Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken - ADVISABLE

Bracken, Alexandra.  Wayfarer.  532 pages.  Hyperion, 2017.  $17.99.  

Language:  PG-13 (133 swears); Violence: PG-13; Sexual Content: PG

The sequel to Passenger (2016), Etta wakes up and she doesn’t know where she is or what century she’s in.  She tries to escape and meets Nicholas’s half-brother Julian who Nicholas thought was dead.  She meets the leader of the people holding her, it’s Henry Hemlock—her father.  He tells Etta that her mother is deranged and obsessed with a Golden man and her shadow servants that don’t exist.  Etta doesn’t know who or what to believe.  Meanwhile, timelines are shifting, pasts and futures are being erased.  The astrolabe must be found.

Nicholas is desperate to find and rescue Etta, he’s even enlisted his once enemy, Sophia Ironwood.  They meet a female mercenary named Li Min who helps them.  Li Min is interested in Sophia, and the reader learns more about each of their pasts.  Nicholas’s desperation leads him to the Belladonna, a famous seller of unique items.  He agrees to do her a favor in return for information.  He puts on her ring and is told that he must kill his grandfather or die himself.  His grandfather has only been a source of pain, but Nicholas doesn’t want to become a murderer.  With time running out for Nicholas, the trio learn that the Belladonna is hosting an auction for the astrolabe.  Nicholas comes up with a plan…

The conclusion is exciting and satisfying.  The plot moves quickly as the traveler’s pop in and out of different countries and centuries.  I particularly enjoyed the side character development; learning about Sophia’s background almost made her likeable.  Etta and Nicholas continued as strong protagonists who are discovering who they are and who they want to become.  And most importantly what they are willing to sacrifice.  A must read for anyone who read the first book.      

HS-ADVISABLE.  Samantha Hastings, MA, MLS.