Overall Before the Broken Star was ok, but not great. It was simple (to put it plainly). The premise for the book sounded amazing but the entire execution fell well short. Initially I really enjoyed the world building, however past the half way mark the plot, characters, motivations and my understanding of it all start to fall apart. The writing itself is very good and easy to read, but it was the content that really let the story down in my opinion. I seem to be one of the few out there that did not really enjoy this book.

World Building
Initially we are set up as a reader to enter magical world with magical creatures. There is mythology, steampunk and a kingdom ruled by a Queen. We follow our main character Everley, who is on a quest for revenge after the murder of her family. She herself is almost killed in the same attack but was saved by a clockwork heart that keeps her alive.

As someone who in real life deals with human anatomy on a daily basis, I found the clockwork heart extremely hard to swallow. In two different scenes it is described as 'not knowing how it works, it just does'. Ummmm.... I understand the basic shape of a clock time piece and I do not think it could seperate oxygenated blood from deoxygenated blood, but whatever. Let's believe it for fantasy's sake. I'm just not sure how clock hands would physically pump blood around the body without valves, musculature and all sorts of other supporting structures. <b>All the other characters in this book appear to adhere to normal anatomy and physics, yet having a clock instead of a heart means you can still live??</b>. I don't know...

Characters
Characters in this book lacked any type of complexity and they felt so shallow to me. Their motivations, emotions and relationships were superficial. I could not connect to ANY of them. They did not interact well with each other and towards the end of the book the characters seemed completely different to who they were at the start.

Romance
Initially the shy and subtle romance building between Everley and her beau was really nice to read, but again, it did not continue into the second half of the book. It was almost like the characters suddenly regarded each other as robots without emotion. They didn't communicate, the romantic moments seemed stiff and awkward and just didn't inspire any happiness in me.

Story
At the start we had clear motives and a clear direction for the story to take and then it all started to break down. It got more and more confusing and so unrealistic, even for a fantasy! By the end I was just rolling my eyes. It became jumbled, hard to follow and just had too many things happening at once. It was almost like the characters depth got sacrificed for everything in mythology and fantasy you could think of being rolled into one.

To summarise:
If you like fantasies and can believe almost anything, this book is for you. For me it would be something I read to fill in time if I didn't have anything else on hand. It wasn't something I enjoyed a lot but I can see how many people would enjoy it.

I wasn't sure I would like this book at first but it was strangely addictive. I'm a sucker for a revenge storyline. Things got a bit weird in the middle but the end was very high paced. I'm glad I won't have to wait long for book 2.

i found this story weirdly entertaining. I loved the weirdness with Everley's heart. With how this world is put together. With the ruthless things that happens. The cursed island was built up beautifully and I found the idea of it really exciting. I also really enjoyed Everley as a MC.

I'm including no spoilers in this one because it is really something you gotta read for yourself - but all in all, I enjoyed it a lot and there was a certain ruthlessness to this book which I had not anticipated.

This novel was a good read to a new series by Ms. King. There are many plot twists and true most have ulterior motives. Time is a theme in this novel, where past and present collide. Everley Donovan seeks revenge for the murder of her family. She has waited for Killian Markham to make his appearance, for he almost succeeded is killing her too, if not for her uncle. She gets herself on a ship, but nothing goes as planned. She gets married, not exactly by choice either. However, Jamison does care for Everley. Myths become truths when Everley discovers the reason for Markham’s journey and the role she plays in it and her own family’s role. She is determined and will get help from unlikely sources. Only she can stop the evil that is coming. I am looking forward to the next novel in the series!

**Review can be found at https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/ **

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.

There are so many reviews for this already, I can't add any value with a review other than to recommend it for fans of sorcery fantasy.

I really appreciate the complimentary copy for review!!

**Disclaimer: I applied for this book on NetGalley but while I was waiting to be approved, I purchased a copy and read it. I was still granted approval on NetGalley and I loved this book so I wanted to share my opinions.**

Title Before the Broken Star

Author Emily R. King

Description from Amazon

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.

Initial Thoughts

I fully admit that this was a Bookstagram influenced purchase. The cover and under the dust jacket binding of this book are so beautiful. I had to have this one on my shelf (regardless of the contents).

Favorite Quotes (this book had two)

“Could you become a monster to destroy one?”

— Page 24

This quote is so essential to Everley’s journey. She constantly finds herself straddling the line between wanting to slay monsters and becoming one herself. This book has her question her motivations so often and it feels so authentic. I feel like I’m always reading books about characters who never doubt themselves (please see Kammani from Gravemaidens).

“This was not a day for forward progress. Some days push us ahead into better times, while others pull us back so far nothing can reverse the damage. Those are the days that redefine our future for the worst. Those are the days where I despise time the most.”

— Page 102

I love the writing in this book. Emily R. King has a real way with words. Special shout out to the fact that she is using first person narration. It’s very difficult to make a young, naive, headstrong main character sound so wise.

Cover Art

I love this cover 😍. The colors are so pretty (blue and purple, so up my alley). And, the clock covered in thorns is so interesting. There is so much symbolism and meaning behind it. As a special bonus, under the dust jacket is even more beautiful. It’s like a beautiful combination of tie dye and outer space. I love it so much I almost want to display the book without the dust jacket (I know, crazy right?).

Series Value

This book sets the trilogy nicely. We have several fun characters to work with, there is a master plot beyond just the first book, and there are several other unexplored worlds mentioned throughout the story. I am definitely eagerly awaiting the next installment coming in August 2019.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About

Once again, I find myself missing the romance factor. Jamison was so perfect for Everley and the slow burn of their love is literally killing me. Although it is perfectly written, my impatience forces me to criticize it for not moving faster.

Final Thoughts

Since this book was purchased entirely for its outer beauty, I did judge this book by its cover. I enjoyed the story and characters so much and I have already preordered the next volume (I don’t even care what the cover looks like 😉).

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Recommendations for Further Reading

Daughter of the Pirate King and Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller – although Before the Broken Star is not a tale of pirates, a large portion of it takes place on the sea and travelling. Also, Alosa and Riden remind me so much of Everley and Jamison.
Everless and Evermore by Sara Holland – I think these books are similar to Before the Broken Star because of the time element. Everley constantly worries about living on borrowed time and not knowing when her time will run out. The setting of Everless has an interesting take on life, immortality, and the idea of borrowed time.
Dark Breaks the Dawn and Bright Burns the Night by Sara B. Larson – this is another story with an interesting concept of time. Also, there are strong parallels between the plot through elements such as romance, curses, and family legacies.

Well, Emily did it again and I enjoyed reading Before the Broken Star so much. Everley is one of my favorite characters now. She was stubborn and fierce and she annoyed me on more than one occasion. That's the mark of a good character that I'm invested in. Stubborn people are always annoying and never do what you want them to do but they usually do the right thing. Everley was relatable and the way she treated the people she cared about was amazing. She never wavered in her feelings and her path forward stayed true. I loved Jamison so much. He was the perfect love interest and I loved how slowly his and Everley's relationship blossomed. It was natural and not forced at all. I enjoyed Quinn, Claret, Laverick, and Vevina. I liked how sassy, funny, and strong the women were in this book. Emily is great at making strong female characters that form sisterhoods and support each other and fight for each other.

Markham and Harlow were the perfect villains and annoyed me to no end. Markham and Harlow's callousness and selfishness was astounding. They did not care about anyone but themselves and were willing to sacrifice whatever they had to in order to get what they wanted. I really did hope Harlow would find her end somehow during most of the book and Markham too. The other minor characters were all well done as well and filled out the story.

I cannot wait to see what is next for Everley and Jamison and the rest of their friends. I am excited to see what book 2 brings!

My goodness I was so excited to find this book I loved the authors other series and when I got to this one I was kind of scared because I haven’t had the best of luck with books in I think its first person. With the I this and I that. But this one worked out so well. I should have never doubted King’s ability to pull me into a story. This one was no different than her Hundredth Queen series it pulled me in from the very first pages and I could not put it down. I stayed up way later than I should to read and finish this amazing story and I don’t regret it at all.

This world that King has created is just amazing and something that I didn’t see coming. I know there was another book out a few years ago that dealt with people having clockwork hearts but where that one was slow and bogged down this one was light, easy to read and understand, and so full of amazing steampunkyness that I just can’t tell you how much I loved this story.

As a retelling of a gender swap Pinocchio I think the author did an amazing job. I don’t know if that’s what she was going for but it totally screamed it. I loved how this one unfolded and as I said I couldn’t put it down!

The characters in this one were just fantastic!! I loved Everley and how she dealt with the aftermath of losing her family. Her story of avenging her families death reminded me of the Princess Bride with the one guy looking for the 5 fingered man. It really broke my heart with the flash back early with how she lost her family and became the way she is. A lot of flashbacks don’t work well but this one did volumes to move the story along as well as to make you truly feel for the what she has gone through. I really love that she didn’t know things right out. I liked that through this story she learned to fight etc. It was nice to have a character that had to work for what she wanted and just didn’t know at the start of the story. Other characters fill out the story and make it one of the best that I have read this year. One other thing that I would like to mention in this one is that I loved that the story didn’t totally focus on the romance between Jamison.

The other thing this book has going for it in the character department are some freaking kick butt women! I could see some novellas with other characters coming out of this one and that would make my little heart happy!!

This rare combo of Mythos, Magic, historical fantasy with a splash of science fiction was just one that I didn’t see coming but I should have never doubted. I fell for the characters head first and I can not wait for the next installment!!

I received an advanced copy via the publisher from Netgalley for an honest review.

Wow.....just, wow! This novel I think is an all new level of amazing and something that I completely did not expect, but entirely in a good way. Emily introduced an incredibly amazing, whole new world that just sucked me in and kept me completely guessing. Tying some amazing mythology, religious beliefs (in the novel, not preaching), and some fantastic bad ass women with a steampunk flare! This was a whole new amazing world that I absolutely adore and cannot wait to keep exploring....so hurry up, where's the next part?!?!?!?

This is seen as a gender swap Pinocchio story with some pirates and a whole new magical world and so many more adventures to come. I would HIGHLY recommend this because it is just spectacular!!!