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!
