Bon Voyage | Passenger by Alexandra Bracken (+ Giveaway!)

Alexa of Alexa Loves Books and I are back already with another week-long celebration for a book we adore. (See what happens when awesome books are released on the same day?) This time we're featuring Passenger by Alexandra Bracken and we're excited to talk about this amazing book for the next five days.

We have a lot of fun posts in store but today, we're starting with our thoughts on this brand new series.

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Passenger (#1) by Alexandra Bracken
pub Jan 6, 2015 by Disney-Hyperion
Young Adult - Time Travel

If you’ve been following me since I became a book blogger, then you know I’ve been singing this author’s praises months and months before The Darkest Minds came out. That book and every installment in that series has turned me into an even bigger fan of Alexandra Bracken’s writing. And Passenger, the first in her new series, totally knocks it out of the park. The writing, the storytelling, the characters (!), the time travel (!!). I’m definitely getting ahead of myself here but if there’s one thing I want you to take away from this review, it’s that you should buy this book.

Etta, short for Henrietta, Spencer has no idea that her world is about to be turned upside down. At present, she’s a violin prodigy, living with her single mother and has been devoted to studying music under the tutelage of her teacher and friend, Alice. Then without warning, she’s literally pushed into a whole new way of life and a legacy she was completely unaware of. Turns out, she’s from a family of passengers who are able to travel through time. Caught in the midst of a conflict she’ll soon begin to understand, she wakes up in an era that’s centuries before she was even born. Here she meets Nicholas Carter, a fellow traveler, seaman and someone who’s been trying to escape the influence of the Ironwoods, a powerful time-traveling family.

He has a past that’s deeply entwined with theirs and while “free”, it’s impossible to escape them. Something Etta is about to learn herself. The Ironwoods want Etta and Nicholas, to find an object that was stolen from them and it’s up to him to ensure she does (for her safety). They’re given clues left by the passenger who stole it and together they travel across different times and places to find it.

Bracken sets the stage for her characters beautifully. I’m constantly in awe of her storytelling skills as she paints a vivid picture of the different times and places they visit but especially in how she establishes the rules of time traveling. While it’s been done before, she makes it her own and us readers got the right answers as the plot constantly moved forward. With each new era Etta and Nicholas visit, they get closer to finding this stolen object and closer to each other as well.  I loved their characters from the get go and Etta has easily become a favorite heroine. She handles everything thrown at her surprisingly well, using her intelligence, tenacity and empathy to drive her forward. It’s no wonder Nicholas is drawn her and likewise, her to him. He’s a good, kind man burdened by scars from his time and the Ironwoods. I loved them individually but especially together. They’re in this as partners and let me tell you, when you get to that ending, you’ll understand why I can’t wait to see what’s next for these two.

(No) reservations

Maybe it’s because I’m a long time fan of Bracken’s but I find the pacing of her books just right for her stories. Some may find the beginning a tad slow and I respectfully disagree. I enjoy the way she builds her world and plot, especially given all the clever intricacies of them. It’s totally worth the wait because once Etta and Nicholas embark on their mission, it’s all go go go.

Do I recommend?

That would be a loud, resounding YES. I’m super impressed with this first book and will be counting the days until I can get my hands on the second.

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We're excited to be able to host another international giveaway
for our readers and this time we'll have 3 winners.

1 WINNER gets signed copy of Passenger + Passenger notebook, mug and print
2 WINNERS get a Passenger mug and print

You'll have two weeks to enter via the Rafflecopter form below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out Alexa's blog to see her review of Passenger!