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gdoo2024's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
twowheelsaway's review
4.0
I liked this even more than the first one! A super cool universe, a Hot Take on time travel conundrums, and better pacing than the last one made this a really good read.
pantsreads's review
3.0
Loving the adventure, but still wishing I connected better with the characters.
Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.
Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.
peachesndplums's review against another edition
3.25
don’t read this book with weeks inbetween i forgot so much and that definitely impacted my reading experience but liked the story! very reminiscent of inkheart
aimeesbookishlife's review against another edition
4.0
This book picks up almost exactly where [b:The Girl from Everywhere|21979832|The Girl from Everywhere (The Girl from Everywhere, #1)|Heidi Heilig|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1434729653s/21979832.jpg|41290415] left off, . I read them back to back but there is a helpful recap of the events of the first book (without too much info-dumping) so even if I had left a gap I think I would have been able to remember all the necessary information.
The first thing that struck me was the difference in pacing between this book and the first book. The Girl from Everywhere takes a little while to get going, although I actually loved the slow scene-setting, whereas this one jumps straight in with a gripping story that kept me turning pages way after bedtime. I think it's because the set-up was already done in the first book - there aren't any characters to get to know, and the reader already understands Navigation, at least a little bit.
Speaking of Navigation, the sci-fi nerds will be pleased that Heilig goes into much more detail in this book about the type of time-travel involved. It's actually a little bit 'timey wimey wibbly wobbly' but mostly because the characters themselves don't really understand whether or not they can change the past; in fact the whole story is about that. I loved the moral dilemmas and quandaries about changing the past - do you risk the lives of innocent strangers to save those you love? Can you undo your own existence? My only criticism would be that these subjects aren't given a lot of time in the book, they're usually raised by one character and dismissed by another with a 'we'll figure that out later' attitude, but I guess most readers would have been bored by pages and pages of characters philosophizing about the nature of time so maybe it's for the best.
I LOVED having POV chapters from Kashmir. He was in many ways the break-out star of the first book; a sarcastic, loveable rogue with impeccable dress sense. He goes through somewhat of an existential crisis in this book too (he is from a mythological city and starts to wonder if his whole life is just someone's invention) so it makes sense to be able to see it from his perspective.
It's a very worthy sequel to a great debut, and I'd recommend both books to all lovers of YA sci-fi/fantasy.
Spoiler
with Blake now aboard the Temptation and all the crew recovering from their ordeal in HawaiiThe first thing that struck me was the difference in pacing between this book and the first book. The Girl from Everywhere takes a little while to get going, although I actually loved the slow scene-setting, whereas this one jumps straight in with a gripping story that kept me turning pages way after bedtime. I think it's because the set-up was already done in the first book - there aren't any characters to get to know, and the reader already understands Navigation, at least a little bit.
Speaking of Navigation, the sci-fi nerds will be pleased that Heilig goes into much more detail in this book about the type of time-travel involved. It's actually a little bit 'timey wimey wibbly wobbly' but mostly because the characters themselves don't really understand whether or not they can change the past; in fact the whole story is about that. I loved the moral dilemmas and quandaries about changing the past - do you risk the lives of innocent strangers to save those you love? Can you undo your own existence? My only criticism would be that these subjects aren't given a lot of time in the book, they're usually raised by one character and dismissed by another with a 'we'll figure that out later' attitude, but I guess most readers would have been bored by pages and pages of characters philosophizing about the nature of time so maybe it's for the best.
I LOVED having POV chapters from Kashmir. He was in many ways the break-out star of the first book; a sarcastic, loveable rogue with impeccable dress sense. He goes through somewhat of an existential crisis in this book too (he is from a mythological city and starts to wonder if his whole life is just someone's invention) so it makes sense to be able to see it from his perspective.
It's a very worthy sequel to a great debut, and I'd recommend both books to all lovers of YA sci-fi/fantasy.
mhari_e_c's review
4.0
I really love these characters and the whole concept, but some things just confuse me about the plot. The ending was really good though I will admit sad. I’ve been left wondering what has become of John Slate. This is a pretty good duology and a pretty quick read. If the concept of time travel interests you in any way you’d probably enjoy this book!
janeeyre_914716's review
1.0
I honestly have to unfortunately give this a one star rating because I was confused with some things and why this was written in my brutal honest opinion. I was seriously bored with this one and was so close to DNF'ing this one so many times but then I'd talk myself into keep going hoping it would get better and for me it just didn't cut it. I don't know why.
So to sum up both books for me.....
I was bored in other words mainly with this second book. I don't know why I couldn't get into these and even though the first book [b:The Girl from Everywhere|21979832|The Girl from Everywhere (The Girl from Everywhere, #1)|Heidi Heilig|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1434729653l/21979832._SY75_.jpg|41290415] was a 2 star and lacked for me but this one however I just personally felt like it shouldn't have been written if I'm going to be honest. I don't know. I'm just glad many others ended up liking this duology and even though the first book looked promising to me I guess they just weren't for me.
Though I've debated if I'd recommend them or not and I guess I have to say yeah. I would still recommend them considering many others liked and/or enjoyed these while I for some reason couldn't. And yet I'm just not as big of a fan of time travel type stories and it really depends on the story for those big time and I felt these kinda lacked a lot for me but didn't seem as much of historical fiction as they (or only book one) was labeled as and maybe that's why I didn't like it as much. So if you're one who likes time travel like books go for it and pick these up cause you may just like these and I hope you do. :)
zu_reviews's review
4.0
Although the first book disappointed me, this book picked up more and really played with the world and the Navigation magic that was invented. It still would have been nice to travel to more places and spend more time at them - but this plot was overall more engaging than the first. It didn't tale half the book to get to, and there was a genuine mystery.
The ending did fall a bit flat for me, but was still ultimately satisfying.
The ending did fall a bit flat for me, but was still ultimately satisfying.
doublearegee's review
4.0
I loved the original because it was fantasy but not ridiculous. It was a compelling story. The second book felt like what the hell, let's throw a bunch of stuff in and see how it gels into a story. Still good, but not as good as the first one.