I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Passenger by Alexandra Bracken Series: Passenger #1
Published by Disney Hyperion on January 5, 2016
Genres: Historical Fiction, Time Travel, Young Adult
Pages: 496
Format: eARC
Source: the publisher via NetGalley
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passage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.
Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them— whether she wants to or not.
Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home . . . forever.
Whenever I read about a book that has anything to do with time travel, I’m going to be all over it. Time travel involving Colonial times? All over it, but even faster. PASSENGER–the first book in a new series by Alexandra Bracken and also the first book of hers I’ve ever read–is built on a mythology of time traveling families. Etta Spencer and Nicholas Carter are two teens from different times who must band together to outfox the Don Corleone of time traveling, who wants a powerful object at any cost. OOOOOOHH! PASSENGER was gripping at parts, surprising at parts, slow at parts, and fascinating at parts, which adds up to me enjoying it a lot.
I have to admit, PASSENGER started out a little slowly for me. We meet Etta Spencer in current-day New York about to go on stage for a big violin concert (she’s basically a prodigy) when things go all pear-shaped and she winds up on a ship in 1776. As you can imagine, this is hugely shocking. Meeting Etta and going through the first part of the book with her isn’t boring, but once she gets onto the ship where she meets Nicholas, things slowed down not much happened for a little while. Well, aside from Etta and Nicholas going through those tentative first steps in becoming friends, which is obviously important, but still slow. Once we make it off the ship and into Colonial New York City, things pick up and don’t really slow down again. HOLLA!
Now, truth time: As much as I ADORE time travel–and I do–the explanations of it in books sometimes confuse me. That did happen a little bit in PASSENGER, but not as badly as in other books that I’ve read, so that’s a bonus. I’m really intrigued by this concept of time traveling families. Like, why only those families? Where did it come from? There are some other aspects of the time travel mythology in PASSENGER that are interesting and thought-provoking, too. I liked that some of the theories were familiar to me as standard concepts of literary time travel, while others were new, and OF COURSE I loved going to different times with Etta and Nicholas.
So. Speaking of Etta and Nicholas. Let’s just get this out of the way: I wasn’t really feeling the romance. I KNOW I KNOW. Wasn’t my favorite aspect of PASSENGER, I think because there was just a little unevenness about it. Things start out very polite, all “Miss Spencer” etc. There’s friendliness and admiration but that’s all, which is wonderful. Then protectiveness, then double-crossing, growing feelings, danger all over the place, more protectiveness, and then BOOM I LOVE YOU. It wasn’t insta, but it just didn’t feel organic to me. I loved them both as characters, but the romance was a little lacking. WAH.
All that being said, since the romance isn’t the only thing going on in PASSENGER, the end left me really looking forward to book 2 because REASONS. There are things revealed over the course of the book that call certain things Etta and Nicholas believe to be true into question. Things just HAPPEN and I really want to know how they play out. Also, I want the bad guy to get what’s coming to him obvs.
PASSENGER was a solid read, friends. Not perfect, but still sets a pretty decent barometer for not only book 2 but for Alexandra Bracken in general. I’m looking forward to reading her other work!
This is a really solid review. You’ve pretty much convinced me to pick up my copy sooner rather than later. I’ve been putting it off since it’s a little on the long side, but I’m liking the time travelling ideas you mentioned.
I’m glad you enjoyed Passenger! I definitely think Alex has written a solid story, and I’m really excited for the sequel. (You should definitely read The Darkest Minds series! SO GOOD.)
I was so excited for Passenger and then I just haven’t gotten around to making myself read the e-arc I have. Your review is perfect though, it tells me just what I need to know! I love time travel too and I was just talking about wanting more colonial books in YA so I think I need to read this soon! I’m pretty good at suspending disbelief about time travel because if I think about it too hard it makes my brain hurt haha! Too bad about the romance, I hope I connect with it a little more. But organic growth is important to me so maybe I won’t. Glad you’re looking forward to book 2!