BEFORE THE BROKEN STAR (The Evermore Chronicales #1) by Emily R. King Book birthday!

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.



Opening line:
 "In the beginning, there was not time, and no man or beast walked the world."
So many different stories going on in this story! Clockwork heart, lost prince, sleeping prince, Oz-like forest, wicked witch, wooden soldiers, Father Time, pirates, and fairy dust. Such a different take on so many fairy tales. 

Everyley Donovan watched her family be slaughtered. She alone survived, just barely. When she woke, her clock master uncle had given her a new heart--a clockwork heart. Bent on revenge, she finds herself in trouble with the law and sailing toward a penal colony. What will she find there? Lots of imagination and characters.
But on the island, just like this whole story, the nothing is ever how is seems. Thanks to Ms. King's amazing writing, Everley is a strong, flawed lead, her world is bright and dark, and her friends fight for her. 
The story begins like a train pulling out of the station; slow enough that the reader can get to know the train and watch the scenery. But soon, the train, the story, picks up steam. Exciting vistas are around every corner and it's hard to pull away from the window. Pretty soon, the train has picked up so much steam and there's no way this train is stopping until it pulls into the station, until the very end of the book. But once I stopped, I was ready to get back on and go on another fantasy trip conducted by Emily King. 

Thanks to netgalley for the early read!