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gabbyisreadingnow5's review against another edition
5.0
An outstanding story that delivered adventure and intrigue, I had such a wonderful time with this book! ⚓❤
livpot47's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
librarylandlisa's review against another edition
4.0
This is going to be in my top 5 audiobooks and top 10 books of the year.
Nix has a great character that still resonates well as a teen but not annoying like many YA heroines are. I really had this lovely picture in my head of the entire list of characters and was so surprised that a narrator (who sounded like a teen girl) had such depth in all of the voices. My favorite was the dog bark (which was not a character but a fun noise to hear that made me laugh the first time). The worst part of the book was when a character "spread their hands", that drove me batty, still a wonderfully tiny annoyance which proves this is real writing (you have to dislike one thing or it might just be a magical dream and not a novel).
I will update this in the future once I have the physical book as there are some parts i'd like to quote to illustrate how beautiful and atmospheric the writing is. I love this as an adult book that teens can read, but I think that it was written for YA audience. It is smart and feels like a lovely hist. fiction novel with time travel and myth woven in. I am sad it is over and it will stick with me for a while.
Read it and then we should talk! I bet there will be a part two... and I will buy it for friends.
Nix has a great character that still resonates well as a teen but not annoying like many YA heroines are. I really had this lovely picture in my head of the entire list of characters and was so surprised that a narrator (who sounded like a teen girl) had such depth in all of the voices. My favorite was the dog bark (which was not a character but a fun noise to hear that made me laugh the first time). The worst part of the book was when a character "spread their hands", that drove me batty, still a wonderfully tiny annoyance which proves this is real writing (you have to dislike one thing or it might just be a magical dream and not a novel).
I will update this in the future once I have the physical book as there are some parts i'd like to quote to illustrate how beautiful and atmospheric the writing is. I love this as an adult book that teens can read, but I think that it was written for YA audience. It is smart and feels like a lovely hist. fiction novel with time travel and myth woven in. I am sad it is over and it will stick with me for a while.
Read it and then we should talk! I bet there will be a part two... and I will buy it for friends.
hollylaw84's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
bluebell4's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
booksamongstfriends's review against another edition
3.0
When I found out about "The Girl from Everywhere," I was really looking forward to reading it. The concept of traveling through time using maps sounded insanely intriguing to me. I expected a thrilling blend of action, adventure, and time travel, combined with a unique exploration of coming to age and touching and layered journey of a father-daughter relationship. I got a lot of angst, an unnecessary love triangle, and flat dynamics.
While the book had some magical moments that would captivate a younger audience, I found it lacking for older readers, including young adults. The main character, Nix, often felt underdeveloped, and I wished she showed more concern about her fate. There were times when the narrative felt hollow, and I found myself rereading sections only to realize they didn't add much depth.
The descriptive passages of the places they visited were beautiful, but there weren’t as many time-travel adventures as I had hoped. The story heavily focused on 1884 Hawaii, where the author clearly invested time in research, incorporating historical and folk details that were fascinating.
This book is unique and has potential, and I’m sure there will be readers who love it. However, it just wasn’t for me. It might be better suited for a younger, more angsty audience. Characters like Kashmir, who is passionate and energetic, definitely stand out and draw you in. But when a book promises piracy, heists, adventure, action, and a strong female lead, I expect to get all that in abundance. Instead, it felt like the book only skimmed the surface.
I did appreciate the complex relationship between Nix and her father, Slate. However, other dynamics felt diluted by elements like the love triangle. At 454 pages, I wonder if a shorter, more focused book would have been more effective.
In the end, while this book wasn’t for me, it’s worth checking out. What doesn’t resonate with one reader might be a perfect fit for another.
While the book had some magical moments that would captivate a younger audience, I found it lacking for older readers, including young adults. The main character, Nix, often felt underdeveloped, and I wished she showed more concern about her fate. There were times when the narrative felt hollow, and I found myself rereading sections only to realize they didn't add much depth.
The descriptive passages of the places they visited were beautiful, but there weren’t as many time-travel adventures as I had hoped. The story heavily focused on 1884 Hawaii, where the author clearly invested time in research, incorporating historical and folk details that were fascinating.
This book is unique and has potential, and I’m sure there will be readers who love it. However, it just wasn’t for me. It might be better suited for a younger, more angsty audience. Characters like Kashmir, who is passionate and energetic, definitely stand out and draw you in. But when a book promises piracy, heists, adventure, action, and a strong female lead, I expect to get all that in abundance. Instead, it felt like the book only skimmed the surface.
I did appreciate the complex relationship between Nix and her father, Slate. However, other dynamics felt diluted by elements like the love triangle. At 454 pages, I wonder if a shorter, more focused book would have been more effective.
In the end, while this book wasn’t for me, it’s worth checking out. What doesn’t resonate with one reader might be a perfect fit for another.
jenmangler's review against another edition
3.0
I thoroughly enjoyed the history and mythical elements in this story. And the maps! This book is a history and geography geek's dream. I love how diverse the book is. More Rotgut and Bee would have made it even better.
lola_rocha's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
lindseyllado's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
timinbc's review against another edition
3.0
Making allowances for its being a YA book, I'm still meh.
Kashmir is good, but maybe too good.
Dad is pathetic, but maybe too pathetic.
Nix is bland, bland, bland. Maybe too bland.
The ship's crew are great. Made me think of the pirates in the movie "Stardust."
Blake is OK for me, but he's in the wrong book. There's a place for a young man growing up in a historical society, trying to be good when Dad is Bad, but he just doesn't fit. Maybe he's a representation of All The Normal People In The World, which pretty much describes no one else in the book.
But this book's just too darn casual with magic and history. It's great to use historical references, but when you stitch them all together it's just too easy. A bottomless bag that has zero mass and inertia, how convenient. Chinese warriors from thousands of years ago who understand English orders. Hawai'ian mythical ghosts that turn out to be real just when they are needed. Joss, who knows WAY too much. Time travel constrained only by map accuracy and no-returns. Travelling anywhere and having the right clothes and money, and speaking the language. Magic that happens to take the ship and whatever it's towing.
See where I'm going with this? When is Nix (or her dad) going to understand that we're in a world where he or she can probably deal with a rifle regiment by knitting her brows, frowning, and turning their guns to chocolate? Or perhaps Kashmir will be shot, and Dad will clench his fists and zap them to a parallel world where the shot missed.
One of the rules in SF/F is that you must use the least possible amount of impossible, and you must constrain it. For example, the use of powerful magic must drain the magician temporarily, or reduce the total amount of magic left in the world, or whatever. Here we have the aforementioned two constraints on time travel but no apparent limits on anything else.
Maybe in #2 we'll see that Dad is an addict BECAUSE of the time travel, and Nix is going to have to be careful going forward.
p.s. This book contains another example of something they must teach in writing workshops - the eyes thing. Page 233: "although Blake's eyes were much more sincere." Maybe it's just me, but fellow reader, can YOU tell sincere eyes from insincere ones? Could be worse; in other books people deduce a person's history and profession by looking into their eyes from 200 feet away. This is relatively minor.
Kashmir is good, but maybe too good.
Dad is pathetic, but maybe too pathetic.
Nix is bland, bland, bland. Maybe too bland.
The ship's crew are great. Made me think of the pirates in the movie "Stardust."
Blake is OK for me, but he's in the wrong book. There's a place for a young man growing up in a historical society, trying to be good when Dad is Bad, but he just doesn't fit. Maybe he's a representation of All The Normal People In The World, which pretty much describes no one else in the book.
But this book's just too darn casual with magic and history. It's great to use historical references, but when you stitch them all together it's just too easy. A bottomless bag that has zero mass and inertia, how convenient. Chinese warriors from thousands of years ago who understand English orders. Hawai'ian mythical ghosts that turn out to be real just when they are needed. Joss, who knows WAY too much. Time travel constrained only by map accuracy and no-returns. Travelling anywhere and having the right clothes and money, and speaking the language. Magic that happens to take the ship and whatever it's towing.
See where I'm going with this? When is Nix (or her dad) going to understand that we're in a world where he or she can probably deal with a rifle regiment by knitting her brows, frowning, and turning their guns to chocolate? Or perhaps Kashmir will be shot, and Dad will clench his fists and zap them to a parallel world where the shot missed.
One of the rules in SF/F is that you must use the least possible amount of impossible, and you must constrain it. For example, the use of powerful magic must drain the magician temporarily, or reduce the total amount of magic left in the world, or whatever. Here we have the aforementioned two constraints on time travel but no apparent limits on anything else.
Maybe in #2 we'll see that Dad is an addict BECAUSE of the time travel, and Nix is going to have to be careful going forward.
p.s. This book contains another example of something they must teach in writing workshops - the eyes thing. Page 233: "although Blake's eyes were much more sincere." Maybe it's just me, but fellow reader, can YOU tell sincere eyes from insincere ones? Could be worse; in other books people deduce a person's history and profession by looking into their eyes from 200 feet away. This is relatively minor.