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Everley Donovan has been kept alive by a clock heart for 10 years, since the murders of her family by a centuries-old prince named Killian Markham. In Before the Broken Star, she had hoped to kill him but found out by sad experience that he was immortal. She witnessed Killian’s blithe destruction of a whole world, one of the seven made in the beginning by the creator spoken of in legends, and learned that she must retrieve the sword of Avelyn that the prince stole.
Now, in Into the Hourglass, she and some crewmates from the ship that had transported them to Dagger Island go after Killian, who escaped to the Land Under the Wave. They face an almost impossible task — that world is full of dangerous creatures and plenty of water that would damage her clock heart, and Everley is realizing that her borrowed time may be coming to an end. But even as she feels fragile and completely not up to the task given her, she knows that the fate of all the worlds lies on her shoulders. The evil prince will stop at nothing to get what he wants, and he seems to always be a few steps ahead of Everley and her small group of friends.
This sequel to the first book in the series is full of adventure, fanciful creatures, dastardly villains, heroes who do the best they can despite their weaknesses, allusions to various fairy tales and a bit of romance. Everley is a heroine who feels she is frail and who has faced a lot of heartbreak. She’s given an important role to play in saving the world but is only told just enough here and there by the legendary Father Time (and some of his helpers) to do what she needs to do. She doesn’t know the big picture. She is a protagonist anyone can relate to.
I’ve enjoyed the series so far but it’s not the amazing, compelling story that will make me mark my calendar for the next installment; it’s one of those that if I wait long enough, I may forget and never get back to when the next book does come out. So we will see what happens.
Rated: Mild. There are only a few instances of mild language; sexual content is limited to some kissing and mild implications that some characters do more than that. Violence is somewhat regular but not gory.
* I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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