Good Choice Reading: Review: Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

Passenger
by Alexandra Bracken
Hardcover, 464 pages
Expected publication: January 5th 2016
by Disney-Hyperion

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

I have a love for the works that Alexandra Bracken comes out with. I fell in love with her Darkest Mind trilogy and even though I still have yet to finish the final book (I know, I know, I am trying to fix it) I had to stop everything I was doing so I could get a head start on this book. And let me tell you, if you are a fan of the Darkest Minds, you will soon fall in love again. Be prepared to go on an adventure that once you start it will be hard to come back.

I felt that this has to be a little better than her other books. Not hating on her books but in all honesty I did think that this book was more thought out. Everything felt structured, the plot flowed, and the overall story was just impeccable.

As for the characters, Etta is a strong female protagonist who is just a likable character. I connected with her in a way that I have been missing with in some of the books I have been reading. Etta is the character to pull me out of my slump. Nicholas is an interesting male character. He has the ability to accomplish anything that he sets his mind too. These two characters just fit together perfectly like a puzzle and their chemistry was a set match.

As a forthcoming novel, this is one that totally needs to be added to your list of books to be read in the upcoming year. Alexandra Bracken tells a story depicting the history, the culture, and the world of sort that will surely capture your heart. A terrific read to finish off the year.