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.Rating: 4.5/5
Genres: YA, Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction
Before I get started, a quick note to those who have read The Darkest Minds series: expect differences. And maybe that's incredibly obvious, but when I love the first series from an author, I struggle a bit when a new series is published. That one series is all you have to go off of, and you haven't yet seen all the author's tricks, so it's something I just have to keep in mind. Basically, when you get super into one series, it's characters, themes, settings, then it can be harder to transition. The Darkest Minds had very dark themes, and there was a lot of inner conflict because of Ruby's powers. Passenger touches on some similar themes, as most YA do because of the universal coming-of-age thing, but its tone is so much different. But it's still "morally complex," of course (suck it Bergstrom). So to be clear I'm not bashing it—I find it incredibly exciting because who knows what else Bracken will come up with! Just wanted to make sure people don't expect a repeat of her first series—Passenger is captivating in its own unique, wonderful way.
Onto the actual review! I was super excited to be able to read this ARC because I love Alexandra Bracken, but then it got even more intense when I opened it up to William Ernest Henley's poem "Invictus." This may be a stretch, but I feel like if you love that poem, then you will not be disappointed in Passenger. The two fit so well, and with all the time traveling, I have a little headcannon that the poem was inspired by the characters. But that's definitely a far stretch, so I'll just be happy in my little fantasy.
And one of my favorite things about Bracken's work is her theme choice and how she presents it. Time traveling stories take a lot of planning and thought since everything gets much more complicated, but I didn't see any fault in her twists and turns. And it's no surprise that "choice" was a heavy motif—since it's common among time traveling plots—but you'll love how she weaves it through her character's actions and thoughts. It's incredibly inspiring, and I have so many highlighted quotes in my copy. The language flows so well in classic Bracken style of fun dialogue and then deep inner thoughts, so if you know her work you'll see that her writing capability has not faltered at all.
Character wise, Etta and Nicholas are a force to be reckoned with—both individually and together. They shine in their own ways, and they blend seamlessly as partners. Their dynamic is so fun to read and observe, and it honestly was probably my favorite part out of the whole novel. Characters are what keep the readers interested, so that's an incredibly good sign. I found it very easy to connect to Etta, even though I definitely do not have time traveling powers, so there was no disconnect in that sense. Be ready to love these new characters Bracken introduces and soak it all up.
Overall, the only thing I had an issue with was the pacing at the beginning. It was a lot of telling and switching settings, so it was honestly a bit jarring. But it all smoothed out in due time, and then it was easy to forget once it all got rolling. I would recommend this to anyone interested in a historically captivating time traveling story with strong characters and complex twists and turns.
Passenger is out in just four days, so be sure to look out for it!
(P.S. Please excuse the tears in my copy—I took it on a family trip and it unfortunately got a bit beat up!)
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