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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
2.5 stars. Not as good as book 1. An incredible slog sometimes.
I know people complained about the pacing of the first book, but I didn't mind it. For whatever reason, the same style just did not work for me in book 2. I found myself skimming long passages and finding the whole thing tedious. There were some great moments where I was really engaged, but they were few and far between compared to how I felt about book 1.
And that ending... pulled its punches. And I sort of hated the epilogue. Which is definitely NOT the reaction I should've had to it. I don't know, the whole ending just sort of felt cheap. I wanted more.
Anyway. I feel lukewarm about the whole thing. Like the epitome of the shrug emoji. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I can't say that I'd go out of my way to recommend this series, honestly.
I know people complained about the pacing of the first book, but I didn't mind it. For whatever reason, the same style just did not work for me in book 2. I found myself skimming long passages and finding the whole thing tedious. There were some great moments where I was really engaged, but they were few and far between compared to how I felt about book 1.
And that ending... pulled its punches.
Spoiler
I wanted somebody to die!Anyway. I feel lukewarm about the whole thing. Like the epitome of the shrug emoji. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I can't say that I'd go out of my way to recommend this series, honestly.
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Liked this a tad more than "Passenger". The writing is, as per usual, gorgeously poetic and lyrical. The plot, as complicated and detailed as it was, made it kinda hard to follow (for me at least.. time travel isn't my forte). The ending scene (not the epilogue) was absolutely beautiful. Wish I wasn't in such a book slump while reading this :(((
Overall I did not enjoy this book as much as Passenger. It was very violent and really dragged in the middle. Things actually got very repetitive. I did like how everything came together in the end, though.
4.5/5 stars
"Mind the hour, mind the date... and find that path which does not run straight."
I enjoyed this book much more than the first one, mostly because Etta and Nicholas are on their own journeys in this one. You may ask why and the reason is I found their romance to be truly eye roll worthy. I thought it was slightly ridiculous. I thought their characters were so much stronger apart.
I also liked all the new characters in this one! No spoilers, I promise! I thought they brought out the best in Nicholas and Etta.
I'll be posting a full review on my blog with more complete thoughts so keep an eye out for it.
"Mind the hour, mind the date... and find that path which does not run straight."
I enjoyed this book much more than the first one, mostly because Etta and Nicholas are on their own journeys in this one. You may ask why and the reason is I found their romance to be truly eye roll worthy. I thought it was slightly ridiculous. I thought their characters were so much stronger apart.
I also liked all the new characters in this one! No spoilers, I promise! I thought they brought out the best in Nicholas and Etta.
I'll be posting a full review on my blog with more complete thoughts so keep an eye out for it.
I absolutely adored Wayfarer!! I feel like I need to read it again immediately because there was so much going on and do many questions answered. This was a truly magical book and a fantastic end to the duology. It definitely lived up to my expectations and then some. I LOVED the character development we saw in this book, and the choices each character made revealed so much about them. I lived for the romance, and Nicholas and Etta love burns across the page magnificently; you just feel like they truly belong together. Alexandra Bracken set up the world so magnificently in Passenger and then made it fall apart in Wayfarer, only to fix it again in a wonderful, breathtaking conclusion.
I have so many thoughts about Wayfarer, I can't possibly remember everything. I did LOVE this book though, and I felt like it really well concluded the story, while also bringing in new characters and relationships, and antagonists. Alexandra Bracken created such a rich world, with layered, dimensional characters, and really captured the scope of the story and how the characters' actions affect not just themselves but everyone, traveler or no. It felt very high stakes and action packed, and despite the fantasy, and magical feel, it felt so real too, because of how well constructed and thought out the world is. I will miss it.
[SPOILERS]
WOW I'm overwhelmed with emotion and love for this book. I feel like we really saw Etta grow as a character as she's thrust into a world she doesn't quite understand, all on her own; in Passenger, it felt like she was very much guided by Nicholas, and now suddenly needed to survive alone. She becomes this headstrong woman that we saw glimpses of in the first book. I loved the banter between her and Julian, and really enjoyed the dynamic between Etta and Henry, though I didn't fully trust him at first. It was interesting to see Henry and Rose so starkly contrast each other - Henry seems so caring and genuinely interested in Etta, while Rose seems to only use Etta to achieve her own ends. At the end we realise both were just trying to do what they thought was right, and protect their daughter. I was so happy at their reunion, though it was cut short.
I really enjoyed seeing Sophia and Nicholas grow together. They're really not that different; both are from times where they are not accepted because of things out their control. It was nice to see them first tolerate each other, then genuinely care for one another. I felt like they became almost like siblings, which was so great considering Nicholas' actual brother never treated him like family. Speaking of, we didn't see much of Julian and Nicholas' reunion, but we saw that Nicholas forgave himself and Julian, and let go of the bitterness and guilt that had been plaguing him. There were moments of insight, like Julian's concern for Nicholas and Julian helping support Nicholas' weight.
I was so happy about Sophia and Li Min!!! In Li Min's introduction, when she asked for a kiss as payment, I thought there was chemistry between them. Even though we didn't see much romance between them with all the fighting going on, it was so sweet at times, with the way they confided in each other and had little moments and glances. And Li Min called her 'nǚ shén' which means 'goddess or nymph' like she literally compared her to a mythical, magical, ethereal being like you're so in love. And they kissed!! Sophie was all angsty then kissed her in a 'now or never' type moment and I was living for it. I do wish we'd seen them reunite though.
The whole Shadows thing was super creepy and unexpected, and the Belladonna was equally mysterious and unnerving. Seeing was Rose went through as child was really heartbreaking and gave us insight into her character, that we didn't know much about until then. The whole finale was just so intense, with the auction and the attack. the astrolabe was just a source of frustration as we found out what would really happen if it was destroyed. And the twist with Nicholas literally taking in the astrolabe's power? Totally didn't see it coming - so unexpected and amazing. It opened up a whole world of possibilities and I'm so happy he could find everyone and reunite the families and loved ones. Especially because Etta was totally alone in her time - I felt so bad for her. When Rose mentioned at the end of Passenger that a traveler from the future had told her that the astrolabe needed to be destroyed and that there would be disastrous changes to the timeline, I wondered who it could possibly be. At the time, I thought it might have been Nicholas or Etta. In Wayfarer, Etta goes back to visit her mother as a child and encourages her to paint; I'm assuming, then, it was Etta who warned her mother, but it's not explicit.
I was really happy to see Hall and Chase again, and it's implied that Nicholas found his mother and saved her - I really hope he did.
The way Etta was brought back together with her parents and Nicholas was so beautiful and well written, I was speechless. The fact that both Rose and Henry were together and so proud of her, and the way Nicholas just appeared all cool and nonchalant on the surface. Nicholas and Etta are such a power couple, and so in love with each other. They know each corner of each other and I was just rooting for them the whole way. I want someone to love me the way Nicholas loves Etta, please.
I have so many thoughts about Wayfarer, I can't possibly remember everything. I did LOVE this book though, and I felt like it really well concluded the story, while also bringing in new characters and relationships, and antagonists. Alexandra Bracken created such a rich world, with layered, dimensional characters, and really captured the scope of the story and how the characters' actions affect not just themselves but everyone, traveler or no. It felt very high stakes and action packed, and despite the fantasy, and magical feel, it felt so real too, because of how well constructed and thought out the world is. I will miss it.
[SPOILERS]
WOW I'm overwhelmed with emotion and love for this book. I feel like we really saw Etta grow as a character as she's thrust into a world she doesn't quite understand, all on her own; in Passenger, it felt like she was very much guided by Nicholas, and now suddenly needed to survive alone. She becomes this headstrong woman that we saw glimpses of in the first book. I loved the banter between her and Julian, and really enjoyed the dynamic between Etta and Henry, though I didn't fully trust him at first. It was interesting to see Henry and Rose so starkly contrast each other - Henry seems so caring and genuinely interested in Etta, while Rose seems to only use Etta to achieve her own ends. At the end we realise both were just trying to do what they thought was right, and protect their daughter. I was so happy at their reunion, though it was cut short.
I really enjoyed seeing Sophia and Nicholas grow together. They're really not that different; both are from times where they are not accepted because of things out their control. It was nice to see them first tolerate each other, then genuinely care for one another. I felt like they became almost like siblings, which was so great considering Nicholas' actual brother never treated him like family. Speaking of, we didn't see much of Julian and Nicholas' reunion, but we saw that Nicholas forgave himself and Julian, and let go of the bitterness and guilt that had been plaguing him. There were moments of insight, like Julian's concern for Nicholas and Julian helping support Nicholas' weight.
I was so happy about Sophia and Li Min!!! In Li Min's introduction, when she asked for a kiss as payment, I thought there was chemistry between them. Even though we didn't see much romance between them with all the fighting going on, it was so sweet at times, with the way they confided in each other and had little moments and glances. And Li Min called her 'nǚ shén' which means 'goddess or nymph' like she literally compared her to a mythical, magical, ethereal being like you're so in love. And they kissed!! Sophie was all angsty then kissed her in a 'now or never' type moment and I was living for it. I do wish we'd seen them reunite though.
The whole Shadows thing was super creepy and unexpected, and the Belladonna was equally mysterious and unnerving. Seeing was Rose went through as child was really heartbreaking and gave us insight into her character, that we didn't know much about until then. The whole finale was just so intense, with the auction and the attack. the astrolabe was just a source of frustration as we found out what would really happen if it was destroyed. And the twist with Nicholas literally taking in the astrolabe's power? Totally didn't see it coming - so unexpected and amazing. It opened up a whole world of possibilities and I'm so happy he could find everyone and reunite the families and loved ones. Especially because Etta was totally alone in her time - I felt so bad for her. When Rose mentioned at the end of Passenger that a traveler from the future had told her that the astrolabe needed to be destroyed and that there would be disastrous changes to the timeline, I wondered who it could possibly be. At the time, I thought it might have been Nicholas or Etta. In Wayfarer, Etta goes back to visit her mother as a child and encourages her to paint; I'm assuming, then, it was Etta who warned her mother, but it's not explicit.
I was really happy to see Hall and Chase again, and it's implied that Nicholas found his mother and saved her - I really hope he did.
The way Etta was brought back together with her parents and Nicholas was so beautiful and well written, I was speechless. The fact that both Rose and Henry were together and so proud of her, and the way Nicholas just appeared all cool and nonchalant on the surface. Nicholas and Etta are such a power couple, and so in love with each other. They know each corner of each other and I was just rooting for them the whole way. I want someone to love me the way Nicholas loves Etta, please.
I've been orphaned by my time.
The timeline has changed.
My future is gone.
Etta Spencer didn't know she was a traveler until the day she emerged both miles and years from her home. Now, robbed of the powerful object that was her only hope of saving her mother, Etta finds herself stranded once more, cut off from Nicholas--the eighteenth-century privateer she loves--and her natural time.
When Etta inadvertently stumbles into the heart of the Thorns, the renegade travelers who stole the astrolabe from her, she vows to finish what she started and destroy the astrolabe once and for all. Instead, she's blindsided by a bombshell revelation from their leader, Henry Hemlock: he is her father. Suddenly questioning everything she's been fighting for, Etta must choose a path--one that could transform her future.
Still devastated by Etta's disappearance, Nicholas has enlisted the unlikely help of Sophia Ironwood and a cheeky mercenary-for-hire to track her down. But after a deadly mistake derails their search, they discover an ancient power for more frightening than the rival travelers currently locked in a battle for control--a power that threatens to eradicate the timeline as they know it.
OH MY GOD!!!! I LOVED THIS BOOK!!
It was such a perfect ending to this duology! There was romance (ish), action, adventure, daring and lots of sacrifice. All this combined to keep me on the edge of my seat as I hoped things would turn out ok.
****I will do my best to write a spoiler-free review, but there may be a few here and there****
Picking up basically where we left off, Nicholas and Etta are separated and both realize that their situation isn't the best. However, I really liked how even though they both wanted nothing more than to find the other, they also realized that finding the astrolabe was important as well. Although I did wonder why it never occurred to either one to go after it directly, knowing that the other would most likely be heading in the same direction. But I digress. So, both pick themselves up and marshal onward.
It was interesting to see some of the enemies who became allies this time around. And there were a few people that may have been presented as "enemies" before, but really it was just because you didn't know them. It was also interesting to see how twisted some of the real enemies really were.
I did have a small issue with Etta and her ready acceptance of what Henry told her regarding Rose. Yes, it turned out that Etta clearly really didn't know her mother as well as she'd thought (or even wanted to), BUT she knew nothing about Henry. Even though he was her father, why after only just meeting him was she so willing to take what he gave as explanation as gospel? While I will admit that it did paint an interesting picture and it certainly would have explained much regarding Rose, at the same time, Etta had been around Rose much longer than Henry. And through her travels with Nicholas, she'd learned that not everything was exactly as you might have thought. So why willingly and fully accept the explanations of a man who she'd never met before?
Again, I digress...
I also really liked that even though Etta and Nicholas were separated, they both stayed true to the other and both remained confident in their feelings as well as their certainty regarding actions of the other (why it was done, etc). Sophia was interesting and I liked learning more about her and seeing that as you peeled back her many layers, she was also willing to be confident in others and care for them too. Meeting all the new characters was fun (well sort of; some of them were downright evil) and I loved all the places that the travelers got to see.
I did spend much of the book hoping that Nicholas and Etta would somehow manage to run into each other and have a wonderfully romantic reunion. Especially because there were a few times were it felt like one had just missed the other. And while they didn't quite get the reunion I was hoping for (knives and forests notwithstanding), their final reunion was so beautiful!! And perfect and AHHHHHH!!!
I was looking forward to this book for such a long time that when it finally came I could barely bring myself to read it - all because it would be over.
SPOILERS
First of all, I am genuinely so glad that we got to meet Etta's dad. I had been waiting for that for a long time and he was everything I had hoped for him to be. I wanted Etta to struggle with how she felt about him, especially compared to how nefarious we knew her mother could be sometimes. Simultaneously, I was glad that Nicholas was having adventures of his own. I wanted to see both of them without the other, to understand how they worked without each other. There was just the right amount of longing without making it seem like an obsession, or hindering with the plot.
The final showdown was epic, and frankly speaking, it ended beautifully. We always knew she had to go home, but I'm really glad that it was done the way it was, without either of them sacrificing what mattered to each of them. And, I'm also really glad that the ending was complete without leaving any loopholes. The prologue was exceptional, so the follow up epilogue was exceptional as well. I'm still not entirely sure what it meant and will probably have to reread but it was a nice mystery and not so confusing that I couldn't close the book satisfied. Neat ending to a neat duology.
SPOILERS
First of all, I am genuinely so glad that we got to meet Etta's dad. I had been waiting for that for a long time and he was everything I had hoped for him to be. I wanted Etta to struggle with how she felt about him, especially compared to how nefarious we knew her mother could be sometimes. Simultaneously, I was glad that Nicholas was having adventures of his own. I wanted to see both of them without the other, to understand how they worked without each other. There was just the right amount of longing without making it seem like an obsession, or hindering with the plot.
The final showdown was epic, and frankly speaking, it ended beautifully. We always knew she had to go home, but I'm really glad that it was done the way it was, without either of them sacrificing what mattered to each of them. And, I'm also really glad that the ending was complete without leaving any loopholes. The prologue was exceptional, so the follow up epilogue was exceptional as well. I'm still not entirely sure what it meant and will probably have to reread but it was a nice mystery and not so confusing that I couldn't close the book satisfied. Neat ending to a neat duology.
4.5 stars. oh my god. cant believe this series is over now. that i finished it. it was so good. so beautiful. the way it was written was breathtaking. and the world was so interesting. and that ending was perfect. so beautiful. im giving it a little lower rating than the first one tho bc i was a bit confused about the shadows and what they were etc, or maybe im just dumb. but i still loved this and its been a fantastic time reading this duology.