Sunday, January 22, 2017

Book Review: Passenger

Passenger (Passenger, #1)Author: Alexandra Bracken
Publication Date: January 5, 2016
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Series: Passenger #1


Passage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them—whether she wants to or not.

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home... forever.


“It's our choices that matter in the end. Not wishes, not words, not promises.” 

“In the whole course of history, war had always fallen on the shoulders of the young.” 

“The only way out is through.”

“A snake could shed its skin, but never change its color.” 


“You are my passenger, and I will be damned before I let any harm come to you.” 

I really wanted to love this book. I loved some parts of it, but most of it I found myself flipped through the pages, counting how many pages I had left until the finish. Needless to say, I don’t think I will be reading “Wayfarer”, which is really a tragedy in itself because it looks so good. I loved Etta and I loved Nicholas, but I felt like the story was lacking a lot. There was very weak characterization and a lot of fluffy writing that I felt was totally unnecessary. This book took me forever to finish and I think a lot of that was due to the “fluff”, for lack of a better word. I greatly enjoyed any and all dialogue shared between characters, but anything other than that was painful to get through.


I think what I really wanted from this book was more action. I loved when Etta and Nicholas were travelling and I loved finding out where they were headed next and seeing their reactions when they got there. I would actually say that I wanted more of that. I wanted to know more about their pasts, their secrets, their personalities, etc. The story could have been really innovative but there was nothing there to keep me intrigued. I have chalked this book up to the pure conclusion that Alex’s writing style is just not for me. I would love to hear from others about “Wayfarer”. I still feel like I want to give it a try, but I am a little gun shy after finishing this one.




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