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A review by oracleofoaks
Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
4.0
Review originally posted on Jellyfable.weebly.com
I picked up this book purely because of the summary. I loved the play-on-words aspect of the book and how each definition of the word passage played into the plot in a big way.
Time Travel + Historical Fantasy + A Reluctant Hero = Long Set-up
Because of the complicated nature of the set-up, it took me quite a few pages to get into the story and I really didn't feel like I was enjoying the book until chapter five. Etta was thrust into a brand new world and destiny and, although the writing was beautiful in style, it took far too long for Etta to learn about and come to terms with her time traveling abilities. There wasn’t a lot of action in the first half of the book and it was only redeemed by the introduction of interesting characters such as Nicholas and his ship’s crew. However, once the book hit its stride it became far more enjoyable.
Characters and relationships that stole the show
It’s really a shame that the plot elements were so unnecessarily dense because this book could have been held up almost entirely by the characters and relationships. While it took me a while to grow attached to Etta as a protagonist, I started to love both her incredible sass and her big heart. Nicholas was one of the sweetest love interests that I’ve read about in a long time while still having a fully developed personality and character arc outside of his feelings for Etta. Neither he nor Etta suffered from any of the problems I usually find in YA romances and their relationship was cute, romantic, and healthy. The two of them contrasted just enough to make their dynamic interesting and clever.
Excellent writing style
Aside from the problems I had with the organization and pacing of this book, I really did enjoy the writing style. This was the first book I had read by Alexandra Bracken and, having heard mixed reviews about her previous series The Darkest Minds, I wasn’t sure what to expect. However, I ended up loving it. The metaphors were cute and clever and really added to the emotions of the scenes and the dialogue really solidified my love of the characters. The book switched character perspectives several times to assist with the storytelling and these transitions were both natural and necessary. The ending was action packed and exciting and really solidified my absolute love for this book.
The bottom line
Although I initially had trouble getting into this book, I ended up loving it. I became fully enamored with the characters and now I can’t wait for the sequel that is planned for 2017. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who can get past a bit of info-dumping and hold out for the amazing characters and dialogue. It is absolutely worth it.
I picked up this book purely because of the summary. I loved the play-on-words aspect of the book and how each definition of the word passage played into the plot in a big way.
Time Travel + Historical Fantasy + A Reluctant Hero = Long Set-up
Because of the complicated nature of the set-up, it took me quite a few pages to get into the story and I really didn't feel like I was enjoying the book until chapter five. Etta was thrust into a brand new world and destiny and, although the writing was beautiful in style, it took far too long for Etta to learn about and come to terms with her time traveling abilities. There wasn’t a lot of action in the first half of the book and it was only redeemed by the introduction of interesting characters such as Nicholas and his ship’s crew. However, once the book hit its stride it became far more enjoyable.
Characters and relationships that stole the show
It’s really a shame that the plot elements were so unnecessarily dense because this book could have been held up almost entirely by the characters and relationships. While it took me a while to grow attached to Etta as a protagonist, I started to love both her incredible sass and her big heart. Nicholas was one of the sweetest love interests that I’ve read about in a long time while still having a fully developed personality and character arc outside of his feelings for Etta. Neither he nor Etta suffered from any of the problems I usually find in YA romances and their relationship was cute, romantic, and healthy. The two of them contrasted just enough to make their dynamic interesting and clever.
Excellent writing style
Aside from the problems I had with the organization and pacing of this book, I really did enjoy the writing style. This was the first book I had read by Alexandra Bracken and, having heard mixed reviews about her previous series The Darkest Minds, I wasn’t sure what to expect. However, I ended up loving it. The metaphors were cute and clever and really added to the emotions of the scenes and the dialogue really solidified my love of the characters. The book switched character perspectives several times to assist with the storytelling and these transitions were both natural and necessary. The ending was action packed and exciting and really solidified my absolute love for this book.
The bottom line
Although I initially had trouble getting into this book, I ended up loving it. I became fully enamored with the characters and now I can’t wait for the sequel that is planned for 2017. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who can get past a bit of info-dumping and hold out for the amazing characters and dialogue. It is absolutely worth it.