Author: Heidi Heilig
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Source: Greenwillow via Edelweiss
Goodreads
Heidi Heilig’s debut teen fantasy sweeps from modern-day New York City to nineteenth-century Hawaii to places of myth and legend. Sixteen-year-old Nix has sailed across the globe and through centuries aboard her time-traveling father’s ship. But when he gambles with her very existence, it all may be about to end. The Girl from Everywhere, the first of two books, will dazzle readers of Sabaa Tahir, Rae Carson, and Rachel Hartman.Review by Nara
Nix’s life began in Honolulu in 1868. Since then she has traveled to mythic Scandinavia, a land from the tales of One Thousand and One Nights, modern-day New York City, and many more places both real and imagined. As long as he has a map, Nix’s father can sail his ship, The Temptation, to any place, any time. But now he’s uncovered the one map he’s always sought—1868 Honolulu, before Nix’s mother died in childbirth. Nix’s life—her entire existence—is at stake. No one knows what will happen if her father changes the past. It could erase Nix’s future, her dreams, her adventures . . . her connection with the charming Persian thief, Kash, who’s been part of their crew for two years. If Nix helps her father reunite with the love of his life, it will cost her her own.
In The Girl from Everywhere, Heidi Heilig blends fantasy, history, and a modern sensibility with witty, fast-paced dialogue, breathless adventure, and enchanting romance.
While definitely quite a unique book, The Girl from Everywhere was a novel I was somewhat on the fence with. Certain aspects of the book were quite memorable, including the characters of Nix and Kashmir and the strange magic of travelling time through any ship as long as you have a map of the destination of the exact time period you'd like to go to. Other aspects of the book didn't make too much of an impression on me, namely the actual plot.
Not much seemed to happen for most of the book, or rather, the main plot wasn't overly compelling, with most of the story being somewhat boring. There were quite a few mythological/fantastical elements thrown into the story and I kind of felt like a lot of these were rather underused. An example being this pet dragon that Nix inherits- what the heck happened to this dragon? It kind of just randomly turned up once or twice and was then forgotten about.
Nix and Kashmir had this absolutely fantastic banter, and while the majority of the book doesn't really put them together as love interests, I feel like I still shipped them more than I did Nix and a certain other love interest. I guess mostly they were best friends, which is still a ship that I gladly sailed #puns.
Basically, while the book had a great premise, the story itself wasn't quite as fleshed out or as interesting as I would have liked. I would still recommend it to those who are looking for something unique.
Liked it
RatingsOverall: 6/10
Plot: 3/5
Romance: 3/5
Writing: 4/5
World Building: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 4/5
