03 February 2016

Review: Passenger

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken 

Publication Date: January 5, 2016
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion 

PASSENGER is a captivating and refreshing look at exploration and adventure. Violin prodigy Etta Spencer is about to make her solo concert debut when she suddenly finds herself on board a privateer ship in the 1700’s. Etta discovers that she is part of a family of time travelers led by a ruthless and cutthroat patriarch, who will do anything to control the past, present, and future. In order to do that, he needs Etta to locate a priceless object that can potentially change history forever. With her mother’s life in the hands of the family, Etta has no choice but to journey through time and follow the clues scattered throughout history. Accompanied by a ship captain named Nicholas, who has his own complicated history, she is determined to save her mother and make everything right. But all is not what it seems, and everyone has a hidden agenda, including Etta herself.

While this may sound like a run-of-the-mill YA adventure novel, the writing style and characters really make this book stand out. It The author does a good job of incorporating time travel without making it too confusing, overbearing, or hard to follow, making it an excellent recommendation for realistic and historical fiction readers who are looking for a little variety. It reads much more poetically and fluidly than your average thriller novel, though there are still exciting action scenes. Every character is believable and complex, and issues with time traveling that would have never occurred to me, such as racism, are addressed in a thought-provoking manner. There’s even a little romance involved! 

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