bettyehollands
Written on Dec 21, 2017
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.
- ISBN10 1471405109
- ISBN13 9781471405105
- Publish Date 3 March 2016 (first published 16 February 2016)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 17 August 2021
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Hot Key Books
- Format Paperback
- Pages 368
- Language English
Reviews
Angie
Written on Mar 24, 2017
I loved how time travel worked in The Girl From Everywhere. It's simple, which is great, and it makes sense. Nix and her father are Navigators, which I assume is genetic. All they need is a map, a ship, and belief. Then they can go anywhere, real or imagined. Of course, there are rules and limitations. The exact place where the end up is dependent on the actual map and the beliefs of the artist. There's another rule, but I think it might be a spoiler, since it's revealed a little ways into the book. But I never felt confused and I never spotted any glaring holes which is good.
The Girl From Everywhere is quite long, so I assumed they would find the correct map and head out to find Nix's mother before the end. Well, that's not quite what happened. There's a lot of adventure happening! Nix and her father get pulled into some political intrigue. There's a bit of romance. There's plenty of strained father-daughter relationship. And magic! And dragons! This actually could work very well as a standalone given that ending. Everything is wrapped up quite nicely without feeling rushed or forced. But given that there is a sequel, I definitely wasn't upset to get more!
I really enjoyed The Girl From Everywhere. Time travel is one of my favorite tropes, but it has to be done right and it was! It was also a very interesting twist to use maps and ships rather than higher technology or simply magic.
Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.
layawaydragon
Written on Oct 1, 2016
I read The Girl from Everywhere last October as Keep It Diverse’s first group read. I borrowed an electronic copy from my local library.
The Girl from Everywhere was picked as we’d all heard it was amazing and it’s #ownvoices. I think it’s clear from all the reviews, even the negative ones, how well the historical and Hawaiian aspect were crafted. I loved the descriptions of the island and finding out the history. Nix’s personal journey and part in Hawaii’s changes was heart-breaking and compelling.
The Gist:
➜Magic system is vague and unexplained. There is more learned as the story progressive but it’s like stretched instead of outlined.
➜A+ maps.
➜There are eyes in the water on the cover!
➜Love triangle and it will continue in the next book
➜Nix: Great MC, sympathetic, headstrong, has elaborate plans
➜Nix, as the daughter of an addict with survivor’s guilt over her mother, is written supremely well.
➜Kash: dashing, amusing, charming thief hero. Think Aaladin without the lying.
➜Nix & Kash = 3
➜Nix and her father’s relationship is complicated and changes throughout the novel. Both sides, the push and pull of love and addiction, is spot on from this daughter of an alcoholic and drug addict.
➜Loved learning all the mythology
➜Plot comes together wonderfully.
➜I’m not a huge fan of Blake, the newcomer and second love interest BUT his use on the ship is undeniable. So it’s not just about the romance.
➜It felt long but not overly slow. There are lots of moving pieces and threads to introduce, entwine, and revolve, which I thought worked and kept me entertained.
➜Loved the ending, very clever and unexpected but perfect.
➜I may not like love triangles but I don’t give two shits about Nix kissing both boys. There’s nothing but attraction and minor flirting between them all. Nix’s urge to experience and explore is understandable and kissing is a natural outcome. It’s too bad she didn’t meant any teenage girls though.
➜4 stars. Great adventure but you have to like history, mythology, and give it time.
➜The sequel, The Ship from Everywhere comes out FEb. 28th 2017, which is now just 4 weeks away! I will be continuing the series, though my priorities do lie in my review copies and the physical copies I already have.
Love triangles to illustrate a young woman’s torn decision between two options, usually one safe and one adventurous, is cliche. However, The Girl from Everywhere incorporates this with her mixed heritage and yearnings as well as a philosophical argument. Is paradise always lost or always destroyed? Is it fleeting and pointless to fight the changes of time or does it end because of people’s decisions?
I certainly know where I land, do you?
readingwithwrin
Written on Sep 29, 2016
See reviews first on my blog
I wasn’t really sure what to expect with this book. I knew it was a fantasy with time traveling which immediately had me intrigued. But then I was also worried about the other parts where the mythical elements came in as well as the missing parent. I couldn’t imagine how all three of those things could work well together and make an enjoyable story. I am very glad to say though that Heilig did an amazing job. This is now one of my favorite time traveling books. Heilig was able to make everything fit together so well and explained things throughout the story in just the characters talking to one another. Most of the time I felt like I was right there with the characters seeing it and living it just as they were, that could have more to do with me listening to it on audio-book though. Either way it I loved this book.
“I bit my lip to keep it from trembling; he'd let me go a long time ago. After all, you can only hold one person tight if you're holding on with both hands.”
Nix is an enjoyable character, sure at times she was slightly out of order when it came to things but she’s young and has a father who hasn’t been the best at being one. She’s grown up on a ship that travels through time and makes the unimaginable, imaginable. Yet it's never enough for her father because he doesn’t have the one he truly loves. This makes Nix feel awful and constantly worried about what will happen to her if he does succeed in his plan to get her mother back. Then we have the rest of the crew members who all have their own stories to tell, but are also extremely protective of Nix and have helped raised her.
“Sometimes a person has to let go of something to take hold of something else.”
When it comes time though for Nix’s father to have a real shot at what he’s wanted since Nix’s mother died, Nix can’t sabotage it even though it will mean her ruin. She also can’t let the crew who so kindly offer to sabotage it either. She knows it needs to be done, and the love that she has for her father is truly heartwarming.
“Sometimes fate makes choices for us.”
The ending of this book was so enthralling that I couldn't listen to it fast enough. I was so worried for all of the characters involved in what was happening, and how they were going to get out of this extremely dangerous situation without at least one of them getting injured or possibly dying. As you can tell I got a little attached to these characters. I do think bringing a certain someone back with them is just going to cause a lot of problem and I’m not looking forward to it.
“There are a lot of things that are illegal but not wrong. And probably more that are wrong, and still legal.”
I’m not exactly sure how this is going to continue on as a series, since it left most of the things all tied up nicely. I have a feeling though it’s going to involve a love triangle and I’m not sure how I feel about that. Mainly because I know who I want Nix to be with, but I can also see why said person wouldn’t be a wise choice. I am interested to see what happens though, now if 2017 could get here a little faster I could know.
“When I was young, I learned to expect loss. Every time you slept, something disappeared. Whenever you woke up, someone else was gone. But . . . I also learned that every day, you created everything anew. And whatever you had, you enjoyed as long as it lasted. Spend money when it’s in your pocket.” He took my hand and put the orange in it. “Eat fruit while it’s ripe.” His other hand found my cheek, his thumb brushing the corner of my mouth. “Paradise is a promise no god bothers to keep. There’s only now, and tomorrow nothing will be the same, whether we like it or not.”
cornerfolds
Written on Sep 22, 2016
Initial reaction:
DNF @ 23%
**Review to come!**
Mackenzie
Written on Apr 28, 2016
1. I borrowed this from the library and didn't finish it before it was due back (FOR SHAME!)
2. I just wasn't that interested. Which is a shame really since I was SO incredibly excited for this one. But, I just didn't really....care. About anything - the plot, the characters. Nada. I do kind of want to finish it because I was SO CLOSE to the end, but who knows if I ever will.
Joséphine
Written on Mar 31, 2016
Full review is up on Word Revel.
______________________________
March 31, 2016
Note: I received a finished copy for free from a local distributor in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Actual rating: 2.5 stars
Initial thoughts: Anyone who's been keeping up with my reading updates will know that I got really stuck on language issues. I'll write a more comprehensive round up in my final review. Other than that, I liked the influences of myths and legends as well as the tropical setting of Hawaii. Kashmir was my favourite character, I wish Blake would've gotten lost before he even entered the book, Slate was plain annoying and Nix was befitting of the story. In terms of time travel, there wasn't quite enough of it, so my excitement levels tapered off after the first few chapters when I realized that they weren't going anywhere for a large section of the book.
______________________________
Interim notes (Too long for reading updates)
March 20, 2016
Cultural and linguistic gripes (p.101–2):
欣 (xīn) in Mandarin means happy. That might be all well and good, except in 1880s Hawaii the Chinese didn't conventionally speak Mandarin. Three-quarters of the Chinese immigrants were Cantonese-speaking. The transliteration for 欣 is san. The remaining one-quarter was Hakka-speaking. Xin is a close approximation of how they pronounce 欣. However, there's the reference to the number five (五) as 'wu'. In Mandarin that's wǔ but for Hakka, this doesn't even remotely apply. The Hakka pronunciation of 五 is much closer to 'ng'.
This is why I conclude that neither Cantonese nor Hakka were the Chinese languages used in the context of The Girl from Everywhere. Instead it seems that the author adopted Mandarin as the lingua franca of the Chinese in 1884 Hawaii. That doesn't fit with the historical demography of Chinese immigrants to the island.
References:
+ The Chinese in Hawai'i: A Historical and Demographic Perspective by Eleanor C. Nordyke & Richard K.C. Lee
+ History of the Chinese American Community by H.M. Lai (Him Mark Lai was a scholar of Chinese American culture)
Jo
Written on Feb 17, 2016
I wanted to read The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig from the moment I heard about it on Barnes and Noble's Blog. I was elated to hear Hot Key Books would be publishing it in the UK, and that we'll get to read it soon without ordering it from the US. As soon as I saw it was available on NetGalley, I snapped it up, and oh my god, it's so, so, so good!
Nix lives with her father, Captain Slate, and their crew on the time-travelling ship, The Temptation. As long as they have a map of a destination from the time they wish to travel to, they can go anywhere and anywhen. Slate is obsessed to the point of distraction with finding a map from 1868 Honolulu, Hawaii, when his wife died, to try and save her life. The only problem is, she died during childbirth when Nix was born. If Slate manages to save his wife, what will happen to Nix? When Slate discovers there is a map that may very well take them to 1868 Honolulu, he needs Nix's help to get it. She can help her father, and risk her very existence, or she can refuse - but Slate is threatening to abandon Kashmir, Nix's best friend, in a place and time she can never return to, if she doesn't help him. It time for Nix to decide what's more important; trying to please a father who seems barely interested in her until she can help him; Kash, for whom she's beginning to have feelings for; or her own life.
I cannot begin to tell you how much I loved this book! I was absolutely gripped by this story, dying to know where it would it lead and what would happen, but more than that, I was taken in by the sumptuous storytelling. The Girl From Everywhere is a treasure trove of beauty, when it comes to describing the wonderful island of Oahu, and detail; given her home is a time-travelling ship, Nix has nurtured a love for history and mythology, and there is so much information woven into this story, I was completely swept away by it all. And with Heilig's master storytelling, it didn't feel like an info dump or a dry history lesson, it was all delicately woven in to the plot of the story. Although The Girl From Everywhere is sci-fi meets historical, it had a magical realism feel to it, where myths and the magical are real, as long as you had the right map.
I was completely taken by the cast of characters, and loved how diverse they were. Half Chinese and half American, Nix is a brave, smart, and resourceful young woman, who has quite a modern voice despite when she was born - due to the fact that she's been brought up by a father from present day New York. She's quick and clever, and I just loved her. She's also stubborn, and determined to work out how to navigate and flee to time-travel away from her father, for the safety of her existence, and because of the unintentional hurt she's always caused by a father who is obsessed with a woman who died 16 years ago. I wish we had more of Bee and Rotgut, two of the other crew members, because they were so interesting! Bee is an African woman from a long ago past, part of a tribe that believed that those who die are still with their loved ones, and so she is forever talking about and to Ayen, her deceased wife. Rotgut is a Chinese man who used to be a monk before running away and joining the crew of The Temptation. Bee is friend and an almost-mother-figure to Nix, and offers advice and friendship, and kind words when her father is present but absent. Rotgut... we got less of him, and I can't tell you much about him other than that he does the cooking and loves fishing for the food he cooks, but I really liked him, too!
And Kashmir! Oh, Kashmir! A young Persian man from a mythical Iran, he is quick witted and flirty, hugely self-confident, and one of the most talented thieves I've come across in fantasy. I loved him! And his relationship with Nix was so beautiful! Theirs is a slow blossoming romance, it's all under the surface and subtle, but they're hints and flirty banter that might be more than banter, and it's just so gorgeous! He doesn't push it though, he doesn't force Nix into a conversation she's not ready for. Because Kash is her best friend, and she loves him and what they have so much. Yes, she's coming to realise feelings are slowly but surely developing for him, but she doesn't want to risk or complicate what they already have. And so Kash kind of gently places hints about how he feels, and leaves it up to Nix to decide what to do with them, whether that's choosing not to read more into what he's saying, ignore the fact that there might even be more to what he's saying anyway, or face exactly what he's saying head on, and respond. The ball's in Nix's court, and he gives her the space to work things out - both that he feels something for her, and to work out what it is she feels for him. It's the sweetest damn thing ever, and oh my god, I want a Kash of my own! All this sweetness doesn't take away from just how hilarious he is, with his quips and self-confidence. I just love this boy, and I would like more of him. And, with how this story is set up, with all it's different times and places and history, I think it would be perfectly do-able if Heilig ever wanted to write a short story from his point of view of when he first joined The Temptation. So a The Girl From Everywhere 0.5. Or maybe one set between The Girl From Everywhere and the as yet untitled sequel, The Girl From Everywhere 1.5, from his point of view on an adventure with Nix, but where we get into his head and get more of what he feels for her. Or just any kind of short story from his point of view, because I just love him so. Just putting that out there.
And now Slate. He is such a complicated character. I kind of loathe him and feel so unbearably sorry for him at the same time. He is so desperately lost without his wife, Lin, that even 16 years on, his every waking thought is about trying to find a way back to her. He is obsessed - the bad kind of obsessed where he thinks of little else, least of all his own daughter who's very existence is on the line. When Slate has hope, he is so deliriously happy, so unbelievably euphoric. Nix finds it difficult to say no to him when he's like this; yes, helping him is hazardous for her, but despite how he treats her, he's still her father and she loves him, and wants him to be happy. And when he's hoping and needing her help, she has her father back, if briefly. But when hope is dashed - as they have found various maps of Honolulu in 1868 in the past that have just failed in getting them there - Slate falls into the depths of the darkest despair. His only way of coping is to shut himself in his quarters and get so high on opium, he's completely out of it for days at a time. I suspected throughout the novel that Slate might be bipolar, but this is never discussed, so I couldn't say for sure.
Although the stories are very different, the experience of reading The Girl From Everywhere was a lot like my experience of reading Harry Potter*; it evoked the same feelings of wonder, excitement and awe! And despite the fact I read all the time, The Girl From Everywhere reminded me of what reading is all about - those feelings, the wonder, excitement and awe, are what I hope for every time I open a book. Reading this book was like discovering reading for the very first time, again. I have a feeling that The Girl From Everywhere - and subsequent books - are going to be books I read over and over again.
The Girl From Everywhere is perfect and wonderful, and I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel! It's such an incredible debut novel, and I am so excited by the thought of all the books she'll write. I cannot praise this book enough! I need you all to read it, so we can rave about this gem of a book together.
*Please note, I am not saying The Girl From Everywhere is like the Harry Potter books. These books are in no way similar when it comes to plot. I'm saying The Girl From Everywhere made me feel the same way as I felt when reading Harry Potter. Do not read this book and expect Harry Potter, because that isn't what you're going to get.
Thank you to Hot Key Books via NetGalley for the eProof.
bookishzelda
Written on Jan 29, 2016
I loved the characters. They were all unique and interesting, which made me want to know more about them. The crew has been collected from various locations and points of time in history. Some not even on places that exist outside a believers map. We get tidbits of their side stories but I would have been happy to have their whole histories laid out. I found that I loved them all.
I don’t feel like the romance was the focus but I adored Kashmir so much that I was completely bothered by Blake. As in when Nix was hanging out with him I didn’t want to read those parts. I think the way Nix explains some things later in the book makes things make sense to me but still. Team Kash all the way.
Nix relationship with her father Slate and the ghost of her mother was what the main focus of the book is really about. It’s that idea of why chase what’s gone when you have something wonderful in front of you. Their ups and downs is what really kept me intrigued in the story. There were moments when I hated Slate and moments when I wanted to yell at Nix. I truly loved watching their relationship evolve as they seemed to be heading towards separation.
Like I said yay for history. I was actually recently reading (or watching I don’t know) about them unearthing the Terracotta Army. So I thought it was such a cool addition to the story. Plus all the Hawaiian history that you don’t get to hear about that often. I loved the Night Marchers.
I did love this plot. It felt like we were following a string through time that finally leads to the ball of yarn. Ya weird analogy I know. It kept me interested and wondering where they would go next.
I really enjoyed the book and I look forward to more from Heidi Heilig.
kimbacaffeinate
Written on Jan 25, 2016