The Breaking of Time: Chronicles of the Arvynth

MARIEL HEMINGWAY'S BOOK CLUB SELECTION

One father's desperate choice fractures time and reality itself.

To everyone around him, Daniel Ward is a mild-mannered accountant, devoted husband and father in a quiet New England suburb. But when his ten-year-old son chases a runaway soccer ball into the street, straight into the path of a speeding truck, Daniel does the impossible. He freezes time.

That single act of defiance exposes the secret he's buried for decades. His magic awakens the ancient order he once betrayed, the Arvynth, a brotherhood of immortal sorcerers devoted to stillness and death, determined to silence the world.

As his carefully constructed life unravels, Daniel must protect his family while evading the brotherhood that hunts him. Every second he steals from time feeds the void that seeks to consume it, threatening not only the people he loves but reality itself.

Forced to choose between sacrifice and survival, Daniel discovers the truth: sometimes the loudest act of love is defiance.

The Breaking of Time is a race against eternity, a supernatural thriller that fuses urban fantasy and family drama in a story about the noise of life, the cost of power, and one father's desperate fight to keep the world from falling silent.

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Independent Book Review:

"J.J. Hebert’s The Breaking of Time, the first book in the Chronicles of the Arvynth series, is an immersive paranormal thriller that balances the rich worldbuilding and in-depth lore characteristic of fantasy fiction with the all-too-human dramas of identity, family, and the consequences of secrecy … Hebert describes events with striking sensory precision … While the story incorporates aspects of urban fantasy, supernatural horror, and domestic drama, it never feels cluttered. Hebert blends these genre elements smoothly, often using small, ordinary details as anchors …These moments make the supernatural events feel even more unsettling because they intrude on familiar settings … Overall, The Breaking of Time is a compelling beginning to what is bound to be an epic story as the series progresses. It introduces a fascinating protagonist, an ominous magical world, and a family on the brink of collapse, all while maintaining the tension of a thriller and the emotional depth of a drama."

Literary Titan (5 Stars):

“The Breaking of Time drops you straight into a life coming apart at the seams. Daniel Ward looks like any middle-aged dad, but he’s actually a centuries-old sorcerer hiding from a ruthless order … The quiet suburban world he built starts to crack, and those cracks spread fast. The book follows Daniel as he struggles to protect his family while the old world he fled pushes its way back into his life. It blends magic, danger, family drama, and a growing sense that every choice Daniel makes costs him something huge … His voice feels worn, tired, and trying so hard to pass for normal that when he breaks, it hurts … The scenes where Daniel feels the Arvynth closing in gave me this tight pressure in my chest, like the danger was creeping into the room with me … The magic feels physical. I could almost hear the world stop when he speaks the old words … The mix of intimate family tension and sweeping ancient magic keeps the pace unpredictable and alive … This book would land especially well with readers who enjoy fantasy woven into ordinary life, stories about families under impossible pressure, and characters who carry heavy pasts that finally catch up to them. If you like magic that feels tactile and real, or if you enjoy emotional stakes wrapped inside supernatural danger, this book will hit the spot.”