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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
While reading this book I was thinking this was going to be for sure a 3.5-4 star reading, until the last few chapters where I just couldn't put the book down. This was way, way better than Passenger, so if you didn't like that one that much, don't let it keep you from reading Wayfarer. You won't be disappointed.
On a side note (I won't even hide this as a spoiler), I wish the fact that Etta and Julian crossed paths wouldn't be stated in the book synopsis. I really liked their relationship and dynamics, but I would've enjoyed finding out about it as I was reading the book. I just don't feel like it had the impact it should have had, because I was already expecting it.
Other than that, it was very, very good. I hope her other books are as good as this one.
On a side note (I won't even hide this as a spoiler), I wish the fact that Etta and Julian crossed paths wouldn't be stated in the book synopsis. I really liked their relationship and dynamics, but I would've enjoyed finding out about it as I was reading the book. I just don't feel like it had the impact it should have had, because I was already expecting it.
Other than that, it was very, very good. I hope her other books are as good as this one.
3.5 (again)
I can't decide on a rating for Wayfarer. Passenger was a solid 3.5 to me but I really can't figure out if I liked this more of less than the first book?
Passenger's whole was better than the sum of its parts which were just alright. As in the characters and story and plot formed a whole that wasn't particularly extraordinary but was pretty solid. Wayfarer was definitely more exciting because of its parts but not so much as a whole.
Wayfarer was more fun because of its all over the place concepts while Passenger worked as a cohesive albeit meh story.
It sounds weird to call a 500+ page book rushed but it certainly felt so at times especially concerning like, the shadows and all the fantastical elements. New characters that were introduced were intriguing but ultimately less developed.
Wayfarer had he same problems as Passenger did with its extraneous details that draggggggged everything along but it was magnified somewhat, probably because the plot wasn't as consistent. A large part of the story was fueled by misunderstandings that could have been avoided by characters just being slightly faster or slightly more wiling to talk.
People seem to feel Etta and Nicholas being separated ruined the book but as someone who didn't really care a whole lot about their relationship in the first place (I know i'm the minority. basically I didn't hate them together they're just bland to me) I actually felt them being separated for a time was a good way for them to shine. (Instead of them just mooning over each other for 500 pages) However, at a point they should have just been reunited if only to carry along the story.
In terms of background characters it was fun seeing Sophia get more screen time. Many of the new characters that came up I really was intrigued by but none of them were ever drawn out to their full potential.. Like, for example, Julian and Li Min just... were not developed well. I'm not entirely sure why Julian was even there half the time other than to maybe provide some comic relief? And Li Min felt rushed and placed there for Sophia's sake. Their motivations were too muddled and I couldn't get attached to them beyond passing interest because of this. And don't get me wrong, wlw relationships in literature are literally the best thing ever but Sophia and Li Min were not givin the attention they deserved imo. Although I think this was less because the author didn't care about them and more because of the pacing of the book in general.
The whole thing with the alchemist's children was again, intriguing, but ?????
Like, I get it was an important element but it wasn't really explored all that well and came out of nowhere. The action bits were very... action-y but not super cohesive.
The time traveling in this was a bit tiring as the constant switching through eras got repetitive. So much so that at one point I got dejavu reading a scene I thought i'd read earlier just with a swapped setting.
By now it probably seems like I disliked this book but I really didn't lmao. There were things I actually really loved about it! I'm gonna reiterate that I felt the parts were better than the whole.. Wayfarer was way more interesting than Passenger. The new characters were fun and stimulating (if not well developed) I liked the new romance (even though...it wasn't well developed) and the plot got more convoluted but more fun because of that? if that makes sense.
The growth of Etta and Nicholas individually was well done especially on Etta's side. I absolutely adored her time with the Thorns and her time bonding with her father. Healthy father-daughter relationships are so pure. I aww-ed so many times in the winter palace when Henry bragged about Etta and Etta felt safe/loved by her dad. That whole bit was truly pleasant to read.
Nicholas was more singularly focused on finding Etta for a while but I enjoyed his banter with Sophia and I love him as a character in general.
I liked the ending! I thought it was sweet and uplifting if a little convenient Many things were left up in the air. It tied together Etta and Nicholas' story nicely at the expense of explaining the greater finale.
I can't decide on a rating for Wayfarer. Passenger was a solid 3.5 to me but I really can't figure out if I liked this more of less than the first book?
Passenger's whole was better than the sum of its parts which were just alright. As in the characters and story and plot formed a whole that wasn't particularly extraordinary but was pretty solid. Wayfarer was definitely more exciting because of its parts but not so much as a whole.
Wayfarer was more fun because of its all over the place concepts while Passenger worked as a cohesive albeit meh story.
It sounds weird to call a 500+ page book rushed but it certainly felt so at times especially concerning like, the shadows and all the fantastical elements. New characters that were introduced were intriguing but ultimately less developed.
Wayfarer had he same problems as Passenger did with its extraneous details that draggggggged everything along but it was magnified somewhat, probably because the plot wasn't as consistent. A large part of the story was fueled by misunderstandings that could have been avoided by characters just being slightly faster or slightly more wiling to talk.
People seem to feel Etta and Nicholas being separated ruined the book but as someone who didn't really care a whole lot about their relationship in the first place (I know i'm the minority. basically I didn't hate them together they're just bland to me) I actually felt them being separated for a time was a good way for them to shine. (Instead of them just mooning over each other for 500 pages) However, at a point they should have just been reunited if only to carry along the story.
In terms of background characters it was fun seeing Sophia get more screen time. Many of the new characters that came up I really was intrigued by but none of them were ever drawn out to their full potential.. Like, for example, Julian and Li Min just... were not developed well. I'm not entirely sure why Julian was even there half the time other than to maybe provide some comic relief? And Li Min felt rushed and placed there for Sophia's sake. Their motivations were too muddled and I couldn't get attached to them beyond passing interest because of this. And don't get me wrong, wlw relationships in literature are literally the best thing ever but Sophia and Li Min were not givin the attention they deserved imo. Although I think this was less because the author didn't care about them and more because of the pacing of the book in general.
The whole thing with the alchemist's children was again, intriguing, but ?????
Like, I get it was an important element but it wasn't really explored all that well and came out of nowhere. The action bits were very... action-y but not super cohesive.
The time traveling in this was a bit tiring as the constant switching through eras got repetitive. So much so that at one point I got dejavu reading a scene I thought i'd read earlier just with a swapped setting.
By now it probably seems like I disliked this book but I really didn't lmao. There were things I actually really loved about it! I'm gonna reiterate that I felt the parts were better than the whole.. Wayfarer was way more interesting than Passenger. The new characters were fun and stimulating (if not well developed) I liked the new romance (even though...it wasn't well developed) and the plot got more convoluted but more fun because of that? if that makes sense.
The growth of Etta and Nicholas individually was well done especially on Etta's side. I absolutely adored her time with the Thorns and her time bonding with her father. Healthy father-daughter relationships are so pure. I aww-ed so many times in the winter palace when Henry bragged about Etta and Etta felt safe/loved by her dad. That whole bit was truly pleasant to read.
Nicholas was more singularly focused on finding Etta for a while but I enjoyed his banter with Sophia and I love him as a character in general.
I liked the ending! I thought it was sweet and uplifting if a little convenient
Spoiler
(Etta's mom being there despite her fatal injury....alright sure.)
There was not nearly enough recapping done in this book. I read it a little over a year ago, and I thought that I remembered most things pretty well, but NOPE! Which is why I wont' be featuring this book on my blog, and why I am putting that disclaimer upfront because I found this book very confusing and very hard to follow.
I remember loving Passenger and I do think that the biggest handicap with this book is my own lack of memory. That being said there should have been a nice recap either as a prologue, or even kind of built in reminders in the story. At this point with so many series being stretched out so long, it's just what happens between books. I did end up enjoying the book, but with it taking almost 40% for me to really get into it and start remembering what's going on I did feel a little let down. I would give this book 3 out of 5 stars, and when I do re-read the whole series, I may bump up this rating.
I remember loving Passenger and I do think that the biggest handicap with this book is my own lack of memory. That being said there should have been a nice recap either as a prologue, or even kind of built in reminders in the story. At this point with so many series being stretched out so long, it's just what happens between books. I did end up enjoying the book, but with it taking almost 40% for me to really get into it and start remembering what's going on I did feel a little let down. I would give this book 3 out of 5 stars, and when I do re-read the whole series, I may bump up this rating.
*dnf po 50%*
Boy, oh boy! Dawno aż tak nie wynudziłam się przy jakiejś książce. Nie dość, że nic się w niej nie dzieje, każda scena jest rozwleczona do granic możliwości, to na dodatek kreacja postaci leży, a system podróży w czasie jest zagmatwany i słabo wytłumaczony.
Boy, oh boy! Dawno aż tak nie wynudziłam się przy jakiejś książce. Nie dość, że nic się w niej nie dzieje, każda scena jest rozwleczona do granic możliwości, to na dodatek kreacja postaci leży, a system podróży w czasie jest zagmatwany i słabo wytłumaczony.
This book was good, but not near as good as its predecessor or as good as I thought it would be. There was plenty of traveling, however we didn't really stay in any one place for long and we didn't get to see anything really about the place in that time. They hopped from place to place very quickly, so it lost quite a bit of the appeal of the series for me.
What I really didn't like about this book was how the whole thing basically boiled down to voodoo and magic. There wasn't a single thing about the Shadows or alchemy or anything mentioned in the first book, and then BOOM, it's all over this book. I felt like that whole concept wasn't explained well. I didn't like how it was this mumbo-gumbo about harnessing some sort of energy and for no reason at all being able to time travel and that ability being passed down. It just doesn't make sense. That really ruined a lot of the book for me.
I felt like not enough happened. 90% of the book was just Etta and Nicholas trying to find each other. It just got boring.
All in all, this is a decent series, but this book just didn't do it for me. However, the cover is absolutely beautiful, one of my favorites ever. Sadly, the inside does not match the outside.
What I really didn't like about this book was how the whole thing basically boiled down to voodoo and magic. There wasn't a single thing about the Shadows or alchemy or anything mentioned in the first book, and then BOOM, it's all over this book. I felt like that whole concept wasn't explained well. I didn't like how it was this mumbo-gumbo about harnessing some sort of energy and for no reason at all being able to time travel and that ability being passed down. It just doesn't make sense. That really ruined a lot of the book for me.
I felt like not enough happened. 90% of the book was just Etta and Nicholas trying to find each other. It just got boring.
All in all, this is a decent series, but this book just didn't do it for me. However, the cover is absolutely beautiful, one of my favorites ever. Sadly, the inside does not match the outside.
This was the second and final book in the Passengers series. It found our two protagonists separated, and I think it was impacted pretty severely by the lack of their chemistry, which made the first book so enjoyable. I found myself frustrated with Nicholas for pretty much the entire book. He vacillated between self-righteously honourable and blindlingly cruel with pretty much no warning, and I did not like it.
Etta's plot was much better; more emotionally satisfying, and more interesting as a plot, with the complications due not to her own stupidity (like Nicholas' were...) but because of the actions of others.
The only reason this book gets three stars is because it really rallied at the end. The last quarter of the book was deeply satisfying, with the plot picking up, the characters making believable decisions, and the plot wrapping up in a way that felt earned and exciting.
Etta's plot was much better; more emotionally satisfying, and more interesting as a plot, with the complications due not to her own stupidity (like Nicholas' were...) but because of the actions of others.
The only reason this book gets three stars is because it really rallied at the end. The last quarter of the book was deeply satisfying, with the plot picking up, the characters making believable decisions, and the plot wrapping up in a way that felt earned and exciting.
At some points this book was really fun and intriguing. At other points I could not get through it! I think if it took Nicolas and Etta a hundred less pages to find each other I think I'd like it better. And I did really like all the characters (especially Henry!!!!!)but the places they went in this book weren't as interesting as in the last one. I still found the wording to be very confusing but overall the book wasn't bad it was just very slow going at some parts. Don't get me wrong I loved the last 100 pages they were great. And I liked the ending but I wish the epilogue was in the future with Nicolas and Etta's kids (and I thought it was for the first half) but I like how this kind of completes the circle
I was so excited to come back to this series when I got my hand on Wayfarer. I've never read a story like this one before, and find it so easy to get lost in the pages and plot of Bracken's beautiful writing. Bonus? LGBTQ characters.
Although as a whole I enjoyed Passenger more, I absolutely loved this book, specifically the ending! I love these characters and it was so nice to watch their development and see how they grew and what they were actually feeling. I can’t get over how much I adore the whole world and concept of this duology, seeing all the different eras and locations was so incredibly cool. I loved so much about this duology and although I’m sad it’s over, I couldn’t have asked for a better ending!
After reading this, I just don't think Alexandra Bracken is for me. I can't get into the plot, I don't like her characters, etc. I am hoping in the future I can pick up The Darkest Minds and try and get through it and actually like something of hers.