Passenger (Passenger, #1) in Hype or Like Friday

Nov 11, 2016 Savannah rated it liked it

Shelves: own

If you'd like to read my non-spoiler review on this (beware, it's quite long), check it out here:
https://thebookprophetcom.wordpress.c... ...more

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Dec 26, 2016 Marie rated it it was ok

Shelves: disappointing

*2.5
Well , this was one of my most disappointing books of 2016. I was really anticipating this book but I forgot about it so I only just got around reading it now. My main problem with this story is the writing style.The writing style made the story very boring and slow . I was counting the pages , I felt like nothing really happened for the first half. The end picked up and got exciting but it wasn't enough to keep me engaged. I do appreciate the diversity (POC) but it just wasn't enough for m ...more

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Mar 05, 2016 Kirsty rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-ebook, arc-galley, diverse, reviewed

Review's up! https://kirstyreadsblog.wordpress.com... ...more

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Jan 14, 2016 Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction-young-adult, series-book-1, reviewed, rp-netgalley, genre-romance-deliberately, g-a-paranormal-powers, g-a-real-combat, g-t-contemporary, g-c-asian, imo-neat-premise

Thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Etta, on the night of her debut as a violinist, discovers she can time travel. Sheltered and lonely after a youth spent in long hours of practice she is determined to get back to the one person who loves her, Rose, her elderly violin coach. Instead she's forced to follow a trail laid down by her cold and distant mother. After she meets Nicholas on board a pirate ship in 1776, they head out to f Thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Etta, on the night of her debut as a violinist, discovers she can time travel. Sheltered and lonely after a youth spent in long hours of practice she is determined to get back to the one person who loves her, Rose, her elderly violin coach. Instead she's forced to follow a trail laid down by her cold and distant mother. After she meets Nicholas on board a pirate ship in 1776, they head out to find a mysterious artifact connected to her family.

I did not expect to like this, nor did I expect to give it 5 stars! First off there is a long setup where not much happens except a lot of talking heads. It's not that it was overt telling the whole time, its just that it didn't take many events to setup the beginning. Once we pass 50% the story events really pick up and the real story gets on its way. It's not that I hated the first half of the book, just that dialogue was the supreme way the world building happened.

This was helped by the duel POVs. We switch between Etta and Nicholas, one born in the 20th century and the other in the 18th century. I really loved how they embodied their POVs. Nicholas is used to prejudice and laws keeping him from reaching his full potential as an African American sailor. He knows there are limits to getting what he wants and that there are consequences for even trying to do so. Etta has pursued what she wants her entire life and is on the cusp of her future - to become a professional violinist. I thought her reactions to Nicholas' treatment were quite spot on without becoming trite or commonplace. She sees a handsome 20 year old man and he sees an off limits temptation in the form of a 17 year old white girl. They do dwell on each other and their potential future a tad too much for me. They go into it over and over again and always determine that there is no future. Yet they are time travelers that can come and go as they please... Past that I really liked that they both thought for themselves! This is really very rare for most characters react to what is happening to them. I liked that Nicholas was able to reason things out for himself as the what Etta was thinking and it went a long way when he reasoned out what he thought he should do and while I didn't agree it felt organic to the character! There relationship was really well balanced, perhaps too well balanced for their college aged selves, but since this was overtly a romance I think it works well. For example, I love how she was the strong in pushing them to get to the station but then she cracks due to the fear and he gets to be the strong one in the tunnel. This is how relationships really are!**

Once they started traveling I really liked all the places they went and the problems they ran into. The descriptions were very well done -- not so intrusive that I was left thinking about what she was describing but enough to get a feel for the locations and a sense that I was there with them! (The best kind of description to me!)

The world building was rough to me because it was all setup by dialogue and only shown later in the second half of the book. I do like that everything was kept simple and explained in the moment it came up, it interrupted the story less that way and while not the best way to build a world did do its job satisfactorily. The mystery of the clues and getting the astrolabe was much better done. I absolutely loved the clues, particularly the London clue and how they logic-ed it out then her memory brought to mind the real answer! So believable and well done!! The time traveling was also well thought out with the not crossing paths with yourself and having limited passages. Also the villain was quite well setup even if overtly evil and I really appreciated his motivation. I can see where this could go to tie up the loose ends with Nicholas' past and how Etta could effect that. I also like the secondary couple that played a big role in this book, I hope they get better development in the next!!

The twists and turns are just enough that even if you saw one coming the next surprises you! I really enjoyed the different storylines with her mother and Rose, the Thorns, Sophia and the old man as well as Nicholas' past with Hall and Julian.

4.5 stars rounded up because despite the flaws I was really taken with the story!

BOTTOM LINE: A racially diverse romance with a bit of time travel!

**Note: There is sex but it was more tasteful than some and considering they aren't 16 and 17 I thought worked a lot better here than in other stories. ...more

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Jan 24, 2016 Liam (Hey Ashers!) rated it liked it

Shelves: ya, paranormal, interracial-couple, biracial, poc

This is a review from Hey Ashers! It's too long for Goodreads; you'll find the entire original review, including a cleaner layout and full-size versions of the pictures, here!

Spoiler Rating: High

Dearest Lizzy,

After Truthwitch, this is my second Sexy Sea Captain book in a row (filling a hole in my life I'd never noticed before)—and although I liked Passenger better overall, reading it has actually made me consider bumping my rating for Truthwitch up from three to three and a half stars.

Let me ...more

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Jan 04, 2016 Debby (Alwaysbooking) rated it it was ok

Shelves: net-galley

I hate to give any author a below 3 star review. This is their lively hood they poured their heart and soul into this book.. This was definitely not the book for me. Maybe I was expecting this book to live up to the amazing hype it was getting?? Maybe I was going off the author's name and how well her previous series did?? This is a book with time travel, pirates and different centuries to explore. What's not to like??

So I'm going to start off by what I did like. There are a few scenes in this b ...more

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Apr 13, 2016 Meggy Chocolate'n'Waffles rated it liked it · review of another edition

This review was originally published on my blog. Find it here https://chocolatenwafflesblog.wordpre...

Etta is a regular teenager who has cut herself from everything to focus on her passion: the violin. Her world revolves around her mother, with who she has a complicated relationship, and her violin teacher. She doesn’t have anything else. I am not sensible to music in general. Yes, I cry if I hear a special song, but an instrument alone has never moved me. I am lyrics girl. Still, the recurrence This review was originally published on my blog. Find it here https://chocolatenwafflesblog.wordpre...

Etta is a regular teenager who has cut herself from everything to focus on her passion: the violin. Her world revolves around her mother, with who she has a complicated relationship, and her violin teacher. She doesn’t have anything else. I am not sensible to music in general. Yes, I cry if I hear a special song, but an instrument alone has never moved me. I am lyrics girl. Still, the recurrence of a certain musicality and the references to music, either in words spoken by Etta or in the writing itself did not bother me. I found it a good tool to try and understand Etta. You get to learn about her through the events and her reactions, I appreciated it better than if I had been told “she is blablabla.”

Now, let’s get to Nicolas. Contrary to Etta, Nicolas was born in the 18th century. He is a pirate with quite an interesting background. His presence brings an interesting contrast with Etta’s reactions to the places and times they visit. Their reactions are a mirror of their own society. Most other characters are familiar with time traveling, being able to adapt and fit in, but the rules of the century they were born in just never really fades away. It is also worth mentioning Nicolas is an Afro-American, and the subject is tackled throughout the book. I thought it was a nice touch to give depth to the story itself as well as the experience narrated. Also, isn’t it nice not to have a fair and tall blond guy with blue eyes and a killer smile as a love interest? Etta’s mother has a particular role in the story and the reader’s feelings towards her change as the story unfolds. Still, at the end of the book, I did not know if I liked her, understood her, or hated her.

Welcome to Passenger Airlines, we wish you a pleasant journey.
Dear authors, if you’re going for time travel, beware I am a Doctor Who fan (RTD era, not Moffat, please.).
If handled badly, your journey will leave the reader bored, confused or both. Thankfully, the matter was handled quite well in the Passenger. I won’t reveal where the story takes you but I was relieved (that being an euphemism) when the characters escaped the whole boat and pirates area. I am not a fan of pirates, legal or not. The transitions are smooth and do have a nice coherent feeling as we discover the entire time traveling process with Etta. Many details about each time and place are set for the reader to connect with the story and the problems encountered; clothes, manners, society issues. Nothing is left behind, Bracken has done her share of homework.

Etta is sent on a mission by someone she doesn’t know, surrounded by people she had never heard of before, far away from the regular life of a teenager. Imagine being told you can travel through time and space, that the closest people to you have left you in the dark about it, and that now you need to use your ability to save them by retrieving an ancient object. Said object being extremely dangerous if left in the wrong hands. Should Etta follow the orders or make sure the object, which was hidden for a reason, stays away forever? Everyone has an agenda, riddles need to be worked on, historical events come in the way, unwelcoming places are visited. All events build up a tension that reaches its peak at the end of the book. I felt just like Etta most of the time. The beginning left me confused, a little bored at time (thanks, pirates!) but once the quest began, I just had to keep going. On the side, and slowly making its way into the characters’ hearts is a love story that is hinted throughout the first part of the book, and becomes a major matter as we follow Etta and Nicolas’ adventure. Their relationship is not rushed or imposed on us out of nowhere but grows with the hardships both have to go through, which I thought was refreshing.

Overall, I did like Passenger, although I wish the prologue weren't so soporific. ...more

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May 20, 2015 Crystal rated it it was amazing

Disclaimer: I received this free book from NetGalley in exchange for an un-biased review.

Time travel must be tough. To write that is. I can’t imagine the hurdles an author has to go through to make the science stick. Not to mention making it just fantastical enough without becoming completely unbelievable. On the other hand, the reader has to put a great deal of trust in an author. If I keep reading, if I suspend disbelief for just a bit longer will this be worth it? In the case of Passenger by Disclaimer: I received this free book from NetGalley in exchange for an un-biased review.

Time travel must be tough. To write that is. I can’t imagine the hurdles an author has to go through to make the science stick. Not to mention making it just fantastical enough without becoming completely unbelievable. On the other hand, the reader has to put a great deal of trust in an author. If I keep reading, if I suspend disbelief for just a bit longer will this be worth it? In the case of Passenger by Alexandra Bracken your trust is well founded.

A young girl, Etta Spencer, is suddenly drawn back hundreds of years through time to confront a destiny she was completely unaware of until this moment. Etta herself is a great character. Too often lately, authors are trying so hard for their lead to be portrayed as a “strong, female lead”, what we end up with is a girl so far from normal, unearthly, preternaturally accomplished that it’s hard to relate to the character. Etta Spencer is much more real. She is confused, sickened and frightened by her situation. She doesn’t have any special fighting skills to lean on (I swear if I read about one more teenage girl who (surprise!) is a genius with a bow and arrow I’m going to scream!). What she does have is determination, fierce loyalty to the people she loves and a firm sense of right and wrong. Those things will serve her well in the future, or in the past. Ha! I also like the way Ms. Bracken writes the men in her books. Nicholas is a complex character. I love that Ms. Bracken’s books are always so diverse. As an African-American this comes into play with Nicholas. The time he lives in has worked on him in ways that leave him understandably insecure but he is still a very principled and hardworking person. A match for Etta if there ever was one. Will they end up together? Unknown at this point. *wink wink*

I’m a fan of Alexandra Bracken’s, since I read her Darkest Minds series and this new series is just as promising. The story did bog down a little bit in the middle. Is it because I’m an older woman that I wasn’t swooning for the make-out sessions? Instead, I found myself yelling at them “For goodness sake's people, get moving! TIME is running out!” Well that in and of itself is testament to how invested I was in the story. For those of you looking for a little romance to temper the fantasy, this book is a good one for you. Ms. Bracken certainly knows her audience and delivers just what they like. I enjoyed the story, and am looking forward to the next installment of the series, Wayfarer. Which can’t come soon enough for this reader.

Bonus link: Here’s a treat – a Pinterest board by Alexandra Bracken with photos and artwork that inspire or are inspired by Passenger – fashion to die for! Click Here!

Spotify Song for this book: Edge of the Ocean – Ivy
...more

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Jul 23, 2015 Cody Roecker rated it really liked it

4.5 Stars!
this was a solid book that I enjoyed immensely!!! I almost threw the book across the room close to the end out of anger, but now I just need WAYFARER because the ending made me NEEDING book 2!!! Full gushy review to come tomorrow probably!

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