Passenger

November 2, 2015
Historical romance meets time-traveling adventure in this rousing series opener from Bracken (the Darkest Minds books). In the present day, Etta Spencer is a 17-year-old violinist eager to make her New York City debut as a soloist. After her mentor is killed, Ella awakens aboard a ship in 1776, where she discovers that her emotionally distant mother is believed responsible for hiding an astrolabe, a device used in time travel, from Cyrus Ironwood, a man determined to align all travelers to his command. With only her mother’s letters and paintings as clues, Etta searches with Nicholas Carter, a freed slave and privateer from the 18th century, charged with returning the astrolabe to Cyrus. Despite differences in time lines and cultures, Etta and Nicholas find their mutual passion makes them easy targets for other travelers, all eager to control time passages. Bracken’s saga is sweeping, moving quickly between countries and dates—from 1910 Bhutan to Damascus in 1599. Although the couple’s romantic doubts turn repetitive, the clever historical allusions, well-crafted subplots, and cliffhanger ending should leave readers awaiting the next volume. Ages 14–up. Agent: Merrilee Heifetz, Writers House.

November 15, 2015
A dedicated violinist finds her life taking a different turn when she learns that she is a time traveler in this series opener. Etta is 17 and ready to make her musical debut near her home in New York City when she finds herself suddenly catapulted onto a sailing ship in 1776. With her is Sophia, a rival time traveler who explains that the ability runs in families. Etta soon learns that her mother has hidden, somewhere in time, a valuable and dangerous object that, in the wrong hands, could cause catastrophic damage to time. Sadly, Etta herself falls into the wrong hands but agrees to try to find the object, following clues her mother left through time. Fortunately, Nicholas, a biracial former slave, also has the ability, and he joins Etta--but is he working with her or against her? Never mind his motive, however, because the two eventually fall in love. Bracken keeps pages turning with her descriptions of the different destinations the couple explores, including 1940 London and 1685 Angkor. Nicholas, a sailor who dreams of owning his own ship, speaks modern English perhaps too well, but his reactions to technology such as electricity and buses ring fairly true. The author places more focus on suspense than on romance, which she develops slowly. Already lengthy, the book ends with a cliffhanger and clearly more to come. Long but intriguing, and sometimes exciting--the payoff is in the future. (Fantasy. 12-18)

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December 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-This series opener doesn't let up its high-octane pace until the final page. In a matter of moments, Etta, a talented teenage violinist in New York City, goes from making her concert soloist debut to finding herself prisoner aboard a ship in the distant past. It turns out she is descended from one of a dwindling number of time-traveling families who manipulate history in an ongoing fight for power and influence. The captain of the ship, Nicholas Carter, was hired to retrieve Etta and bring her to the head of the most powerful family. Together they must travel across the globe and through different time periods in search of the long missing astrolabe. There are plenty of twists and turns and excitement as they travel-though at almost 500 pages, the story has periods where it drags, and complex plot machinations and world-building threaten to overwhelm the narrative. Luckily, the romance crackling between Nicholas and Etta will keep fans intrigued. VERDICT This strong new series will appeal to readers looking for a time-traveling adventure with plenty of drama and romance.-Eliza Langhans, Hatfield Public Library, MA

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2015
Grades 9-12 Violin prodigy Etta has sacrificed a lot for her music, including most of her personal life. Her New York City soloist debut is fast approaching, though, and it makes everything seem worth it. But just as she's on the brink of success, Etta finds herself floored by a tragedy that reveals her as one of the Ironwoods, an ancient, feuding family of time travelers, who need Etta to find a mysterious object. Etta soon finds herself on a voyage accompanied by sailor Nicholas, an illegitimate, unaccepted member of the Ironwood family who wants nothing more than to escape their influence. Together, Etta and Nicholas skip through time on their search, dealing not only with heightened stakes from the Ironwoods but also the difficulties in the historical places they travel throughdark-skinned, biracial Nicholas is a target for vitriol in many periods. Though the pace occasionally drags, this time-traveling adventure is rich in detail, the slow-burning relationship between Etta and Nicholas will leave many readers breathless, and the startling cliff-hanger will reel them back for the next installment.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Bracken's Darkest Minds series was a best-seller, with a film adaption currently in the works; fans will be eager for another tense series from the same author.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)