Title: The girl from everywhere. Author: Heidi Heilig.
Pages: 464.
Published: February 16th 2016 by Greenwillow Books.
Sort: Part 1 of The girl from everywhere.
Source: I received a copy from the publisher on Edelweiss.
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.
Rating:
This book got a lot of buzz around the time I read it and I must say that it is worth the hype. I thought it was a really clever, well-written story with interesting characters. This was one of the books I read during the 24 hours read-a-thon with my book club and it was not hard to read it in one sitting.
Nix sails together with her father on their ship, The Temptation, to any place in any time with the help of maps. I loved this concept, although I wish there were more explanations around the maps. They must be new (no one must have used them to travel before) and I still don't really understand why. If some of them are so rare, why not copy them before use? Anyway, they are looking for a very special map: one where Nix's mother is still alive. This is a difficult matter for Nix, because her mother died in childbirth, and Nix has no idea what would happen if she travels to that time. It could erase her entirely, but the complex relationship with her father makes her motivated to help him with his quest.
And boy, did I love their dynamic. It is clear that her father is a troubled man who can think of only one thing: finding the love of his life and getting her back. It is also obvious he loves Nix in his own way and it was great to have a book where a father/daughter relationship is the center where everything evolves around. His passionate search for this map makes sure that the plot takes us all to different places in the world in different time periods.
Another thing I really appreciated was the diversity in this book. The crew showcases many different people from other cultures and sexuality. Take Kash, a Persian thief who is Nix's best friend. I am someone who does not need much romance in a book and I loved how Heidi handled this. Nix and Kash first start out as really good friends and not too much happens, but that is what made me ship them so hard. Plus, sass and banter!
I think this book was a great start of a series and I very much look forward to the sequel.
“Sometimes a person has to let go of something to take hold of something else.”
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