Author: Heidi Heilig
Series: The Girl From Everywhere #1
Genres: YA, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Source: Kindle Edition
Pages: 469
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This book was the October read for Keep it Diverse group.SYNOPSIS: It was the kind of August day that hinted at monsoons, and the year was 1774, though not for very much longer.
Sixteen-year-old Nix Song is a time-traveller. She, her father and their crew of time refugees travel the world aboard The Temptation, a glorious pirate ship stuffed with treasures both typical and mythical. Old maps allow Nix and her father to navigate not just to distant lands, but distant times - although a map will only take you somewhere once. And Nix's father is only interested in one time, and one place: Honolulu 1868. A time before Nix was born, and her mother was alive. Something that puts Nix's existence rather dangerously in question . . .
Nix has grown used to her father's obsession, but only because she's convinced it can't work. But then a map falls into her father's lap that changes everything. And when Nix refuses to help, her father threatens to maroon Kashmir, her only friend (and perhaps, only love) in a time where Nix will never be able to find him. And if Nix has learned one thing, it's that losing the person you love is a torment that no one can withstand. Nix must work out what she wants, who she is, and where she really belongs before time runs out on her forever.
I had already heard of this book since... well, forever. Even before it was published and it was on my TBR but I didn't get a hold on it until now. I was very excited about time travelling and diversity!
LOVE: There is no love until about 60% of the book. There is flirtation though and then cowabunga suddenly a wild love triangle appeared which annoyed the heck out of me. Luckily it was resolved in the end.
What did you guys think about THE GIRL FROM EVERYWHERE?
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THE WORLD: It's our normal world but a few people are able to time travel through maps... meaning when a map is drawn accurately they can travel to that place and time. It doesn't even have to be a "real" place as long as the painter believes that his map is real. Does that make sense? Like if I believe in Hogwarts and draw a map of it in 1895, the time travelling people could perfectly travel to Hogwarts at that time. How cool is that?
These are the important maps for the story:
These are the important maps for the story:
CHARACTERS: The main character is Nix Song who time travels in a pirate ship captained by her father. How AMAZING is that? Nix was born in Honolulu in 1868 but her mother died while her father, Slate, was away time travelling... when he returned and found out he was devastated but he took Nix and never came back. He loved Nix's mother so much that decided he had to find a map of Honolulu of 1868 so that he could go back in time to safe Nix's mother and "be a family" although nobody knows if going back with grown up Nix would make her disappear or what...
In present time while they search for a map with the crew they pick up different people from their voyages, being one of them Kashmir, a thief from a magical land that actually doesn't exist but the map maker believed it did. Kashmir and Nix are best friends and he's so witty! I really liked their dynamics. The crew also includes a lesbian woman who lost her wife but still talks to her (as she believes her ghost is still following her).
Then we have Blake and Auntie Joss who we meet once the crew arrives in Hawaii. I honestly wasn't fond of Blake... disappear, be gone, thank you very much. Auntie Joss on the other hand was hilarious and mysterious at the same time. She's key.
In present time while they search for a map with the crew they pick up different people from their voyages, being one of them Kashmir, a thief from a magical land that actually doesn't exist but the map maker believed it did. Kashmir and Nix are best friends and he's so witty! I really liked their dynamics. The crew also includes a lesbian woman who lost her wife but still talks to her (as she believes her ghost is still following her).
Then we have Blake and Auntie Joss who we meet once the crew arrives in Hawaii. I honestly wasn't fond of Blake... disappear, be gone, thank you very much. Auntie Joss on the other hand was hilarious and mysterious at the same time. She's key.
LOVE: There is no love until about 60% of the book. There is flirtation though and then cowabunga suddenly a wild love triangle appeared which annoyed the heck out of me. Luckily it was resolved in the end.
PLUS: I adored the fact that the whole book is based on real history, specially Hawaiian. I didn't know anything about Hawaiian history so the explanations at the back of the book were really useful and super interesting!
I loved Nix and Kashmir as characters. They were so cute and badass together.
Honorary mention to all the diversity included in the book. We have POC characters, LGTB+ mentions and historical accuracy (though with a fantasy twist to it)
MINUS: As much as I loved the plot and time travelling... it was also very confusing xD
So many jumps to different times and the time travelling rules that mess up the crew's plans... Auntie Joss' involvement omg there were so many things!
OVERALL: 4 stars. It was a pretty solid book with good characters. I loved Nix and Kashmir. I'm still trying to decipher the timeline though because we jump from place to place and to different years... phew it's quite complicated. The second book is called The Ship Beyond Time and will be published next year!
I loved Nix and Kashmir as characters. They were so cute and badass together.
Honorary mention to all the diversity included in the book. We have POC characters, LGTB+ mentions and historical accuracy (though with a fantasy twist to it)
MINUS: As much as I loved the plot and time travelling... it was also very confusing xD
So many jumps to different times and the time travelling rules that mess up the crew's plans... Auntie Joss' involvement omg there were so many things!
OVERALL: 4 stars. It was a pretty solid book with good characters. I loved Nix and Kashmir. I'm still trying to decipher the timeline though because we jump from place to place and to different years... phew it's quite complicated. The second book is called The Ship Beyond Time and will be published next year!
What did you guys think about THE GIRL FROM EVERYWHERE?
