wooden soldiers?). Also, a lead character that spends 80% of the book crying and paralyzed by indecision or being cowed by a villain whose only power is that he can't die and is decisive. I wanted to like her but, the only things that got me to the end were Lauren Ezzo's stellar performance (as always) and hope that the main character would evolve some shimmer of sense/backbone/guile/defiance. there was exactly 1 moment at the end(during her duel on the ship) that showed she had developed at all as a character. Then she turns around and gets fooled by the very next enemy she interacts with and acts surprised. I'm gonna give the next book a shot due to the interesting world and some of the supporting cast. however, if the lead doesn't start learning or getting stronger I'm not sure I'll be able to continue which is a shame.

me gusta!

me gustó bastante lo que leí y pasaron varias cosas que no me esperaba, pero si me pasó muchas veces que cuando la narradora hacía las voces de los hombre me costaba entenderle

aún así me interesa bastante leer el siguiente libro de la saga :)

Surprisingly bland

I was really wanting a new series to listen to but this turned out to be rather dull. Main character isn't too bright and the clockwork heart aspect actually ends up being annoying instead of interesting

Great story. Whiney narrator

I really like the story. It's fairly predictable but still entertaining. But HOE.LEE.CRAP! Is the narrator whiney.

about average

at first the book picks up fairly quickly, but almost too much for my taste the story seemed rather shallow for character development, I dont know if there will be more story behind eve or not but to me it didn't really compel me to read more. about half way I mostly half listened since the story was a little more on the predictable side. But I do give credit to the author for the neatherwoods there seemed rather enjoyable and didn't seem to predictable, exception being the cabin won't spill any spoilers if I can. also the reader seemed rather dull for portraying the men they all had the same voice pretty much which made me a little sad because I love audible readers that have a great range for characters and their voices. she did do a fairly good job with the women characters. I applaud the author and encourage her to keep writing but to also read other authors to see how to develop characters with rich background and compelling stories. the main character in this novel seemed to be able to get what she wants without much effort and seemed a little like a brat about her sword every other 20 minutes and got a little annoying to be honest.

Good Narration, Mediocre Plot

The concept is good, but the story drags on and on. The voice actress did an excellent job. The writing felt overly descriptive and the relationships were forced. Very melodramatic. The first half was interesting, but I was annoyed by the end. Luckily this was free..... won't be listening to the second book.

Fantastic story, terrible narrator

The story is so unique and wonderful, but the narrator constantly yells and sounds like she's on the verge of tears. Her tone puts a near-death experience on par with a tense conversation. I'm considering just reading the rest of the series so I don't have to listen to her shriek about every little thing. The main character would seem so confident and strong if it weren't for this abysmal narration.

Steampunk Adventure Series Starter

As the only family member left alive, kept that way by the clock work heart her uncle used in place of her ruined one, Everly dreams of revenge. When the man who murdered her family, the most respected soldier in the queen's army, reappears in her life, Everly know this may be her only chance for justice and answers. Even if it means being sent to a mysterious penal colony as a criminal, never to see her old life or uncle again.

Gawd, I love Jamison so much. He may not be the main character, but he is my favorite character- and it is not 100% due to his dreaminess (ok maybe like 85% due to his dreaminess). He is seriously the most perfect guy- trustworthy, honorable, understanding- and I wanted Everly to just throw herself at him and let him take care of her- but that is not the type of person Everly is or what this book is about. This was very much a slow burn relationship (almost enemies to lovers vibe) that was not the main focus of the book, but man does Emily know how to do romance. there were so many moments that just hurt my heart for them and I have high hopes for a happily ever after...somewhere down the way.

Romance, or rather my hopes for more romance, aside, the magic in the world was so fascinating. There were so many moving parts that Emily expertly wove together in cool new ways I never saw coming. We have a girl who is kept alive by a clock, wonderfully crafted mythology (...or is it mythology...) about immortality and Father Time, dangerous creatures such a a large whale beast, a witch who lures people in, and an island that nobody really knows anything about. And let's not forget about the undying love between a prince and his princess- and a cute little pixy who does not like to be called Blue. The ideas seemed to be independent, but through a magic that is purely Emily's writing style, the story came together to create something wonderful that I desperately need more of.

The ending was action packed and surprising, I am so glad that this is just the first book in a trilogy because I feel like Everly has so much more exploring/revenging left to take on and I am so excited to get to be part of the adventure.

I like the narrator's voice but she seemed to rush

I like the narrator but she seemed to rush through the story and she had a breathless stressed quality that was used throughout so there were no high and low points. it seemed to make the story less meaningful.