Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

Summary from Goodreads:

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.

Review:

I love a good time travel book, and this did not disappoint. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this one as much as I did. I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting. Certainly not adventures at sea, secret codes, family secrets, passages in time that are opened up with musical notes, magical artifacts, desert travel, violent attacks, and a super interesting, forbidden love.

I like how the book tackled things like race and gender in regards to time travel. Basically, it was not easy for someone not white or male to go back in time.  I loved that one of the first conversations Etta has with a fellow traveler involves conversing about when women finally get the vote. And I love Nicholas. (Though, did his name really need to be Nick Carter?) I love his dreams and his sense of justice. His story was raw and powerful. And I love getting a biracial love story.

I love the romance and the adventure. I think my favorite parts all took place on Nicholas’s ship. His crew owned a piece of my heart. Though, I also loved all the scenes in the desert and even the jungle. This was more than anything, an adventure story. The plot was constantly moving. Etta was always on the run from somebody or other.

There’s still so much I need to know about Etta’s history and about her mother. I cannot believe the state of things this book ended in. Talk about cliffhangers. The end makes me need book 2 so badly. I cannot wait to see what happens next.

I really enjoyed this one. I am so shipping Etta and Nicholas a lot more than I was expecting to. I’m curious to see how it all resolves and what happens to the timelines. I love stories where the underdog takes the lead and I this is very much that kind of story. I’m hoping more comes up in regards to Etta’s music in the next one. Should she be practicing?

This was better than expected. I give it a 9/10.